There are many reasons to keep habits; they may bring us comfort, ease, and familiarity. Breaking a habit can be hard, and it’s not something that will happen overnight. The process of changing a habit is like changing the mind – it takes time, effort, and motivation.
Identify your triggers
It’s important to know what triggers your bad habits to eliminate them. Identifying where your habit originated from will help you understand why you do it in the first place.
If you find yourself eating junk food after work every day, ask yourself why. Think about when and where your triggers are. Did you start eating junk food after work after a stressful day at the office? Is it because everyone else eats junk food?
Know why you want to change or break the habit
Before you can break a habit, you have to know why you want to change or break the habit. If you don’t have a clear answer in your head, it will be challenging to keep yourself motivated enough to change. You need that internal motivation before anything else will work.
It helps if you commit to changing your habits for 30 days. This way, you’ll have two weeks of preparation and then two weeks of applying the new habits. It’s easier than committing for an entire year.
You don’t have to go cold turkey with breaking habits; instead, try replacing the bad habit with a good one. For example, if you’re used to watching TV after dinner, try reading instead – this is a good substitution because it’s relaxing and will still give you some mental stimulation while helping your brain unwind at the end of the day.
Practice mindfulness
When you’re mindful, you can be aware of your thoughts and actions. You’ll recognize that the habit is an unhealthy response to a particular situation and that there are other ways to deal with it.
Mindfulness is about being aware. It’s about paying attention to what you are doing, feeling, thinking, and saying instead of living on autopilot. It will help you break your habits because it teaches you to be more aware, enabling you to make decisions.
There are many ways to practice mindfulness – from sitting quietly for 10 minutes each day to taking short walks throughout the day or doing breathing exercises. It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do it! It won’t always come easily, but it will impact your life.
Get support
Breaking a habit is not an easy task. It’s hard to go against what you’ve always done, and it can be tough to stay on track with your goals. Supporting yourself in the process is vital to success.
Find a friend, family member, or co-worker who wants to break a habit too. You’ll motivate each other and share tips for changing your habits. Maybe you could learn how to hypnotize yourself to boost your efforts further.
You might also consider seeing a therapist or coach – they can provide you with resources and support for making healthy changes in your life.
It’s not something that will happen overnight; it needs time and motivation. That might sound discouraging at first, but there are steps you can take to help make the change easier on yourself along the way.
Appreciate that you’re not perfect and will have slip-ups in your journey towards breaking this old habit. It’s okay if you’re not perfect – no one is!
