10 Ways To Help You Break Hard Habits

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We are the sum of our habits. Everything that we do or think is born out of routines and lessons we have been taught our whole lives. When you allow the habits that you have developed to become bad ones, life becomes a little less fun and a little more difficult. 

The problem is that it is exceptionally easy for bad habits to creep into your life. One minute you’re socially smoking with your friends when you have a glass of wine, and the next you’ve managed to develop a thirty-a-day habit. They’re insidious: they happen when you’re not looking or paying attention. To break bad habits you need a lot of self-control. It takes work to be able to notice that you are doing something unhealthy - whether that’s unhealthy for you or for those around you. The thing is, breaking your bad habits is worth the effort. If you can put your mind to it, you can do it, and it’s as simple as that. Not only do you manage to change your unhealthy habits into good ones, you are able to develop a strong work ethic and better productivity in your everyday life. Hashtag science, yo.

So, with that in mind, here are ten things that you should stop doing and start changing today.

  • Stop Using Technology In Bed

The bed is the best place in your house, bar none. Most people don't realize that climbing into their comfortable beds and scrolling through Facebook is unhealthy. Before you know it, you’ve got into bed at 9pm, and it’s now 3am and you are knees-deep in YouTube conspiracy theories with a subscription to TinFoilHat.com. The bed is the one place you don’t need technology. You do not need to bring it to bed and make your brain stay awake long after your eyes want to sleep. Start leaving your device on a table outside the bedroom or across the room - that way, it’s there for emergencies but not close enough that you’ll sleep badly.

  • Stop Smoking

One of the worst habits to have is smoking. Why? Because this habit doesn't just affect you. When you smoke, you affect everyone else in the vicinity. We get it, it’s a hard habit to break because smoking is addictive. You’ll have noticed that most smokers turn to places like lightfirevapor.com to change their smoking habit into one where they still get the sensation of smoking but they’re using flavor instead. Smoking makes your clothes, hair and skin smell, and it’s something that you want to avoid along with the blackened lungs. Start working to get rid of this habit as soon as you can.

  • Impulsive Internet Searching

How easy is it to spend money online today? Well, Amazon has installed a handy “Buy Now” button to make it easier than ever. Before you mindlessly search online for nothing that will still cost you, stay productive by giving yourself 15 minutes to choose whether you really need what you went looking for.

  • Stop Looking At Your Phone - Mid-Conversation

How rude is it when you’re getting someone’s attention and while you’re doing it, they pick up their phone for a quick scroll? Very, that’s how rude it is. The thing is, you may be doing it yourself without knowing. Keep your phone away from your hands when you’re talking to someone and leave it in your pocket. You want to be engaged and paying attention properly. Don’t be that person.

  • Stop The Notifications

Oh, notifications are the productivity killer! When you’re at work or trying to be present with your family, your phone is going to ping off all over the place. Let’s turn those notifications off so that they can stop being a distraction and you can continue to be present in the moment.

  • Stop Saying YES

Okay, we don't normally advocate for saying no, especially when you should say yes to adventures and to good things. The thing is, saying “yes” to everything in life is not actually a good idea, as you become that person everyone turns to purely because you don't know how to say no. It’s a good way to get used to it and you shouldn't allow it anymore.

  • Stop Being Around Toxic People

Toxic people have a hold on us and it’s because of the toxicity. They know how to get under our skin with gaslighting and manipulation, and so we stay around the toxicity and believe that they love us really. They don't. Make it the thing that you do right now to say no and walk away from those who no longer deserve your attention.

  • Stop Multitasking When You Don’t Have To

In the workplace you need to be buzzing from place to place and doing multiple things. Life has you spinning many plates, but you don't have to do that throughout a meeting, so stop doing it! You don't have to turn yourself in knots for everyone else, so don’t do it anymore.

  • Stop Gossiping

It is so easy to get sucked into gossip. Gossip is salacious, it’s sexy and it’s devastating to the subject of the gossip. How would you feel if people were gossiping about you? We wouldn't like it, either. Gossip is a bad habit and it doesn't do you any good to gain anything from the misfortune of others. Morality check yourself whenever you can.

  • Stop Comparing Yourself

Every single butterfly in the world is unique and beautiful, and you are indeed a butterfly. There is no joy that comes from comparing yourself to other people. All you’re going to do is focus on what THEY are doing with life and less on what YOU are doing. And hunty, you are the focus of your own life - you have to play the starring role. Stop with the comparison, whether on social media or in real life - all you will do is ensure that you put yourself second. And that will never do.

