Most of us live with at least one bad habit, although we don’t like to admit it. Some habits, such as smoking, can pose a serious health risk, but others, such as cracking your fingers and biting your nails, are tedious and even annoying, but we keep doing it. Most likely, you’ve had a similar bad habit for a while, which might give you the immediate impression that it will be very hard to break.
Well, there is hope. If you follow these three simple steps, you can start to break the bad habits, just keep in mind that consistency is the key to help these have a stronger effect.
First step – Make it conscious
The first step in breaking your bad habits is to determine when and why you get involved in your bad habit. If you notice when you do it and determine the conditions for participating in this bad habit, and what feelings are attributed to it. If you do, you may be able to understand better why you have a bad habit in the first place and have a better chance of stopping it.
Second step – Put it in writing
When you have determined when and why you start adopting a critical habit, it is recommended to take some time to write it down as this can help you establish a baseline. Consider the background, emotions surrounding the bad habit and what happens when you dedicate yourself to your bad habit. This will bring your bad habit into the forefront, making it more conscious.
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You must keep a diary for at least one week to have enough information that is going to help you move on to the next step, which is to analyze the data and examine your usual triggers. When you write your information about your bad habit, you also want to write a list of the pros and cons of behavior and keep a detailed record of when you get involved in the activity.
The third step – Bait it and replace it
When you realize when and why you are taking your bad habit, the next step you should take is to find a temporary or permanent replacement that is not so boring. If you tend to bite your nails, you can chew gum instead. If you are used to clearing your throat, the alternative may be to exhale slowly because it is impossible to do so and clear your throat at the same time.
If you want to take some bad habits, the process is much easier than you think. Following these three steps will soon help you notice that you are no longer engaged in your bad habits.
