We all know the saying ‘bad habits are made to be broken’. But this doesn’t mean that it’s as easy as that. I want to explain why it is so difficult for many and how you can break your bad habits and stick to new, positive ones.
Why are your bad habits there?
A habit can creep up on anyone. When you’re in need of a distraction, for example.
The reason that old habits stick around and you can seem to shake them off, can be because they are easier to do than something else. They are rewarding because you do them so often and successfully. They help you to feel calm and more secure.
These might sound like reasons that would deter you from breaking your bad habits. But even though they have become a staple part of your life, they can become outdated and distract you from moving forwards.
As time moves on, habits become less relevant and can hold you back from creating new habits to get you where you want to be today.
Out with the old
Breaking these old habits is possible. What I’ve found is that you cannot simply break them. You need to replace them with something else – and this is where the new, positive habits come into action.
Once a habit is broken, you should fill that void with something else. Otherwise, you will find yourself slipping right back into your old ways.
In with the new
So, this is how it is done. What new habit would you like to start that can help you progress in what you want to do and make you happier? Take this new goal and put it in the place of when you would usually act on your old, bad habit.
The more you do this, the more you will find your old habit fade away, and it won’t even occur to you to use it as a crutch anymore.
In the end, instead of hiding, you will feel rewarded and excited to act on your new habit.
Habits can get a bad reputation, but they are only there to help you feel comforted and rewarded, so why not use that feeling for the better, rather than using it is a block.
Leading on from this, in another article I go into more detail on creating these new habits.
