It can be very hard to break a bad habit sometimes, especially if you do not know the right way to do so. Do you find that you get stuck with the same habit after trying, failing and giving up? Perhaps you have not found a way that works for you yet and struggle to learn how to break a bad habit?
There are both positive and negative ways that you can break a bad habit, so make sure that you are trying to stop a habit the right way is very important. I am going to talk about some ways that you can break a bad habit, but first, let’s take a look at the psychology of breaking bad habits.
Our attitudes and behaviors stem from our genetics, so this is why we react differently to certain situations than others. It is hard to break habits, as they have often been reinforced over a long period of time, meaning we are used to them happening.
Our behaviors determine how we can overcome them. The older you are, and the longer you have had these habits for, the harder it can be to break them, unfortunately.
However, finding out the best way to break them for yourself, will benefit you and it is possible to break them, no matter your age. So, keep reading to discover how to break a bad habit permanently and quickly today.
Different ways will work for different people, however at least one way should work for you, so once you can find this, focus on using it. This also should be a positive way of breaking a bad habit, so when you attempt to break a habit using that method it should not have any negative effects on you.
Our 5 ways to break a bad habit are all positive and show you the different ways you can stop bad habits, which does take time. Hopefully, after reading this, you will find the right one for you and use it to your advantage.
If you try to ignore a habit, you will not be able to work towards breaking it and could even cause the habit to become worse without you knowing. Becoming aware of your habit will help you to see a number of factors that can cause it. You can see what situations you are in when the habit occurs, why you may be turning to this bad habit and what factors you may be able to change to help break the habit.
For example, you can write a checklist or jot them down in a journal and look back when you have the time. This way you can see if there are any patterns and try and change things that you can to see if this affects your bad habit.
If you can actually have a focus date to work towards, you will be much more likely to try and break your habit.
Instead of saying to yourself you will start working towards it ‘soon’ or ‘later’, you actually have a date to pinpoint and this makes it more real. This should also motivate you to do it, and you should feel excited and ready as this date approaches. Having a goal point creates motivation and it will give you a date to set your mind on.
You should be able to then focus your energy towards that date, knowing that you have to get started on breaking your bad habit after that date.
Going cold turkey does not always work. In fact, it can make your goal even harder to reach as this normally means completely avoiding your habit and if you break this, you have failed.
Often when we fail something, we give up, and this is normally the case when someone goes cold turkey on a habit or addiction that they may have. We can be too hard on ourselves and are less likely to carry on trying to stop the habit if we have failed once or twice.
It is much better to try and work towards your goal slowly, as you are less likely to relapse every time you fail.
Just like having a start date, this will help as you have something to focus on. Writing what habit you want to break and how you are going to do it, provides a physical motivation that is right in front of you. Having it in writing is like having it set in stone for you, and gives you a clear guide to what you are doing.
You can also write down steps that you are going to take to break your bad habit, which will make it a lot easier on yourself as you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
Self-control is always a great tool to conquer when you need to break a habit. You will need to believe in yourself and your willpower when you are attempting to break a bad habit. You need to try and gain self-control and know that you can do it. If you can believe in yourself it will be much easier to overcome your habit.
You can try using our self-motivation tips on self-control techniques, to help supercharge your willpower today. Once you know you have self-control and great willpower (which you just need to unleash!), you will find it much easier when it comes to breaking your bad habit.
If you can put these techniques to use, you should start to see a difference when you try and break another bad habit. It can always be hard at first but that’s why we have spoken about the best ways that you can break a bad habit.
Whether you want to stop drinking or smoking, stop overeating or maybe gambling; these techniques (as well as many others, such as self-hypnosis) will be able to guide you down the right path and start taking control of your life.
