If there’s one thing that’s not easy, it’s breaking a habit.If you’ve ever tried to break quite in the past, then you already know how difficult it can be. But there is research out there to tell us why. When we perform the same actions on repeat over time, it becomes something we perform without even thinking about it consciously.
Those habits are processed in different parts of the brain than conscious thought. Many of us have found ourselves reaching for that bag of late night chips because we’ve done it every single night since we were a kid. So it seems the normal, comfortable thing to do. But there are ways that you can break your bad habits and feel healthier and better about yourself. Let’s take a look at how you can do just that.
1. Start taking control. If you are currently a smoker, you may want to switch that habit over to using Elux disposable vapes instead. If you are currently somebody who’s leaning more towards being an alcoholic than just having a social drink, you may want to switch your usual beverage out for something softer, but keep it in the same glass. Taking control of your habits can be a way to break them and justice. By becoming aware of what you are doing, you can start cutting back. It’s not going to be easy just to quit cold Turkey no matter what the habit is, so make sure that you become aware of it and then look for ways that you can swap things around.
2. Replace the bad habit. Breaking an unwanted habit is so much easier when you have something to replace it with. A positive alternative can help. So if you are currently smoking, you may want to swap to a lollipop. It’s not that you’re going to be swapping to sugar, but you need to do something with your hands and with your mouth, and sometimes that can help to slow down the smoking levels and break that habit. Others choose to go for a run each time they have a hankering for a cigarette or for a drink. This way you can send a new message to your brain that you’re a healthier person and healthy people don’t smoke.
3. Stack your habits. If you want to build something better, then you can use a strategy that is called stacking. This connects your new behaviour to something that you do. If you get up in the morning with a cup of coffee, but you’re looking to slow down on how much caffeine you’re drinking, then you may want to get up and meditate instead, instead of beginning your day with a cup of coffee. You can instead begin your day with meditation and learn to swap that habit over.
4. Give yourself some positive affirmations. Certain sentences, visual cues, even stickers can help you to feel more positive about breaking a habit. It’s not easy to do so, so if you do manage to break one over time, you’re going to feel so much better about it as a result. Whether you post those positive affirmations around your mirror, or you remove the positive affirmations altogether and put them somewhere else, it’s completely up to you.