We all have good habits and bad habits; good habits include things like exercising and cooking healthy foods whereas bad habits include things like eating junk food every evening and smoking. Our bad habits tend to impact us extremely negatively, impacting upon our wellbeing and stressing us out because we know we shouldn’t really be doing them.
If you want to break your bad habits and achieve a greater level of wellness, you need to know that it may be tough at times, but it is possible, and it might not even be as difficult as you think. Here are some of the strategies you can use to wave bye-bye to your bad habits for good:
One Habit at a Time
Most of us don’t have an infinite amount of willpower our their disposal (although it can be developed over time). That is why, when you try to do too many new things at once, you often give up far too easily. That’s why, when it comes to tackling bad habits, it’s better to work on one at a time. Identify the habit you most want to break and focus on that.
Learn Your Triggers
A lot of the time, we indulge in our bad habits after a trigger sets us off. For example, some people overeat when they’re bored, and some people smoke when they’re stressed. If you can work out what triggers you, you can fight your auto-pilot, stop yourself from completing the bad behaviour and do something else instead, which brings us to…
Replace the Bad with the Good
A good way to wean yourself off your bad habits is to replace them with better ones. For example, instead of buying your usual brand of cigarettes, you could buy an e-cigarette from the Blazed Vapes online store and use that whenever you get the urge instead. Or, if you tend to bite your nails, you could have some crudites cut up and ready to nibble on as an alternative. Ideally, the new habit should be better for you, but it should also be enjoyable if you are to stick to it.
Get Some Therapy
If you have a bad habit that is really deep-seated or significantly ruining your life, such as an addiction, getting some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is probably a good idea. It will help you to identify negative patterns and change your thoughts to change your behaviour. You may need to go to therapy for at least 8 weeks, but once you have the tools it teaches you, they’re always at your disposal and they do help.
Seek Support
The support of friends and family is a great way to break that bad habit for good so tell your loved ones what you’re trying to do and why. That way, not only will you have their help and support, but they’ll be there to keep you accountable when you’re floundering, too.
Reward Yourself
Whether it’s having cake with a good friend when you haven’t smoked for a few days or a new outfit when you’ve refrained from eating junk for a month, rewarding yourself for your progress, at regular intervals, will help you to stay on track.
Bad habits are made to be broken – good luck!