These are all hard habits to break. Have you got what it takes?

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Why Quitting Bad Habits Is So Hard

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Of course, nobody is perfect. However, not all bad habits are equal. Some just might be irritating to the people around you, while others could put your health at risk. Nevertheless, bad habits have something in common: They usually are hard to quit. As a result, many of us feel demotivated and weak when it comes to creating a self-improvement journey. It’s not that we don’t want to become a better person. We don’t know how to make it work! Here are the top four reasons why quitting bad habits is hard: 

Because it’s a habit

The first clue is in the name. It’s a habit, and therefore, it is an integral part of your routine. As a result, quitting cold turkey and without any preparation can be incredibly difficult. Instead, the best approach is to mentally prepare yourself to turn a page by setting a quit date. Keep your goals realistic, though. If you’ve been a smoker for the best part of your adult life, you probably don’t want to quit tomorrow. Instead, you can use your quit date to gradually reduce your intake of nicotine until it becomes bearable for your body to sustain low quantities. 

Because it helps you cope

Why do we develop bad habits? Your habit is a response to a situation. Some patterns are learned, such as copied from your parents as a child. Others are chosen to fill a void. Destructive habits that put your health at risk typically act as a coping mechanism that helps you deal with stressful events. Highly functional drinkers, for instance, don’t drink because they like the taste but because they can’t function without the relief of alcohol. As a result, sober living centers have developed dedicated support to help people not only identify the underlying problem but also manage it more effectively. The same principle applies to a variety of harmful habits. You need to focus on addressing the triggering issues first. 

Because it’s part of your social image

Some habits are developed to facilitate social integration. Social drinking, for instance, is a natural behavior for people with an extended circle of friends. After all, friends who drink together stay friends forever (or so they say). Consequently, it can be difficult to build healthy habits, as you might worry about social isolation, whether you want to quit alcohol or junk food – two of the most prevalent unhealthy behaviors among friends. 

Because it needs replacing

You can’t just drop a habit and hope for the best. When the habit disappears, it leaves a void you need to fill. Smokers, for instance, have an established routine, from the first cigarette in the morning to the last puff before bed. If you don’t build a healthy replacement, you are more likely to give up and return to your bad habit. Introducing a new habit helps you to create a new gesture and pattern to rely on in your day-to-day life. 


Can you quit your bad habits tomorrow? If the answer is no, you needn’t worry. Nobody can quit without notice, because your habit is part of your life. You must detach yourself from this side of your personality to create room for something positive in your routine.


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A Great Framework: Building Healthy Bones

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As humans, we all benefit from a decent amount of structure. The greatest example of a structure in us, as people, is our bones. We may not be able to see them, but like depression and other internal issues, we feel them, but they’re not necessarily seen. So, what is the best way to build healthy bones, especially as bone density tends to weaken as we get older?

Boost Your Calcium Consumption

Yes, it may be obvious, but while people think that calcium is all they need to build healthy bones, this is not the main solution! The key is to pair calcium with vitamin D, as well as other key nutrients, like magnesium. If you have a diet rich in leafy green vegetables this will be a big help, but if you are struggling to fight a losing battle with a bone condition like osteoporosis, you may want to supplement your healthy diet. You can look at the AlgaeCal reviews on Amazon and see that a lot of people who are fighting osteoporosis or osteopenia have a lot of praise for it. However, remember that supplements aren’t a cure just by itself. You need to make sure you have the adequate diet in place to get the benefits of a wide range of nutrients, like vitamin K as well as Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin.

Delve Into Your Family History

If you have any concerns about your bones, you may want to do some research into your family history to see if there are any issues in your immediate family, such as a parent or a sibling. If you have any close members of the family who have had osteoporosis, you are more likely to develop it yourself.

Start Exercising!

It appears to be the cure all for many health issues, and your bone health is one of those. If you start to integrate weight-bearing exercises into your workout routine, such as running, skiing, or jump rope, these have been shown to keep the bones strong. It's also beneficial to start resistance training, by doing weightlifting or starting at home with body weight exercises.

