Breaking bad habits takes time and effort. The best way to make sure they go away forever is to replace them with a better, healthier alternative. No matter why the bad habit started in the first place, or how long you’ve been fighting it, you can put an end to the way it’s affecting your health.
And we’re here to make that change easier. Check out our tips below to build ‘good’ habits from the ashes of behaviors that bother you. They won’t make things happen right away, but they can help you think constructively about the long-term changes you want to make.
Set a realistic goal
It takes practice to change a habit – Things Won’t ‘Get Better’ Immediately. If you set a goal for yourself that looks like this, it means you will only fail, and at that point you will likely fall back into bad habits and stick with them for much longer. Instead, you need to be realistic about what you can achieve and what that means for your journey.
Suppose you want to change the way you deal with your emotions. Maybe you always keep them bottled up and they come out at a random time, usually with disastrous consequences. You won’t suddenly stop doing that, even if you write things down or try to talk about your feelings more often.
You need to focus on what is more achievable, rather than the total absence of the behavior. For example, being able to resist the urge to lash out, or being able to apologize for something you said in the heat of the moment.
Avoid Cold Turkey
Going cold turkey is a bad idea. Some people swear by it, but it is the worst method to permanently kick a bad habit. Simply giving up willpower sounds like a good thing, but it can set an unrealistic precedent. Most of all, it puts a lot of pressure on you for ‘not being strong enough’, and in some cases it can even be dangerous.
Small steps can be frustrating and make you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, but they do build life habits without you even realizing it. That’s why so many people are replacing smoking tobacco with vaping safer liquids like 10 mg nic salts; even though you are still ‘smoking’, you are not coating your lungs with tar or filling your blood with carbon monoxide.
Be unconventional
There are no rules for building habits. If you have to keep the toothbrush in your bedroom to remind yourself to brush in the morning, keep it there. If you need to place the bins at the back door to remind yourself to separate recycling from general waste, place them there. If it’s going to help you build a better habit, be unconventional in your methods.
Bad habits won’t ruin your life forever. Work smart, reduce effort and be realistic about what can be changed. You’ll get there eventually.
