Breaking Bad Habits Is Not That Bad

We all have or have had some bad habits in our lives. The impact of these bad habits can range from inconsequential to severe. These habits can affect our physical health, our mental health, our spiritual health and even our financial well being. The range of affects on us personally and the people around us is sadly limitless but luckily it is also something that we can change. So, if you want to change these bad habits then it is in your sphere of influence. In other words, you can do it. But how?

Build A Support System — Tell Your Friends

One good technique for breaking a bad habit is to tell the people around you. For instance, lets say that you are trying to cut back on your smoking. If you tell your friends this and you are in their company when you try to light up a new cigarette they will hold you accountable. Hopefully you have some good friends in your life who will say, “I thought that you were trying to cut back on your smoking”? Basically, you are building a support system and an accountability system.

Build Things Into Your Schedule

Building things into your schedule can also help you break bad habits. It can help by replacing those bad habits with good ones. Try to incorporate these good habits in your life — exercise, drink more water, go to sleep earlier, make better food choices, walk the dog, visit a friend, etc. The point is to start creating new and regular habits. They say it takes the average human 66 days to start a new habit. This means that you have to execute on these new habits everyday for 66 days before you start to see a difference. Pretty soon executing on these new and better habits will be like falling off a log for you and the older ones will start to disappear. You know the old saying — “You cannot get rid of a bad habit without first replacing it with a good habit”

Believe It Is Possible

Before you change anything in your life, you need to believe that it is possible. You need to know that others do it all the time and you can do it too. Don’t let negativity control you. Believe that you can do it. Now, don’t get me wrong, negative thoughts will jump into your head from time to time. However, look at those thoughts as temporary visitors in your mind. They will live in your head for but a brief moment and then poof! — they are gone. Just say hello to them when they arrive and good-bye when they leave.

Visualize What A Life Without Bad Habits Looks Like

Try to imagine what your life will look like once you achieve the results that you want. See in your minds eye, what you will look like when you quit smoking, or slow down on your drinking, or exercising more and even sleep better. What kind of new clothes you will be able to fit into? What kind of compliments will you get? How much better will you feel?

Have A Daily Affirmation

Repeat daily affirmations that will help you be grateful and help keep your eye on the prize — “ I am so happy that I can breathe better since I stopped smoking” — “ I am so happy because since I started eating better, I can now fit into my clothes” — “ I am so grateful that I have more energy since I started going to the gym” — “ I am so happy that I gave up the need to be right all the time because my friendships have gotten so much better”

Have An Evening Review

Every night take stock of the day. Don’t be hard on yourself. Just look back on the day and find the areas where you fell short and where you need to do better the following day. Coach yourself. Mentor yourself. Be a friend to yourself. Have a friend hold you accountable when you miss the mark in anyway.

Keep Score Of Your Progress

Keep a journal of your successes and failures. Note how you felt inside when you lost that first 5 pounds, or went from 3 packs of cigarettes to two. Embrace those good feelings of achievement when you feel yourself starting to break a bad habit and curating a good one. Good feelings are addictive and you will crave more as times goes by.

Good luck with you journey and if you need any help or just want to make a comment then feel free to reach out.