Bad habits are easy to form but very uncomfortable and painful to give up. This is one of the most difficult things we must overcome as humans in our pursuit to become better people. I have overcome some bad habits in the past and still in the process of getting rid of others, so I can share some of the tips which have worked for me, plus other suggestions. This should help you break away from your bad habit.
Bad habits may take a lot of time to overcome, but these 5 ways can help you get rid of your bad habit easily.
1. Be Aware of the Habit
It is difficult to break away from something you do not even know has become part of you.
Before you consciously break away from a bad habit, you must acknowledge its negative impact (or potential impact) on your life and the people around you.
Some bad habits are difficult to notice, and it takes a long time before you realize the negative impact it has on you and the people around you. For example, if you have a habit of making silly noticeable expressions and giggles while your boss is speaking at serious moments, it might take a while for you to realize that your action is odd ( unless someone draws your attention).
Maybe your mind says ‘oh it’s not a big deal’, but it is a big deal, my friend. You do not want to come across as not serious or at worse, lose your job or an opportunity. In this case, you must realize it is a bad habit and decide to stop.
At other times, it takes the people close to you to point it out to you. Do not be bitter, take it as constructive feedback, assess yourself to be aware of whether you have indeed developed a poor habit and act on it.
2. Get Rid of the Trigger
Now, imagine Alice’s situation: Alice has a bad habit of buying food items on impulse whenever she goes grocery shopping hungry. In this case, hunger is the reason she picks up almost every food item she finds on the shelve ( items she did not plan to buy).
In her case, hunger is the trigger she must eliminate before going grocery shopping.
Whatever habit you are trying to break away from, think deeply because there is always a trigger to it. If you do away with what prompts you to take action, you will not do it at all.
I am not saying it is extremely easy to do, but you cannot have it without working to make it happen, remember? As soon as you notice what leads to the unwanted action, stop it.
This will take conscious daily efforts to achieve, but it works.
3. Withdraw as soon as you are Conscious of the Action
Habits become what they are because you have done them consistently over time, and they become part of your lifestyle.
One trick is to stop immediately you realize you are engaged in that action. Because we do them repeatedly, they become part of us and we tend to do them unconsciously. It is therefore important to correct yourself anytime you become self-aware of what you are doing.
I am trying to give up the ‘physical habit’ of constantly slouching. This has a bad effect on my posture and body language. Even though it is not aggravated, I know I look and feel better when I am not slouching. One way which is gradually working for me is to adjust my posture every single time I realize I am either sitting or standing incorrectly.
That is the magic trick!
4. Let Someone Keep you in Check
So I mentioned the issue with my posture, which I am trying to correct. One of my best friends always keeps me in check. Whenever I am not self-aware and slouch, she immediately draws my attention to do the right thing (and I am grateful for that).
If you are having trouble getting rid of a habit by yourself, let someone you trust help you out. This is because you need a lot of awareness and conscious action to break away from something which has become compulsive.
When you are reminded frequently, you get to a point where you do not need to be reminded so many times before you realize you need to halt an action.
To do this, explain to the second person what the habit is (often they may have noticed it themselves), why you need to quit and how they can help you. If they value your interest, they are likely to help you.
5. Substitute your Bad Habit with a Good One
What happens if the habit it tooo hard to eliminate? There is an interesting way out.
Substitute your bad habit with a good one. For example, if you love to chew and you have developed the habit of always munching on cookies, which you feel is unhealthy, then substitute cookies for some healthy snacks or popcorn.
If you have an addiction for coffee and want to break away, opt for a smoothie or tea. This works because instead of missing something, you have a better alternative to rely on. This mostly depends on which alternative can best help you deal with the situation.
You can develop positive habits in this process. Be careful not to take another bad habit as replacement.
What Next?
There you have it, my friend. Get working on the life you love and get bad habits out of the way.
You must not forget to identify the habit, eliminate the trigger, withdraw as soon as you are conscious of the action, let someone keep you in check and replace the bad habit with a good one.
Let me know in the comments section how you have overcome bad habits.
Cheers to beautiful new habits!
