Everyone has skills. Some are really valuable – maybe you lay out your clothes for work the night before or turn off the light when you leave the room. However, habits like biting your nails, drinking caffeine that won’t come back throughout the day, or sleeping too often won’t help. Breaking an unwanted habit can be difficult, especially if it’s been with you for a long time.
20 Ways To Break Bad Habits
1. Trigger
Remember, triggers are the beginning of habit formation. Recognizing the driver behind your daily routine is the first step to overcoming it. Leave it for a few days after feeding to see if it follows any pattern.
Note the following:
- Where does normal behavior occur?
- What season is it now?
- How did you feel when that happened?
- Is there anyone else?
- Does it happen after the other?
Suppose you have to stop waking up before 12 o’clock. By tracking your behavior, whether you sit in front of the TV for a long time or hang out with your friends after dinner, you will find that you stay up later in general. After all, you tend to fall asleep before events such as reading or walking.
2. Focus on why you want to change
Do you want to stop or change certain habits? This shows that if the change is important or valuable to you, it may be easier to change your behavior.
Take a few moments to consider why you should end this habit and the benefits that come with the change. Posting these reasons can help you think about many things that you may not have experienced.
3. Reasons for abandonment
Regardless of whether you can replace a “bad” habit with a better one, the first bad habit will have a stronger natural “disorder” than the one it replaced.
For example, your mind understands that chewing gum is not nicotine, thus telling you that smoking does not create a pleasurable urge. This is where character inspiration becomes an integral factor.
4. Set good goals
Instead of setting a broader goal like, “I won’t take transit from the cafeteria,” Poldrack suggests imagining more clearly how you’re going to achieve that goal in your everyday life.
Poldrack says, “Find out how you react to the situation in the first place, and if you can strategically distance yourself from treats, maybe you have what it takes to kick the habit. That could mean not just going on a dessert binge.
5. Supportive friends
If you and your partner need to break an unwanted habit, try doing it together.
Suppose you both need to stop smoking. Controlling impulses alone can be overwhelming. Staying with your partner won’t make you lose your will. However, it can be easier to manage when dealing with other people.
6. Exercise wisdom
Mindfulness can help you focus on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This exercise involves feeling without judgment or response to the driving force you identify with your behavior.
As you become more aware of these common behaviors and the drivers that cause them, you may find it easier to think of different options, such as turning off update signals or not following trends.
7. Replace this habit with another
Instead of trying to stop unwanted behavior, you can make a simple reminder to break the habit when you replace the unwanted behavior with another action.
Let’s say you stop chasing sweets when you go swimming. If you really try to avoid food, you may fall into the habit again if you can’t avoid hunger.
8. Set yourself a reminder
Using stickers, sticky notes, or other visual updates can help you review an activity when something happens where the behavior is happening.
Here are some ideas:
- Want to get out of the habit of drinking soft drinks? Put a little sticker on your fridge so you can see it when you go after the can.
- Do you try to turn off the lights when you leave the room? Place a label for yourself on the light switch or door.
9. Prepare for turnovers
Breaking habits can be challenging, but you can find some habits that are easier to break than others.
“It’s not that hard to go through old patterns again, especially if the new ones aren’t too complicated,” says LPC Erika Myers. It’s hard to change. Remember that these skills take time to develop, and you will not lose them overnight.
10. Let go of the all-or-nothing mindset
Patience is common when trying to change behavior and trying to reach an agreement. Feeling sad and disappointed when you touch your heart is a different story.
When you find yourself falling into old habits again, you wonder, “Why did I really do this?” You probably think so. You can start questioning yourself and give up on yourself.
11. Start small
Are you looking to pursue a different skill in the same way? The image of others, and a developed personality, can be a great help, especially when choosing to change unwanted habits.
12. Can be used here and there
If the habits can be combined, you may find it easier to deal with them at the same time. For example, if you need to stop smoking and drinking and generally do those two things together, stopping both immediately works.
13. Break the habit and visualize
This skill is completely active, requiring no real interaction. You can also intellectually practice new replacement skills.
Imagine the weather or conditions, for example, tomorrow, before looking for your exhibition. How do you usually respond? You may find yourself biting your nails or tapping a pen on your desk.
14. Take care of yourself
Many people think that it is easier to make positive changes in life when they start with health.
If you are currently facing various challenges, such as work pressure, relationship problems, or medical conditions, trying to break a habit can create more disaster than the actual habit.
15. Give it time
There is a common statement that it takes 21 days to let go of a habit. However, where do these numbers come from?
Trials may include people who have undergone plastic medical procedures. Most of them get used to the changed appearance within 3 weeks. This is really unique to breaking habits and learning.
16. Know you don’t have to do it alone
Breaking certain habits, like buying lunch every day or going to the gym, can only be achieved with dedication and commitment.
If possible, if you need to address more addictive behaviors such as binge eating, cravings, drinking, or addiction, the help of a trained emotional health professional can improve the situation.
17. Encourage
To break a habit effectively, it’s important to discern why you need to change. Write down your reasons. What are the benefits of growth potential? What are the disadvantages of continuing the habit? Save this collection if you need to browse for inspiration.
18. Reward yourself
Resolve high response power to extend your profits. Reward yourself after you make small improvements to get off the learning curve! Use the money, time, or energy you save from letting go of your sadness to buy or do something you enjoy. This “bug” will normally motivate you to stop.
19. Make a flexible schedule
This skill has not yet been related to memory. Here you think about dealing with a non-drinking gathering, as opposed to drinking and hanging out with a bunch of expats — get a cocktail and attract old friends.
The key here is to map triggers before they have a chance to start.
20. Punish yourself for every mistake
Make a negative attitude a little more difficult, and you can do very well. Cash is a big help, so you can use the “pledge” method or pay your friends $1 every time they see you stop doing something.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to change bad habits is to find a new hobby or start doing something you want to do. An effective way to combat the negative feelings you experience from boredom is to study or distract yourself with healthy activities, such as exercise.
