We all have bad habits or addictions whether we admit it or not and chances are you probably want to break your bad habits. No matter whether your bad habit is biting your nails or tapping your pen at work, learning how to break a bad habit can serve you well. You'll learn how to channel your energy into other endeavors and with some time and effort, will find that you aren't engaging in your bad habit so much anymore. So, here you go. The best ways to break a bad habit. Good luck!
1 Write It down
Write down what your habit is so you're visualizing it and hopefully that will sink in properly. Write down why you want to break the habit and how you think you'll go about doing so. This is one of the best ways to break a bad habit because there's something powerful about seeing it in writing.
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2 Think about Your Habit
Work out why you have this habit. It might seem obvious as to why but really work out why you're always doing it. That way you can look at how to change things even if you take baby steps to start off with.
3 Find Support
Get some support! Having a good support team beside you when trying to break a bad habit or addiction is pretty essential so they can help you every step of the way. Find friends or family members who support you so that they can hold you up when things get tough.
4 Distract Yourself
Find a distraction. Whether it's writing yourself a note and sticking it on the fridge door or having a rubber band on your wrist to pull at when you've got a craving for engage in your bad habit. Anything will help! If it distracts you, then it's working.
5 Identify Your Goal
Set some goals. For example, wearing nail polish to stop you biting because your nails is a great idea. If you achieve that goal see if you can stretch it out for a few more days. Celebrate the little victories along the way.
6 One Day at at Time
Take it day by day. One day at a time is all you need to do. Don't push yourself too hard and set a goal of a week without engaging in your bad habit. Start off with one day, then two and continue on until you reach a week. Apparently it takes 21 days to break a habit so keep trying.
7 Hide Your Triggers
Out of sight, out of mind. If you're wanting to break a habit of not staying up all night watching TV, for example, put the remote somewhere you normally don't. If you have a bad habit of eating junk before bed, don't bring it into the house.
Bad habits are not quite the same as an addiction. If you're suffering from an addiction to alcohol or liquor, see your doctor for help. Good luck!
