How to break free from bad habits and replace them with good ones

How to break free from bad habits and replace them with good ones

Old Habits

Habits are like rocket launches. The lift off is the toughest part and once the trajectory is established, they are hard to stop.

Whether good or bad, habits will affect you both mentally and physically. Of course, it is the bad ones we need to worry about because they will often undermine the good ones.

Unfortunately, eliminating these bad habits requires immense application and resilience on your part. I can show you how.

Before we delve into the deeper aspects of dealing with bad habits, let me be clear that bad habits do not just include addictions, but any action which is repetitive and detrimental to your health or personality. Let’s take a look at some of the major bad habits that are plaguing us today.

Junk Food

We love our burgers, pizzas and soft drinks, don’t we? The plethora of fast food outlets simply fuel the fire and people find themselves gorging over their pizzas, fries and chipotles over and over again. The fact is that food addiction rewards the brain on the lines of drug addiction. That’s the grim reality foodies face.

Smoking

Nicotine alters the balance of two chemicals, called dopamine and noradrenaline, in your brain. When nicotine changes the levels of these chemicals, your mood and concentration levels change. Many smokers find this enjoyable. Cigarette smoking accounts for a third of lung cancer cases. This however does not deter existing smokers on account of the difficulties involved in quitting this habit.

Personality Deficits

Bad habits aren’t just restricted to dietary issues. Certain traits in individuals of course also fall under the “bad habit” umbrella. These include activities such as:

Walking with a slouch
Being too passive or aggressive (or both)
Inability to sleep on time
Emotional/verbal/physical abuse

These personality traits impede in how we interact with people around us and we might come across as someone who is slack or is devoid of confidence and intent.

Primarily, bad habits develop on account of three major factors:

Stress

Stress sets in once you get on the treadmill of expectations. Be it studies, job performance or family life, you need to bring in your A game in order to ensure tranquility and success on all fronts.

On account of such demanding circumstances, individuals tend to vent out stress by indulging in smoking, drinking, binge eating or any other activities which are detrimental in nature.

Boredom

A rudderless life could also catalyze the onset of bad habits. An absence of urgency leads to one being tempted to try a peg of whiskey or a drag of a cigarette.

Even worse is the situation when boredom brings in depression which could lead to addictions or a negative frame of mind which in turn fosters bad habits.

Necessity

Often, your mind and your body develops habits not because of stress or boredom, out of the need to cope or even to survive. You’ll see this many times with addictions and survivors of disasters or extreme abuse. They develop security blankets out of the negative tendencies that may have helped them deal with or escape deep-rooted issues, and yet have since held them back from functioning normally or productively.

Sadly, these are the most challenging habits to eliminate because of the emotional and mental components. However, let’s take a look at some pointers to stay guarded against them and other bad habits in general.

Your Actions Matter

Let’s face it: slip-ups happen. However, be aware of how these instances accumulate in the future. The urge to repeat a counter-productive action should be curbed in order to prevent a bad habit from setting in.

Choose Fight Over Flight

Undoubtedly, stress remains an inevitable phenomenon. However, one needs to find ways to deal with issues head on instead of looking for unhealthy options. If your job is an issue, look for ways to manage expectations and workload smartly. If there are problems in the family, have a dialog and dedicate time to the members.

Seek Help

If bad habits have reached the point of no return, it is best to enlist professional help to get oneself back on track. Rehabilitation centers, counseling and psychiatric help bring in methodical solutions to get out of bad habits.

Stay Healthy

Join a gym, go for a run or engage in mediation. Make sure that your body is in good shape so that there is a greater resistance to habits that are unhealthy. A fitness regime would also necessitate dietary regulations which in turn could sharpen your lifestyle.

Seek Replacement If Not Elimination

Bear in mind that a sudden withdrawal of a bad habit may trigger a relapse which could be doubly dangerous. So make sure that the transition is staggered and progressive. Replace milk tea with green tea, vape instead of smoking or have black coffee instead of your favorite latte. Remember that Rome was not built in a day and having unrealistic expectations simply compounds your existing issues.

To conclude, be mindful of what you do and what you indulge in. Bad habits could creep in unexpectedly and it is up to us to keep ourselves immune to them.