Habits are a powerful way for our brain to increase its efficiency. Making regular actions and behaviours into habits allows us to focus on more essential tasks. They are our life management system on autopilot.
Even bad habits can be beneficial to our health. An improved mood and less tension are the short-term effects. However, they frequently have a detrimental long-term effect on our health and well-being. We create habits even without our knowing, and these can be success habits or bad habits, but us humans tend to accumulate more bad habits than good!
But why is it so difficult to put an end to something we know is harmful for us?
We are receiving a benefit, such as a good mood or reduced stress levels, when we partake in the bad habit, e.g., smoking. As a result, anytime we are in a particular scenario (for example, when we are worried), our brain builds a desire to engage in this behaviour in order to reap the benefits.
Our mind keeps us desiring the things that we are trying to avoid, creating a vicious cycle. This understanding helps us to devise ways for breaking and eliminating bad habits.
Bad habits harm us in a variety of ways. They have the potential to adversely affect our health, our emotional well-being, and even our intimate relationships. It will not work to try breaking a bad habit simply by telling yourself you’re not going to do it. The habit, such as the desire to drink or smoke or being incredibly disorganised, is hardwired into your brain.
Getting rid of bad habits is similar to creating a goal. If you have a precise goal in mind, you have a better chance of succeeding. It’s also crucial that you are the one who wants to break the habit (intrinsic motivation).
Identifying the bad habit and why you think you persist in it is the first little step to take. Make a note of it on a sheet of paper.
Once you’ve figured out what’s causing the bad habit, make a plan to change it immediately. If you smoke every day, for example, you will figure out what makes you want to smoke. Is it anxiety or stress? Do you smoke when you have a cup of coffee purely out of habit?
When you smoke when you’re stressed, you will need a plan of action to minimise stress throughout the day. What minor things in your life can you get rid of that are causing you stress? Make a note of it in your action plan. If you’re tempted to smoke because you’re drinking coffee, consider switching to a different beverage.
You can then write it down and commit to smoking one fewer cigarette per day until you reach your goal of no cigarettes.
Many bad habits can be replaced by alternatives. If you always have something sugary for dessert, for example, your blood sugar levels are likely to suffer. It’s also possible that you will gain weight. Because we know that refined sugar causes a myriad of health problems, you should swap out your desserts for healthier options.
If you need something sweet after supper, cherries are a good choice. They provide the sweetness you crave, plus lots of health advantages.
You must make the choice to take a step back and not succumb to peer pressure. Refuse and walk away when pals insist on spending their Friday nights drinking from 5 p.m. till the wee hours of the morning. Replace it with a healthy habit, such as going to the gym or spending time with your family.
Some habits are inextricably linked. If that is the case, you can work on all of them at the same time. You already know that watching too much tv and overeating is bad for your mind and body. By turning off the tv and going on a bike ride, you can get rid of both habits at once. Bring some healthy snacks and plenty of water.
Another little step toward easing bad habits is to remove or replace them. We all realize that drinking soda is bad for you, and some individuals drink a litre or more every day. Replace soda with water or freshly squeezed fruit juice in your fridge and on your grocery list.
If you like a burger and fries every now and then, bring a water bottle with you when you order. Order individual burgers and fries instead of the combo, which includes a drink.
Another bad habit such as continually using your cellphone can be controlled by putting your phone out of reach at different times of the day. Put y our cellphone in another room when you’re eating meals with your family.
Another bad habit is bringing your phone to bed, and you should keep it in another room nearby in case of an emergency. If it is next to you, you will be more inclined to watch news or scroll through social media before going to bed. Both are full of bad news, which will make you lose your optimistic outlook on life. In bed, replace your cellphone with a good book about positivity or some other form of self-improvement. If you are spiritual, read some Bible devotions and spend time in gratitude before going to sleep.
The quick answer is that it varies.
According to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes between 18 and 254 days for a person to develop a new habit. These numbers are similar regarding breaking a bad habit.
