Breaking Bad Habits
How easy is it to really break a bad habit or addictions like overeating, smoking, drinking or spending too much?
The “Just say No”, Cold turkey approach is often not successful long-term unless other things are also done. Unlearning a habit that you've been practicing for 10 or 20 years demands effort and vigilance. Most of these habits are really behaviors you've repeated so often, you now do them on automatically without much conscious thought. Changing the routine adds stress to what is probably an overstressed lifestyle already.
Habits and addictions are closely linked with the latter having some biochemical component. It remains debatable about how much heredity plays in the mix. But without a doubt, many people have been able to overcome even strong addictions.
Helpful ideas in breaking habits and addictions are:
1) Motivate yourself- nobody typically wants to change something that provides them comfort, therefore you have to motivate yourself by creating and setting goals and potential reward for the achievement... There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone.
2) Record your habit- keeping track of your actions is monotonous, time-consuming and a nuisance, but it's also a critical step toward helping you change. This is especially true for those who overeat or are trying to lose weight. Your goal should be to keep a log of every time you smoke, have too much coffee, overeat, or indulge in your habit. In addition, you should note the situations that have become linked with your habit as you will find some interesting patterns of behavior.
Don’t’ try to conquer all of your bad habits at once. This is overwhelming and rarely successful. Take each habit one at a time and success is much more likely.
3) Develop a new substitute- Try replacing the bad habit with something that is beneficial or healthy. Rather than smoking or eating, try doing some simple exercise or relaxation technique. Have something healthy to munch on or a sugar-free gum to chew. Most research suggests that cravings last about three minutes and therefore, your goal is to get through the three minutes without falling into the habit trap.
Bad habits are often developed to ease stress in times of anxiety or emotional discomfort and therefore developing another way to deal with that anxiety in a healthier manner is preferable.
4) Get rid of triggers- Most habits are related to triggers. We are similar to the Pavlov dog experiments where certain cues cause certain behaviors. If we can alter our routines and avoid the triggers that stimulate our bad behaviors, we will have a better chance of changing them.
Drug and alcohol counselors tell clients to avoid "people, places, and things" that promote use of the addictive substance. Some people may actually need to make some new friends who don't drink smoke, gamble or overeat.
5) Accept the fact it may not be comfortable- You’ll miss your habit for a while, but the deprivation typically won't kill you. Acknowledge to yourself that you feel anxious and lousy without the “vice”. Then redirect your thinking to something positive and think about the successes.
It may take three weeks to three months to break a minor habit and longer for something more intense. The cravings for some addictions may never go away.
As with many other things in life, persistence pays off. Few people succeed on their first attempt, so don't give up!
The “Just say No”, Cold turkey approach is often not successful long-term unless other things are also done. Unlearning a habit that you've been practicing for 10 or 20 years demands effort and vigilance. Most of these habits are really behaviors you've repeated so often, you now do them on automatically without much conscious thought. Changing the routine adds stress to what is probably an overstressed lifestyle already.
Habits and addictions are closely linked with the latter having some biochemical component. It remains debatable about how much heredity plays in the mix. But without a doubt, many people have been able to overcome even strong addictions.
Helpful ideas in breaking habits and addictions are:
1) Motivate yourself- nobody typically wants to change something that provides them comfort, therefore you have to motivate yourself by creating and setting goals and potential reward for the achievement... There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone.
2) Record your habit- keeping track of your actions is monotonous, time-consuming and a nuisance, but it's also a critical step toward helping you change. This is especially true for those who overeat or are trying to lose weight. Your goal should be to keep a log of every time you smoke, have too much coffee, overeat, or indulge in your habit. In addition, you should note the situations that have become linked with your habit as you will find some interesting patterns of behavior.
Don’t’ try to conquer all of your bad habits at once. This is overwhelming and rarely successful. Take each habit one at a time and success is much more likely.
3) Develop a new substitute- Try replacing the bad habit with something that is beneficial or healthy. Rather than smoking or eating, try doing some simple exercise or relaxation technique. Have something healthy to munch on or a sugar-free gum to chew. Most research suggests that cravings last about three minutes and therefore, your goal is to get through the three minutes without falling into the habit trap.
Bad habits are often developed to ease stress in times of anxiety or emotional discomfort and therefore developing another way to deal with that anxiety in a healthier manner is preferable.
4) Get rid of triggers- Most habits are related to triggers. We are similar to the Pavlov dog experiments where certain cues cause certain behaviors. If we can alter our routines and avoid the triggers that stimulate our bad behaviors, we will have a better chance of changing them.
Drug and alcohol counselors tell clients to avoid "people, places, and things" that promote use of the addictive substance. Some people may actually need to make some new friends who don't drink smoke, gamble or overeat.
5) Accept the fact it may not be comfortable- You’ll miss your habit for a while, but the deprivation typically won't kill you. Acknowledge to yourself that you feel anxious and lousy without the “vice”. Then redirect your thinking to something positive and think about the successes.
It may take three weeks to three months to break a minor habit and longer for something more intense. The cravings for some addictions may never go away.
As with many other things in life, persistence pays off. Few people succeed on their first attempt, so don't give up!
Labels: additions, bad habits
posted by Anonymous at 5:57 AM
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