Most of us have harmful habits that we would like to change. However, the mere desire to neutralize a habit and the steps required for this process require planning and concentration.
The more informed you are about what habits are, what causes them, and how you can change them, the more you will accumulate the motivation you need to give up those negative behavioral patterns.
Habits are repeated conditional actions that we do without first reflecting on their impact. They can be both positive, like brushing your teeth twice a day or turning off the lights when we leave a room, but they can also have negative perspectives, such as lighting a cigarette every time we have a coffee or eating snacks while watching TV.
Habits are automatic responses that become regular activities in our lives because they initially brought us satisfaction in one way or another. Once rooted, negative habits can become a source of suffering that is hard to control.
Interrupting a habit is possible, but requires perseverance and dedication. First, try to watch detached how a certain day of your life goes and ask yourself the following:
● What are your daily habits, both positive and negative?
● Which current habits have become a burden or present a potential health problem?
● What habits would you really want to change?
Later, after answering these questions honestly, it's time to diagnose your habit by following a few simple steps:
● Make a list and choose a habit to focus your energy on. Only after you remove the first one can you focus your attention on another.
● Think about the habit you're trying to take away and how it manifests in your life. Note when that habit occurs and what events lead to its occurrence. Once you've determined the trigger, you can decide how to proceed.
● Ask yourself why you're using that habit, what you might lose once you interrupt it, and if you'll feel better doing something else for it.
● Think positively: instead of generating a negative state or victimizing yourself because of that habit, conceptualize it as an unconscious choice that has been rooted with time.
Among the most effective ways to break negative habits are:
● Removes, delays or avoids factors that strengthen a habit. For example, imagine that a student who doesn't like to study, interrupts the study periods with frequent coffee breaks. To delay the time between the appearance of momentum and satisfaction, the student can try to study in places where coffee is not allowed, such as the faculty library. It is vital to remove the factors that strengthen the habit, but make sure you do not replace it with another negative concern.
● Avoid temptation. Don't stay in environments that can trigger that habit. If you want to reduce the amount of sweets, chips or ice cream you eat, remove everything related to this habit. Also, avoid being in the presence of people who eat snacks and watching TV. Try to take a walk, call a friend or do anything else that distracts you and keeps you preoccupied. Again, be careful not to substitute the old habit for a new one.
● Create a new answer. Forming a new and more effective habit in response to the same old trigger stimulus is a productive way to eliminate negative habits. You may repeatedly tell the kids to take off their shoes before they go into the house, but they keep forgetting until they're getting into “trouble”. For them, “getting into trouble” has become a clear sign that it's time to take off their shoes. Instead of asking them, tell them to put on their shoes again, get out again, and then go back inside and take off their shoes. Soon, the intention to approach the door, not the quarrel, will become their clue to take off their shoes.
● Try the negative practice method. This requires a person to do a certain thing until it becomes very uncomfortable or boring. You're probably whistling while you're working, and that bothers your coworkers. To eliminate this habit you could try whistling continuously when you're on your way to work. Your lips will be tired already and you'll be tired of whistling once you get to your destination. This method is based on the fact that if you are too lenient about something, you will get bored of it at some point. For example, someone who eats chicken every day will soon lose their appetite for it.
● Try the feedback and visualization method. Look at your habit closely and inventory how often you resort to it so that you become more and more aware of the impact it has in your life. The next step in making the decision to change it will come by itself. Do this by visualizing that you're free of the negative habit. Imagine practicing new habits and thinking of yourself as if you had already managed to interrupt the old one.
● Stay optimistic and realistic. Change is not always easy; to eliminate old habits requires perseverance. Most people have had unpleasant habits for a long time. They wouldn't be called that if they were easily uprooted, so any frustration or feelings of discouragement you feel when you try to eliminate them are normal. If you happen to go back to your old habit, it's good to know that you've only lost one battle, not the entire war. Remember, tomorrow is a day to go back to the plan that's going to get you out of a habit.
There is no miracle cure to remove negative habits. It's a process that lasts, but the satisfaction at the end of the road is worth all the effort. Whenever you get discouraged, imagine the freedom you'll feel when you're no longer bound by behavior that made you feel inferior. Positive thoughts give you the courage to continue even when motivation decreases.
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