Cut Down On Your Vices

Yes, unfortunately all those things that we like to consume to excess aren’t particularly good for our bones. Not just nicotine and alcohol, but caffeine has a big impact on how our bodies can absorb calcium. So it's is recommended to cut back on your caffeine intake, but not give up on it entirely, just as long as you have more than your adequate share of calcium in your diet, not just from milk, but leafy vegetables.

Get Out In The Sunshine

As previously mentioned, vitamin D has a sufficient impact on our ability to absorb calcium. If there isn't much sunshine where you live, and you can't get the recommended 10 to 15 minutes in the sun three times a week, you can get your vitamin D intake through shrimp, sardines, egg yolks, or tuna.

 

Building our bones as a strong framework for our body is a priority. It's what will make us run faster and feel much more vibrant. So it's important for you to take control of your bone structure now.

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For New Year, I Become A Better Me

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We all approach the New Year with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Excitement,  because this marks the chance for us to take a new start in life and make it all better, or at least try to correct some of the mistakes of the past. Apprehension, because this is the time when we review how the resolutions of the previous year have gone, and chances are that they have been ditched quite early in the year! But for this New Year, here’s a little guideline to help each one of us quit bad habits and stick to the healthy resolutions for 2017.

 

Don’t Quit Bad Habits Cold Turkey

Many wait until the first day of a brand new year to ditch their bad habits into oblivion: They over-indulge before they start, thinking that they need to enjoy it now while they still can. Unfortunately, this behavior only creates extreme cravings, whether for sweet chocolate, video games, or even tobacco. Why does this happen? Simply because our habits are just as addictive as a drug and affects the brain at different levels. While this is less dangerous than life-threatening and illegal drugs, they do create over time a dependency that the body and the brain get used to.

For gamers, it’s the fact that they can’t relax and don’t know what to do with themselves if they don’t play, for others it could be that over-eating is the only thing that they think makes them happy, etc. There is no way around it: Up to 90% of people who entertain a bad habit are addicted without knowing it. Consequently, when you decide to ditch a bad habit, you will experience what is called a period of withdrawal. Withdrawal is a difficult experience to make, with symptoms that can be similar to the flu and can last for a few weeks, sometimes even long periods of depression. But stick with it, you’ll soon feel a lot better.

 

Don’t Do It On Your Own

Quitting smoking, quitting alcohol, eating healthy food, etc., is for many quitting the habit of a lifetime. This is a big step and you need all the help you can get on the way! Thankfully you will find some useful support: Champix tablets help to stop smoking for example, as they work directly on the nicotine receptors in the brain and makes cravings for cigarettes more manageable. Others prefer to rely on friends and groups to limit some addictions, such as going shopping with a reasonable friend who will stop you from over-spending. Some even swear by hypnotism and claim that they found it a great support when they decided to quit for real. Whatever you choose, do make sure that your plan includes something to help your brain fight the addiction.

 

Quit Gradually Over A Period Of Time

Your habit will generate cravings, whether those are irresistible needs for something sweet, or for letting your credit card smoke with over-use if you are addicted to shopping, etc. We all have bad habits and it is natural to miss them when we decide to stop. Whether you are looking forward to saying goodbye to cakes for example, or quit video games, you will need to gradually reduce your daily intake to make sure that you will be successful in quitting. There are more than just power of will when you walk away from bad habits: Often the brain and the body will still be intoxicated with substances generated by our habits, this could be the adrenaline from gaming for example. Therefore the brain, or the body, will be requiring the usual ratio it generally receives.

This is a physical reaction and fighting it, even though it is for your own mental and physical health, can actually makes you feel sick. As a result, you will be better off if you gradually get your body used to smaller amounts of your bad habit. This is something that you will need to plan carefully, to make sure that while you continue to diminish the frequency, you are not creating too significant cravings. Give yourself a week to reduce your daily intake if you are addicted to soda drinks, for example. Similarly, if you love shopping too much, you can allow yourself only a certain budget, take it in cash for extra safety, for a fortnight.

Replace Bad Habits With A New Habit

A bad habit is not only an addiction, but as we know it is also a habit. The best way to forget about a habit is to swap it for a new one. It could be anything as long as you are careful to stay away from other types of dangerous addictions. Whether you decide to pick up jogging, to start a painting course, to learn a new language, or even to lose yourself into books, it is up to you. As long as you find something that you can be passionate about, you are sure to never go back to your bad habit again. After all, passions can be just as addictive too, but they are healthy!

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