It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them–Benjamin Franklin
After I got married, my spouse told me the benefits of brushing my teeth every night. I decided to imbibe the habit of consciously brushing my teeth, and it became a habit and I saw the results.
But when I was pregnant with my second, I had to stop because brushing my teeth at night made me throw up my food.
After having my second son, my husband encouraged me to go back to brushing my teeth. It was a serious struggle because I had stopped for 9 months which is a long time.
I remembered the benefits of brushing my teeth at night, I encouraged myself and when I don’t remember, I set a reminder to do so.
What am I trying to say?
Every day of our lives, we form habits–consciously or subconsciously. As we go about our daily lives, our habits go with us. As we interact with people, they see our habits.
Every new year, people make resolutions to have good habits and break bad habits. This should tell us that habits are a fundamental aspect of our lives and without them, we would be robots roaming the earth. So, the question is what are habits?
Glad you asked….
What are Habits?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, habits are an acquired mode of behaviour that becomes nearly or completely involuntary.
This simply means the behaviours that are done repeatedly over a long period and the individual has adjusted his/her mind to it. He/She does it consciously or subconsciously.
Good and bad habits are habits that are part of our nature. To cling to good habits, you have to hate bad habits.
Additionally, there have been some myths about forming habits. Some hold to the saying that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but the European Journal of Social Psychology, states that 66 days are essential to form a habit. With a range of 18 and 254 days which is approximately 8 months and 2 weeks.
Again, the researchers added that skipping the behaviour once didn’t greatly impact habit formation if participants picked things up afterwards.
This is to show that habits are part and parcel of our lives, it takes real effort to imbibe good or bad habits into our lives.
Facts about Habits
Here are some facts about habits;
- A large percentage of our lives is governed by our habits.
- Habits never disappear, they are overpowered by other habits.
- Habits can either make or mar your life, which means you have to take control of your life by changing your habits.
- Habits are easier made than breaking them.
- You can’t “think” your way into making new habits, you have to work hard to make new ones.
We have seen the reason why habits are vital in our existence and we have weighed the idea of having bad habits. So, the question we should think and ponder is now that the year is still young and fresh, how do we break bad habits and form new ones?
Let’s find out…
Breaking Bad Habits
Firstly, recognize the bad habit: This is the first step you have to take in breaking bad habits. This is because to conquer a mountain, you have to recognize you have a mountain to surmount in front of you.
There will be fear and denial of its existence which happens to everyone. However, to have good habits that you can be proud of, you have to face the bad habits.
These bad habits could be overeating, sleeping too much, not exercising, the list goes on. The earlier the bad habits, the easier and faster it is to gain freedom and form new habits.
The reason why some people are stagnant and blind is that people in their lives have never pointed out their bad habits. Also, they feel attacked whenever these habits are mentioned, become defensive and remain where they are.
Hence they are called immature. To have good habits, one needs to face the fact that there are bad habits that need changing.
Secondly, increase your awareness: Consider what you need to do, or how you could change your circumstances, to give yourself the best chance to kick your habit.
You have to recognize the things that trigger the bad habits. This is because it is easy to recognize the habits, but for effective changes to occur, one has to go down to the root cause and deal with the triggers of the bad habit.
Thirdly, don’t overanalyse the bad habits or talk about them too much: It is said that whatever we put our minds to, we can achieve. This also applies to breaking bad habits.
Sometimes, we can overanalyse how we are going to stop the bad habits and also make them worse by talking about them. The truth is that what we talk about gives us the conclusion that we won’t attend to it.
The saying, “A problem half shared is a problem half solved” doesn’t apply to breaking bad habits. It hinders progress and weakens our resolve to break the bad habits. We should learn to practice silence which helps to make our decisions and strengthen our resolve.
Lastly, find a role model or a mentor: This step is an important step that helps break bad habits. You have to surround yourself with people who have also broken the habits and gotten the rewards for breaking the habits.
A role model walks with you step by step in breaking the bad habit. Give pieces of advice on steps to follow, and guide you with the experiences and lessons they have learned along the way.
Having a role model helps you avoid mistakes and pitfalls you might experience on the journey to breaking bad habits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen what habits are and their importance in our daily lives, the facts surrounding them, and the “how” of breaking bad habits. Habits are the modes by which we operate in our world.
Habits can take us far or leave us stagnant. It is up to us to consciously break bad habits and make good habits last a lifetime.
Learn more here about the 5 Best wearable devices that improve efficiency.
