We all have good and bad habits that are perpetual and emerge from our unconscious minds. It is almost as though we have some kind of control over them. However, logically do we have any control over our habits?

How would you explain what is meant regarding bad habits? Bad habits are a negative behavior in regards to our behavioral patterns. Most commonly procrastinating, spending too much money, nail-biting, spending excessive amounts of time watching TV or on the computer are bad habits.

Have you ever wondered what caused our bad habits? According to the author, James Clear, who wrote “Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. Atomic Habits”, stress and boredom could be the key contributors to our bad habits. It is also possible that our boredom and stress are only on the surface and the causes of our bad habits are from much deeper issues. What we may have experienced might be challenging and painful to think about, but if we are truly committed to making changes; we need to face the issues head-on. To overcome our bad habits, we will need to acknowledge them first.

No matter what good or bad habits we currently have, there is a reason they are in our lives. We might never know why these habits are in our lives, but they do have a purpose and even a benefit. Most of the time, our bad habits are how we handle stress.

It isn’t easy to comprehend how our bad habits can be beneficial in our lives. However, we need to try understanding how instead of straightforwardly eliminating them, we should attempt replacing them with good habits that provide us with comparable benefits.

Do you know any good ways to break bad habits? Personally, I have several habits that aren’t just bad, they are awful habits. Through some research, I have discovered some ways to break the bad habit cycle we deal with.

Before I dive too deep into ways to break the bad habits, I am going to explain how our habits are driven by a 3-part loop sequence, that was initiated from Mayo Oshin,

1. Trigger is the stimulus that starts the habit
2. Routine is doing the habit and behavior itself
3. Reward of the benefit is associated with the behavior

Now we can finally dive deep into Mayo Oshin’s coherent strategies that will help us utilize psychology when recognizing our triggers for our bad habits, quit procrastinating and begin easily getting things done.

Oshin’s three strategies to break bad habits include:

1. Use the words “I don’t” as opposed to “I can’t”, which can assist with making better choices. In two different research studies, participants that use the words “I don’t” were able to meet their goals and had positive impacts on their well-being more than those that used “I can’t”.
2. Practice becoming aware of the triggers. The more aware we are of our triggers that lead us to lean on our bad habits, the higher the chances we have on interfering with the existence of the loop leading us towards bad habits.

An addiction expert, Judson Brewer, performed a study with smokers trying to quit smoking. Brewer believes that practicing mindfulness frequently can help end the bad habits. In his study, Brewer found 36% of individuals that practiced mindfulness were successful with quitting, as opposed to the 15% that did not use mindfulness and were not successful with quitting smoking.

An intriguing practice exercise you can try is the following steps! The next time you are tempted with your bad habit, take a step back, answer the following questions and log your answer if you want something to reflect on

• Where were you when the cravings occurred?
• What time of day does this happen?
• What was your emotional state of mind?
• Who were you with?
• What happened before your cravings?

You can keep your answers in a journal, so you can refer back to them at a later time and maybe notice a trend. This is a way to practice mindfulness and also assist you in taking more control of your actions. By tracking the issues you will be that much more aware of your behavior and offer ideas to stop!

3. Use an “if-then” plan to replace the bad habits with good habits. It isn’t enough to only have a goal to break bad habits. To perpetually continue with a good habit, we need an intentional plan.

To create an “if-then” plan we need to do the following steps.

1. Recognize a situation that commonly triggers our bad habits
2. Identify a distinct reaction to the trigger. Typically, this would be a good habit to replace and prevent falling right into the temptation
3. Combine steps 1 &2 into an “if-then” format. Utilizing an “if-then” plan creates an easier reaction for our cravings and replaces them with a good habit because of the made ready automatic response. Over time, we will be able to see how effective it can be to assist in breaking away from bad habits.

I hope you found this information beneficial in your life. There is no pressure at all, but what habits of yours do you think are bad habits? I will share mine with y’all. One is definitely I always think I am fat and that I need to lose weight, but my husband always tells me I am crazy and don’t need to lose weight. I will say telling someone that thinks they are fat crazy might not be the best way to approach the topic, but men often don’t think before they speak. Another habit of mine that could be viewed as bad is that I apologize for everything, even when I didn’t really do anything wrong. I don’t know why, I just immediately say “I’m sorry.” One more habit, that can be viewed as good and bad is, I am way too overly emotional about everything!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a great day and you are ending the week feeling the best you possibly can! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love , comfort, and many positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa