Habits once formed can be hard to quit, even if we know that they are not particularly good for us. There are a lot of people who are looking to quit or get rid of an unwanted habit, but they can’t seem to understand how to do it. Here are a few recommended ways to tackle these unwanted habits.
How to begin?
The very first step is to think of a positive habit that you will use to replace the bad habit. If you want to quit a bad habit, you need a positive one to take its place. This works as a diversion and improving yourself becomes a lot easier. Plus, you won’t even realize that your bad habit has disappeared.
For instance, if you want to stop being late for important things, instead of looking at your watch repeatedly, think and try to learn about ways which can help you to be punctual and save time. If you are trying to maintain your body weight and shape, try to create interest in fitness activities or outdoor sports. This way, you create a positive habit and get rid of a bad one without even realizing it. This would be beneficial to you in two ways. First, when you try to quit a bad habit, all you focus on is that habit. All your energy is focused on it, and the more you think about it, the more you are likely to do it. Thus, instead of helping you to quit, further reinforces the bad habit. It becomes a cycle that keeps repeating itself.
Stay Focused
Contrary to this, when you focus on the positive habit, you give your energy to it and it creates a positive cycle instead of the negative one. The more you concentrate on the new good habit, the more you open to it. This helps you to engage in it more, and before you know it, it becomes a routine. It may seem a little hard at first, but it becomes easier as time passes. This helps you to successfully enforce a positive habit and lose a bad one. Another advantage of taking up this way is that quitting a bad habit leaves a space. Every habit consists of regular action, and losing the habit leads to the removal of the activity too. If you don’t fill this void immediately, either the bad habit will relapse, or some other habit will automatically take up this place, probably bad as well.
Take, for example, you are trying to quit junk food. You have a habit of getting some fast food from a nearby restaurant for lunch every day, or you order out several times a week. But you want to reduce your junk food intake and eat healthily. So, if you don’t eat out, it creates a void, to fill this void, you could make a healthy snack or meal at home yourself. This enforces one positive habit while replacing the bad one
Another way of losing a bad habit is going slow. Trying to quit a bad habit is a positive thing, but it can be difficult and it’s easy to lose motivation. The main reason is that these habits have formed over a long time and it’s not possible to leave it at once. Going slow and working your way through is a lot easier and more effective. It’s a sign of self-improvement to try and change your habits for good. It sure is difficult, but with the right direction and motivation, it’s not impossible. It might be difficult at first, but the results are worth all the hard work
Implementing your habits is like creating a mosaic of health. Each piece adds to the vibrant picture of a healthier and more fulfilling life