From poor diets to procrastination, a bad habit can come in the way of you reaching your full potential in life. This is why at the beginning of every year, many of us make resolutions to break our bad habits. However, breaking a habit is harder than it looks and many give up along the way. The good news is that there are ways you can break a bad habit even when you think it’s impossible. Here are some tips you can use to break a bad habit.
Be Aware of Your Triggers
If you’re not aware of what triggers you to revert to your bad ways, you may not be able to permanently get rid of it. Anything can be a trigger but the majority of the time, there are two common culprits – stress and boredom. Once you know your triggers you will be able to know when you need to change your habit. Next time you’re stressed or bored, avoid giving in to the bad habit and try to find better ways to deal with the situation.
Create A Hindrance
As long as you don’t have access to the bad habit, it will be difficult to do it. Therefore, you should try to make it hard to access the things you’re trying to avoid. If you spend a lot of time watching TV, cancel your subscriptions so you have fewer TV shows to watch. Over time, these hindrances will force you to give up the bad habit and pick up a good one.
Choose A Substitute
Most times when we plan on breaking a bad habit, we don’t have a substitute for it. This makes it easy for you to go back to the old ways. For instance, if you want to stop smoking, you need to find another healthier thing to replace that habit. You can try meditation or deep breathing whenever you get the urge to smoke. Whatever you’re trying to shake, ensure you have a plan for what you’ll do to form a good habit.
Focus On One Habit At A Time
Many of us are a culprit of this. We list down everything we want to change and try to do it all at the same time. Tackling too many things at the same time will only put pressure on your willpower. You can only push yourself so far before you feel worn out. To avoid exhausting your willpower, focus on one habit at a time. Otherwise, you’re most likely going to go back to your bad habits.
Practice Resilience
As mentioned, it’s easier to say that you want to break a bad habit than to actually do it. This is where resilience comes in. The deeper a habit is rooted in your daily life, the more effort you’ll need to put in. Additionally, they can have a powerful hold on us. You’ll have to be tougher than the situation to see any progress since you’re most likely going to fail a few times and fall into temptation. This shouldn’t discourage you though.
Getting A Handle On Self Discipline
Keep Reminders
One of the best ways to break a habit is to constantly remind yourself to work on it. You need to motivate yourself if you’re to successfully stop doing something bad. Place sticky notes around the house to act as a reminder. You can also set alarms throughout the day that will prompt you to stop the bad habit. Leaving out something that reminds you to break a habit or start a new one also helps. For instance, leaving out your workout mat will remind you to exercise or go to the gym.
Meet Like-Minded People
There’s a reason why group therapy is so effective. When you’re in the company of people with the same vision as you, you’re most likely going to stay focused on the goal. This also works when you’re trying to break a bad habit. You can’t stay in the company of people who tempt you to continue your bad habits. Instead, you should find people who are also trying to break the habit like yourself. You can also have a conversation with your family and friends about your goals and hope that they will support you.
Check out
7 Mistakes That Make New Habits Fail
6 Easy Lifestyle Changes You Can Make To Live A Better Life
