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 Foolproof Guide To Developing Healthy Habits

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When it comes to healthy habits, you probably know what you should be doing.

It would be difficult not to, in truth. The realities of the health decisions we make are made clear every single day. It’s fair to assume that most people will - at least in abstract - know the following things they should or shouldn’t do regarding their health:

  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in sugar and refined fats.

  • Eat a good amount of oily fish for optimal health.

  • Be neither over or underweight, instead finding a “just right” zone for yourself.

  • Exercise regularly, at least three times a week though preferably more.

  • Drink plenty of water, ideally around two liters per day.

  • Don’t binge drink alcohol or exceed your weekly recommended intake limit.

  • Don’t smoke cigarettes, period.

The above are pretty much the established things we all know we should do, but… don’t.

Life has a tendency to get in the way. You want to eat a healthy diet with meals at regular intervals, but then you have to work through lunch on a tough office project. You want to work out three times a week, but then you have a clash of social engagements and work-related events and you just don’t have the time. You know you shouldn’t drink excessively, but you’ve had a hard week, what’s an extra glass of wine going to do? And so on and so forth.

It’s fair to say that knowledge is not the problem when it comes to healthy habits. We all know them; they’re all repeated to us often enough. Just because we know something doesn’t mean we can do it; it’s the implementation that’s the problem. We’re busy; we get distracted; we forget just how important these things can be.

So how can you learn healthy habits - and keep them established?

 

#1 - Repetition

It takes 30 days to make a habit, or so the conventional wisdom goes. That means that to truly establish a good habit, you’re going to have to commit to it, every day, for 30 days.

So let’s take an example, an easy one to begin with: quitting smoking. If you go cold turkey when you quit smoking, the chances of success aren’t good. You’re far better off with nicotine replacement therapy or - most commonly - switching to vaping, which is generally considered to be a far safer alternative to tobacco. If you’re interested in using vaping to quit cigarettes then you can learn more at www.vaporescence.com/pages/aspire; for NRT ideas, or contact your doctor.

So on day one, you don’t smoke - and you don’t change that at all for 30 days. Try and see this as a 30 day stretch; ignore the fact that after 30 days, you still won’t smoke. Just focus on those thirty days; run a countdown; do anything you can to keep yourself on track for that period.

By the time the 30 days are up, you won’t even want to return to your bad habit. The new, better habit will have become the normal. It’s a psychological trick on yourself, but it’s incredibly effective if you get yourself to see through those 30 days.

#2 - Start Early

So let’s think about an exercise regime; perhaps you want to do yoga, thanks to the myriad of benefits it has to offer its practitioners.

If you plan to go to a yoga class at the end of the day - when you have already gone through an entire eight hours of work - then you’re not making it easy on yourself. You’re relying on the idea that you will have the time, effort, and inclination after a day that is already long enough. For the first few times you’re meant to do it, your newfound optimism and determination will be enough to get you into the studio - but it’s incredibly unlikely that's a routine you’re going to be able to continue.

So rather than tagging your new yoga routine at the end of the day, start with your new plan. Get up 20 minutes earlier and do yoga in front of the TV, while you wait for coffee to brew and your breakfast to cook. At this point in the day, you’ll be more open and receptive to the idea, because you’ve yet to tire yourself out with the stresses of a normal working day. If you need some advice on getting up earlier, then www.goinswriter.com/wake-up-early has got you covered.

This also means you can bask in the fact you’ve ticked off your new routine before most people have got out of bed. Allow yourself a little smugness - you’ve earned it!

#3 - Try Hypnotism

Sometimes, the best thing you can do to establish healthy habits is to make your existing habits distasteful to you. In comparison, the healthier way of doing things naturally becomes preferable.

But how do you make yourself dislike food that’s bad for you? We don’t eat junk food, sugar, and processed meals because we dislike them - we do it because they taste good. They are specifically designed to not only taste good, but make us want to come back for more and more. How can you possibly convince yourself they’re actually terrible, when your entire body is craving them?

Hypnotism might be the answer you’re looking for. Under clinical settings, a hypnotist can attempt to “rewire” the way you think about certain foods. Rather than seeing them as delicious, your brain can be awakened to associating them with ill health and feeling uncomfortable. The success of this depends on how susceptible you are to hypnotism in general, but you won’t know unless you find out.

 

Establishing healthy habits is difficult, especially if you’re trying to do everything at once. Nevertheless, it is possible to change the way your mind works and establish a reliable pattern that allows you to move forward in healthier, more beneficial ways. Repeat; trick; and even hypnotize yourself into seeing the light - you’ll be better off for it in every possible way.

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