STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME BAD HABITS

 “Success is nothing more than a few disciplines, practiced every day.

Failure is nothing more than a few errors, repeated every day.” – Jim Rohn

It has often been heard that the habits we employ are a direct pathway to success or failure. Categorizing good and bad habits is as easy as squeezing a ripe lemon. We all know the good habits in our lives, and their benefits, as well as bad habits, and their overall effect on our well-being. It goes without saying, that human beings enjoy their comfort zones, and in an attempt to stay within that circle we tend to develop habits that make our lives easy and routinely. As such, while some habits help us in carrying out our daily tasks like taking the right turn on our way to the office, packing our lunch or wearing perfume, some habits are not only disruptive, they are toxic and affect our development and achievement of goals.

 

“All bad habits start slowly and gradually and before you know you have the habit, the habit has you.” -Zig Ziglar

Before delving into the details of breaking bad habits, let’s look at how habits are formed.

Habits develop when enjoyable events trigger the brain’s reward center and take practice and repetition to form. According to Dr. Russell Poldrack, a neurobiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, “The general machinery by which we build both kinds of habits are the same, whether it’s a habit for overeating or a habit for getting to work without really thinking about the details.” To further support this, Elliot Berkman, director of the University of Oregon’s Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab says, habits take practice and repetition to form, the same is true when it comes to breaking them.

In the nutshell, enjoying a particular activity, and constantly indulging in it, makes it a habit. Here is a look at 4 step strategy to overcoming bad habits;

1. Identify the habit and purpose of change

2. Find a replacement

3. Track

4. practice

IDENTIFICATION OF HABIT AND PURPOSE

“You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, ‘I release the need for this in my life’.” -  Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Merely thinking or acknowledging that I have bad habits is not enough. You need introspection and fetch out the particular habit you want to change. To help you with this process, make it clear to yourself by writing a series of reasons for wanting this change.

You have to trick your brain into helping you with such transitions, as breaking habits can be a tough nut to crack. Due to the way habits are related to comfort in our brains, giving them up can trigger an instinctively negative response. Use the phrases that hold positive associations and affirmations, instead of burdening statement. Instead of using statements like:

“I have to”, “I have no other choice” or “What other option do I have” among others, use statements like; “I need to …”, “I am privileged to be able to do …”, “I get to do …” among others.

We must all suffer one of two things; the pain of discipline or the pain of regret – Jim Rohn

Combine purpose, reason, and a positive mindset, to help you change your habits for the better.

FIND A REPLACEMENT

It is never a good idea to eliminate something from your life and leaving a vacuum in your brain. As such, it is always advised that instead of approaching this phase in your life by totally cutting off one habit, you should find a new good and positive habit to fill in its place. For example, taking a fruit anytime you crave a cookie is an excellent way to wire your brain to eat a fruit, which is obviously a healthy choice anytime you have a craving.

The secret to permanently breaking any bad habit is to love something greater than the habit.      - Bryant McGill

It is very easy to fall back into the same loop of the very habit you are trying to get out of, and therefore, you need to meticulously plan out how you intend to replace your bad habit with a good one.

TRACK

To avoid derailment as well to monitor progress, it is essential to keep a written track of your progress. Make a small logbook in which you mark each day you refrained from the bad habit while implementing the good one. Jot down the improvement you see and make sure you are being completely honest with yourself.

Write down the days you faltered, and fine yourself as a form of punishment. This can be anything from running an extra mile to putting money in a jar. But as you honestly fine yourself, don’t forget to reward yourself every now and then for being on track. Treat yourself to an expensive watch, a movie with a friend, or get yourself the book you have been putting off.

You can use a number of techniques to help you stay on course, such as:

Using prompts, setting notifications on your phone, as well as getting help from a trusted friend,

PRACTISE

Human beings are not perfect, and we fall a thousand times before we finally learn to walk properly. Likewise, the fact that you have a conscious effort to make a positive change in your life should count for something. All that is left is a constant practice, when you falter, stand up, brush off the dust, and practice again.

Approximately 66 days are required to form a habit, and this means that the same amount of time is required to break one. Don’t be too hard on yourself, take baby steps, be patient with yourself, and remember good things require hard work and patience.

Thus, breaking a bad habit while replacing it with a good one should take you an average on 66 days, after a lot of practice.

TIP: Work on one habit at a time. Giving up too many habits and replacing them with new ones will overwhelm you and you are more likely to give up soon after you start. Devote, 66 days to one habit, when you have mastered it, take on a new one, and at this pace, you would have given up 5 bad habits and replaced them with 5 good ones in a year.