There are so many factors in the question “How long does it take to break a habit?” that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. For example, it takes a lot longer for someone who has been smoking for 20 years to quit than it does for someone who is attempting to break the bad habit of forgetting to brush their teeth in the evening.
To have the long-term drive to stop or replace your habit, make sure you have a strong “Why” (purpose or goal) because this will keep you going if/when things get tough.
Creating habits requires self-discipline and many people do lack in this area. If you want to gain more self-discipline, check out the featured resource below where you can get a free detailed report about the Power Of Self-Discipline; download, read it and take action 😊
Wouldn’t it be great if everything in your life was completely automated? You would no longer have to remember to get up and go to work or do your daily chores. You would exercise regularly and eat the healthiest things.
But unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way and you have to be involved in the process.
Sounds good doesn’t it? Yes it does but forming new good habits requires a lot of time, effort and patience.
If you don’t go about it the right way then your new habits will not stick. In this article we will show you ways that you can make your new habits stick.
A lot of people fall into the trap of trying to totally change their lives in a single day.
Start off with small changes and then build from these.
You will need to run a routine for at least 21 days to become comfortable with the change.
So ,we recommend that you make a 90 day commitment to your new habit. 90 days is not a long time in the scheme of things and it will pass quickly.
The best way to make a new habit stick is to be consistent with it. You want to create a new daily routine which includes your new habit.
Don’t go crazy here. You do not want to join a gym and commit to completing a full workout each day.
This is a disaster waiting to happen. Find a form of exercise that is beneficial that you can easily do at home. Gradually migrate to going to the gym a few times a week.
It is important that you never lose sight of why you are forming a new habit.
The stronger your reason for creating the new habit in your life the better.
Write down your reason for making the change and make this strong for example.
Forming a new habit is a tough thing to do and you will help yourself enormously if you remove temptations that could push you back into your bad habits.
If you are changing your diet to a healthy eating plan then get rid of all those forbidden foods from your kitchen for example.
These are not difficult things to implement in your life and they will make the difference between success and failure.
Of course, when we create new habits, we want them to ones that are positive and empower us.
But sometimes we acquire bad habits and need to break free of them but how do you do that?
Most people have attempted to break bad habits in their life before but found the process so difficult that they gave up and resigned themselves to accepting the bad habit. This is not a place that you want to be in.
So, let’s look at 5 of the best ways to break your bad habits.
Breaking a bad habit is one of the most liberating things that you can do in your life. So please read on and then start putting what you learn into practice.
People will usually do more to avoid pain than they will to gain pleasure. So, with this in mind it is a good idea to create a pain situation related to your bad habits.
If you eat too much junk food, then fine yourself each time you visit the hamburger joint. Make this significant such as $20 that you give to your spouse or children when you do this.
You do not have to use money for this pain. Giving up something that you love can be just as painful if not more. The wager could be over your new video game console for example.
You need to understand what kicks off your bad habit in order to break it. This is called a trigger and it can be one thing or several different things.
It is not automatic it just happens very quickly so you think that it is. So, when you next crave your bad habit identify what caused this craving.
The more that you know about your bad habits the more likely you are to break them.
You may have the very best intentions to break a bad habit but if you experience a sudden drop in your willpower then you can find yourself easily indulging again.
This will help you to refocus and continue with your good work.
As we have seen above, a lot of bad habits are triggered from being in a certain place or seeing the same things over and over.
If the route you take to work stresses you about because of the traffic and makes you want a cigarette then try different routes.
You need patience and persistence to break bad habits. Trying to make massive changes in your life all at once is going to be really challenging for you.
You really need to work on building good habits and to do that you will need to develop a strong success mindset and that is easier than you think; you may just need a few pointers to help you out along the way.
To that end, please check out the featured resource below as it features a free report that will help you to develop a strong mindset that can help propel you into the success you deserve. Download, read it and take action 😊
