Breaking bad habits

In order to break bad habits, first you have to decide how determined and willing you are to break habits. Bad habits usually follow a certain pattern of behavior. Therefore, it is important to conceive a completely different strategy to break this habitual pattern of bad habits.

Bad habits are also part of your unconscious and automatic behavior. Often one is unaware that they are actually “bad” because they are an inherent part of your personality.

When you decide to break your break habits, you have to decide what bad habits you have that you want to get rid of. Then, think about them. It is of vital importance to think about it and find reasons why you are doing it.

Here is a list of useful tips that may help you:

• Write down whenever you do your bad habits. It will help you find out how often you really do it, and it will also give you some perspective and frequency of your bad habits.

• Then, write about your thoughts when you are doing your own incriminated bad habits. For example, why you are smoking.

• Seeing your thoughts on the paper can help you visualize your problem. You will be able to think more clearly about bad habits. It will encourage you on your mission to abandon them.

• Imagine what you may do instead if you get rid of your bad habits. If you spend a lot of money on cigarettes, write down a sum of money you would save if you stopped smoking. Then, what you can do with that money if you had it. This will definitely be an incentive on your pursuit to leave your bad habit.

• Be always positive and keep in mind that you can do anything if you want to relinquish your bad habit.

• When you decide to stop your bad habits, you have to know that it is advisable to do it gradually. No sudden and abrupt changes are good. Your body and your mind will be opposed to this sudden change and they will fight with your decision. Therefore, a soft and gentle approach is more useful in the long run.

• Don’t look at your bad habits as if it is something unchangeable. Keeping a positive attitude is really of great help.

• Don’t get discouraged if you occasionally give in and return to your bad habits. It is normal. When it happens, put it down to your own journal of breaking your bad habits. Write down why you have done it, and then move on. Tomorrow is another day.

• Let your family, friends and partner know that you want to break bad habits. When they know that, they will be very supportive and helpful in your mission.

Deciding to get rid of bad habits is a long and serious journey. It is a mission that you can make possible if you are persistent and determined to free yourself of your bad habits.