Had you failed the exam because you played video-games last night and did not get ready for it?
Did you buy last week the fifteenth crop top because it was on sale?
Did you eat ice-cream at midnight watching a melodrama last weekend?
The list can be extended, and as you see bad habits are not only about smoking and drinking. What is actually a bad habit? It is anything that contradicts your long-term goals. A routine task that prevents you from being healthy, wealthy, successful, smart, happy (being a person you want to be for short), should be fought. If you realize that you act against yourself, read our article to get rid of your bad habit.
How to Stop a Bad Habit Step by Step
Dig in to figure out why you do it
It is a fact that you can break bad habits only if you have a compelling reason for it. The most common triggers of bad habits are boredom and stress. But do not look at the issue too general. Analyze your behavior and find out under what conditions you start overeating, drinking a lot, biting your nails, etc. For example, your bad habit may come when you are with certain people or alone. When you finally realize what cue forces you to do some undesirable actions, take pains to reduce the possibility of its occurrence.
Visualize Your Goal
If you want to kick a bad habit, you probably do not like the way things are now. What is your final aim? For example, if you want to be slim and healthy, use Photoshop to create an image of your ideal self. Every time you want to eat a cake late at night, look at the picture and put the sweet aside for tomorrow morning.
Replace a Habit with a Similar One
It is hard to quit a bad habit once and for all. That’s why try to change your habit, do something more useful instead. For example, if you drink soda all the time, replace it with water with a lemon flavor. We have even prepared a list of good habits to have so you can choose something to replace your bad one.
Remove the Access to the Habit
People are easily tempted. While your willpower is not strong enough yet, reduce chances when your bad habit can be triggered. If you always buy buns at the nearest bakery because they smell fantastic, change your way to college.
Do not Fight Bad Habits Alone
United we stand, divided we fall. This quotation originated in ancient Greece does not lose its power in the modern world. It is so easy to snap and smoke another cigarette when nobody knows about your decision to give up, nobody supports you, and nobody tries to do the same within your social circle. You can ask your friends to watch your progress. For example, if you fail, you have to pay them or fulfill their wish. It will be a good motivation to stay the course.
Limit the Time without a Bad Habit
If it is too difficult to say goodbye to your small sin, set the period without it: a week, a month, a semester. When this time passes, you may not want to get used to it again.
Do you have enough inspiration to quit your bad habit? To entrench the result, watch how a popular blogger Thomas Frank overcame his bad habits.