To break bad habits we first need to understand where and why we developed the habit in the first place. For many of us, we have created bad habits as coping tools that truly serve us no good and in many cases can be self-destructive. Do you want to break bad habits?
Habit: something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it.
(according to Cambridge Dictionary)
Habits whether good or bad are functions that are used as a shortcut. Our brains are always trying to do things more efficiently. Or as we perceive them. While we are performing our habits our brains are doing other things. When people say they are stress eating or smoking due to stress, they actually believe that the bad habit has given them a distraction.
But what has actually happened to most is that they obsess more about what they were stressed out about in the very beginning. So how is stress (anything) helping you psychologically? It’s not and it only compounds the issues even more, which leads to dependency on said bad habit. More stress eating, more nail-biting, more smoking, or whatever.
Understanding its origin
When we understand where the bad habit originated from then we can start to get rid of it. There are certain cues that we can observe to make the changes. For example, if you find yourself laying in bed and are endlessly scrolling on your phone then you need to realize that the bed is the trigger for your scrolling bad habit.
First and foremost your sleeping space needs to be designated for only sleeping and sex. Yep, I said it. If you have a TV in your bedroom and you also have your other technologies (phone, tablet, computer) then you can classify them as a bad habit. They distract you from a healthy sleep routine. I still haven’t met anyone who says they watch TV in their room and they have great sleep. What about you?
Be patient with yourself
It can take some time to break bad habits especially if you haven’t done them before. Be patient with yourself, be honest with yourself, and just keep at it. Just because you fail doesn’t mean that it is that way forever. You will have to put more work in to get in the right direction. In many cases, you may need to create a new habit to curb the bad one. You have to create a good one otherwise you are wasting your time.
Learn to understand the roots of the bad habits and you will be more successful in breaking them.
Learn these about your bad habit:
Trigger. What are the different triggers that cause the bad habit?
Behavior. What is the action of the bad habit? The things you do that aren’t good for you.
Reward. What is the gold medal you get for the action? What do you get out of it?
These are extremely important to figure out. If you don’t know then you won’t be able to fix the bad habits.
Tips:
Mindfulness training. Become aware and get some type of mediation practice going for you. You should try different techniques. Not everything works for everybody.
Habit reversal training. This is evidence-based stuff and it is highly effective behavioral therapy for unwanted behavior. Seek out a good and qualified therapist for this. It’s okay to get help when you need it.
Get curious. Start trying to break down the habit and where it all started. Learn more about yourself to grow as an individual.
Conclusion
To break a habit you must first learn to understand why it began in the first place. These things take work so you will have to put lots of brainpower in it and you will have to be patient with yourself.
