Breaking Bad Habits

[disclosure]

Good morning!

Surprise – my children are out of school again! I don’t think we had this many holidays when I was a child. Maybe I have forgotten some days off, but it seems like there are more now.

Am I showing my age? Should I be shaking my fist at a cloud? Haha!

My son says that I’m grumpy – he’s a teenager. Anything I say that doesn’t give him everything he wants is grumpy and mean.

Of course, it is. I look forward to the time when he’ll be too embarrassed to say that I was right… It will happen!

But as a nod to the bad habit my son has assigned to me (and to the ones that I actually have and am trying to break) today we’ll look at breaking bad habits.

Bad Habits Are Hard to Shake

Have you been trying to break a bad habit for a long time? You give it a try. But, time and again, you keep repeating the same bad habits. Perhaps it’s eating the wrong foods, smoking, or skipping exercise sessions. You simply can’t kick the habit.

Cheer Up: 8 Tips to Breaking Bad Habits

You aren’t forever doomed to continue with your bad habits. These tips will help you get a good start towards that goal of breaking them.

Admit the habit

Nothing can be done about breaking a bad habit if you don’t first admit it’s a problem. Awareness is essential as it can help give you the proper mindset. Don’t be hard on yourself once you do admit your habit. Everyone has some bad habits at some point. It’s just life.

Next, determine a course of action

Depending on the habit, you may need to learn more about the causes. What kind of mindset did you have at that point?

Once you identify how your habits started, it’s time to determine how important they are in your life. They must be, or you wouldn’t continue them, right? Create a list to help figure this out. If you can get to the bottom of this, you may have gotten closer to breaking the bad habits.

There are also plenty of instructional seminars and courses available. Just keep in mind that anyone can create help for these habits, but they may not be qualified to do so. Do some research to ensure that you are using qualified resources.

Document your progress when breaking a habit

It’s easy to fall back into bad habits. However, having documentation can help you remember why you wanted to break the habits in the first place.

If you do backslide, just keep moving forward

Many people will see reverting as a sign they’re meant to have the habit for life. This isn’t the case. It took a long time to develop the bad habit so breaking it isn’t going to be something you can do overnight.

Join groups that are related to breaking the bad habits

For instance, if you’re a smoker, you may find a support group that can help when you are feeling the urge to smoke. Be an active member of these groups to get the most benefit out of them. It’s also a great way to meet friends.

Sometimes, you may need professional help

For instance, if you have a drinking problem, it may be difficult to break this habit on your own. Several organizations exist to benefit people with serious addiction problems. Don’t wait to get help if you need it and never be ashamed.

Replace bad habits with good habits

Because you have a limited number of hours each day, the more good habits you’re implementing, the less time you’ll have for your bad habits. Of course, this won’t work for all of them. For instance, you can still smoke while doing community service!

Make amends

Your loved ones will probably understand, but they may grow tired of you behaving inappropriately due to your bad habits. Be sure not to repeat your offenses once you make those amends. For this reason, it’s best to wait until the bad habit is completely broken.

You can break bad habits, but it does take some effort and willpower. However, your life will change for the better, if you’re willing to put in the effort.

The habit I am working to break right now is missing workouts. I had stopped working out when I was ill then I couldn’t work out because I was recovering. Then with everything with my mother, I got busy again and didn’t prioritize exercise. I am working on that.

I am not going to ask for amends from my son for not letting him do what he wants.  Sorry, son – LOL!

Also, journaling may be helpful as you work through breaking bad habits. Click here for a free report about journaling – figure out if it’s for you!

Have a lovely weekend!

Loving Life—The Reboot!

Dominique