How to Break a Bad Habit
A habit is a pattern achieved by frequent repetitions of a certain behavior. Most people find it hard to get rid of their habits; they see them as parts of their lives. Here are some tips to break a bad habit.
Evaluate your bad habit. What do you get from doing it and what are the risks of continuing to do it? Only when you know these things will you be able to decide to quit your behavior. Keeping a journal would be a great help. Write down the times you do your habit. Knowing when and why you perform such acts will make you deal with your behavior properly.
Make a commitment. Expect that it’ll need time and effort to totally kick off your habit. Once you’ve decided on this, resist all temptations of doing it again. A relapse is much harder to manage.
Take control. Your habit shouldn’t control your life. Make a plan of all the possible things you can do and choose one which you think will work best for you. Biting nails may seem like a compulsive act. If you’re aware of what you do all the time, you’ll be able to stop yourself before you do the act, or abruptly stop the act when you start doing it.
Take it a day at a time. Set realistic goals. Most people find going cold turkey effective. If you think an abrupt change won’t work for you, then do things gradually. A good transition is important to prevent going on a relapse.
Replace your bad habit. If you’re drinking or smoking because of stress or anxiety, look for alternative ways to deal with these things. If you’re used to smoking a cigarette while drinking coffee, why not match that coffee with a sandwich instead? Find acceptable actions to substitute for your bad habit. This way, you won’t be feeling lost when the urge of doing your bad habit comes.
Compete against yourself. A competition is a good drive to effectively get rid of your bad habit. If you’re able to go through a day without drinking alcohol, try doing it for 2 days straight the next week, then 3 days the following week. Take note of the longest period you can go. When you perform your bad habit again, don’t feel bad about it. Keep in mind of the longest time that you can go without the habit then start over with the goal of beating your longest record.
Getting rid of a bad habit needs time and effort. You have to realize that breaking a habit is like learning a new one. You need constant reinforcement and repetition of the good behavior in order to get rid of the bad one.