How to Break a Bad Habit (and Maybe Save Some Money)

We all have that one thing that drives ourselves or our associates crazy.  These bad habits may be something small, but they might be something that compromises our mental, physical, and emotional health.

As difficult as it may seem, it is possible to break a bad habit.  Below is a step by step guide that will help you break any bad habit.

1. Awareness

Before you can break a bad habit, you first have to be aware that one exists.  Once you have determined your bad habit, you need to evaluate the following:

• What are you doing when you engage in your bad habit?
• What are you thinking when you start to do your bad habit?
• How often do you do it?
• What causes the bad habit?

It is important to be as honest as possible during this step.  It may be a good idea to start by tracking your habit daily until you can determine the answers to these questions.   Once you make your unconscious habit conscious, you can begin your path to break it.

2. Find Motivation

Give yourself a compelling reason to quit — does it affect your health, or your ability to succeed?  While metaphysical concepts may be enough for you, you may need to reward yourself for changing.  Find something that will motivate you — a shopping trip, a vacation, a specific treat, etc.

3. Combat Your Excuses

When you are trying to change, you will start to make all sorts of excuses — “It’s too hard,” “It’s not really that bad,” “I’ll do it later,” etc.  Whenever you find yourself coming up with an excuse, you need to nip it right in the bud.

4. Eliminate Triggers

Many bad habits are caused by stress and boredom, but some triggers are location or time specific.  For example, if you are a nail biter, you might not bite your nails on a normal day, but if things get a little hectic at work, there you are again, gnawing on your nails.

It will be infinitely easier to break a bad habit if you eliminate your triggers.  If your trigger is stress, learn some ways to self soothe.  If your trigger is boredom, do what you can to keep yourself busy.

If your bad habit is associated with a location, such as drinking or smoking at the bar, avoid the bar.  Whatever your triggers are, you have to be vigilant in removing them, even if it means taking drastic measures such as moving.

5. Substitute

You can’t just eliminate a bad habit, you have to replace it with something positive.  Find a positive thing to replace your bad habit with.  If you bite your nails, chew gum instead; if you pop your knuckles, gently stroke your sleeve; or if you watch TV every day, exercise at the same time instead.

If you can’t think of anything to do, try meditation.  Here are other things that you can do to get rid of a bad habit: attaching a rubber band to your wrist and snapping it every time you participate in your bad habit, or forcing yourself to donate a dollar to your “swear jar” every time you slip up.

6. Get Support

Breaking a bad habit on your own is very challenging.  If you don’t use other people to hold yourself accountable, no one will know if you fail (which is nice, but it doesn’t help you break your habit).

Let your friends know that you are trying to break a bad habit, and report to them every day to tell them how you are doing.  Better yet, team up with a friend who has a similar bad habit and work on breaking them together.

For example, if you are trying to stop drinking soda, you and your friend could make a pact where you owe the other person $5 for every soda that you drink.

7. Be Patient

Change is difficult.  It is going to take some time to break your bad habit — about 2 to 3 weeks, but sometimes more.  You might slip up and revert to your bad habit while you are trying to change, but that isn’t the end.

Be patient with yourself and try again everyday.  Take small steps every day, and after a while, you will find that you have come miles.

Tags: break a bad habit, Mental health

Category: Family