Breaking Bad Habits

Many of us have bad habits that we would like to get rid of. It can be hard to break out of the vicious cycle of our bad habits as many of them become unconscious routines. It is not easy breaking habits as breaking a habit requires willpower and time. Here are a few tips to help you to succeed in breaking your bad habits.

Identify The Bad Habit

Bad habits can be sometimes hard to notice because we do them without realising. The first thing to do to break out the bad habit is to identify which habit is causing you trouble. Maybe you are always running late in the mornings, your bad habit could be hitting the snooze button. Once you have identified the bad habit, you can work on preventing it from holding you back.

Identifying bad habits can be hard. You must be honest with yourself and be willing to make the change.

Identify Your Motivation

Why do you want to change a bad habit? Working out your motivation to change is important in breaking your bad habit. Maybe you want to quit smoking to be healthier. Constantly reminding yourself of what you are doing this for can give you the motivation to start and the motivation to keep going.

Remove The Trigger

Once you have Identified your bad habit, identify what is enabling it to happen. Then you remove what is enabling your bad habit. For example, if your bad habit is hitting the snooze button, turn off the snooze function. If your bad habit is watching TV before bed, take the TV out of the bedroom. By removing the trigger, it is a lot more difficult to continue the bad habit.

Accept Help

There is no shame in asking for help while on your journey of breaking a bad habit. Many groups offer help to those wanting to change. For example, if your bad habit is relying on takeaways, you could join a group that teaches you simple and appetising things to cook. Facebook is full of self-help groups where you could gain lots of advice from those in a similar position.

If your bad habit is hurting your health, you can contact your GP for help. They will offer help and advice you on ways to break your habit. For example, if you need to quit smoking, your GP can direct you to all the options available you help.

Similarly, you should tell your family and friends if you are trying to break a bad habit. That way they can support you through the journey. If you know you are trying to cut down on caffeine, they will offer alternatives to coffee. You never know they may wish to join you. You are more likely to succeed with support. 

Accept It Is Going To Take Time

Breaking a bad habit isn’t easy and there is no quick fix. The journey is different for everyone. So, there are many factors in how long it will take. Habits that you have had for longer, take longer to break. 

It is ok to set yourself targets. But make sure your targets are achievable. Don’t rush yourself. It doesn’t matter if you know someone who broke their habit faster.

Breaking a bad habit may be faster if you replace that habit with a good one. For example, if you are giving up smoking, why not replace it with doing a crossword as this will keep your hands and mind occupied. By doing this, you may find you don’t miss your bad habits and so are less likely to fall back into bad habits. If you are giving up or trying to reduce caffeine try a natural caffeine.

Track Your Progress

There will be a time when you want to give up. However if your track your progress, you can see how far you have come. Using a simple tracker, you can see how much you have improved and how close you are to your goal.

If you are tracking your habits, allow yourself to be happy for every tiny milestone you achieve. If your bad habit is relying on your car too much and one day you walk somewhere instead of drive. Allow yourself to be proud. It may only be one walk, but it is still an achievement.

You Can Do This

Hopefully, these tips will help you to sussed in the breaking of your bad habits. It takes commitment and time but most importantly it takes self-belief. You can do this.