How to break a bad habit and develop a positive healthy habit...

Habits are powerful tools that help you live the life you want. Developing a habit requires self-discipline and belief in your ability to achieve the outcome. It requires dealing with negative emotions and measuring your progress. You can choose to use simple measures such as writing them down or go the extra mile by making elaborate charts. Whatever you choose, make sure that it is something you really want to inculcate in your life. 

If you would like to create and develop a new habit, you will need to block a regular time in your schedule. Plan to utilize a few minutes every day to dedicate to the task associated with the new habit that you wish to develop. Schedule that time in, so that you can give it your full attention. ​

For example, if you learn best in the morning, you will be more motivated and successful if you do it during the earlier part of the day.

Keep in mind that once a bad habit is formed, it is hard to break. Though it is not totally impossible if you can use the powers of visualization along with determined efforts to get out the bad rut!

​Visualizing how you would like to feel will help you change a bad habit. In fact, visualization is one of the most powerful tools you can use to break bad habits and also to develop new positive ones.

In addition to visualization, you can also make it a daily habit by setting an alarm. Leaving your gym clothes out the night before will help you establish a new morning exercise routine. Even placing your gym bag near the door can help you develop that habit. And, if you are unsure of how to make a habit stick, you can use SMART goals. They will help you achieve your goals faster. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. I will cover how we can use SMART goals in detail, in another blog post.

Once you have selected what you want to change, you will have to decide why. Our reason for doing something, can provide us a powerful impetus. For example, if you would like to get fit, so you can fit into a flattering bikini when you go to beach for your vacation… or if you would like to tone your muscles so you can look better and feel healthier… whatever your reasons. Till your reasons are important for you, they will provide you with a positive inspiration to take appropriate action towards developing the new habit. 

In addition to the physical benefits, positive habits can also boost your overall mental health. To make your new habit more rewarding, consider giving yourself a reward after each session in the gym. A small reward every time you reach a certain goal will help you stay motivated.

When it comes to changing your behavior, habits can be difficult to break, but it is definitely worth it. Keep in mind that positive habit formation requires time and commitment. You need to reward yourself for each success as soon as you notice any results. You can even reward yourself with a small treat or a reward every time you achieve success! 

However, it is important to be realistic about what is possible. Even if you want to change your habits, you should be realistic with yourself and understand that if you want to change a very chronic bad habit for a very big aspect of your behavior, then you may need to address it smaller more easily achievable chunks.

As with any habit, forming a new one requires a lot of effort. It requires time and patience. The good news is that you can start with something small, such as quit drinking beer every evening, and build up from there if you are looking to completely stop drinking. 

For e.g., if you have a habit of picking up a bottle of beer as soon as you come home and are starting your dinner prep… then for starters, stop reaching out for that beer.

Stall that habit of ‘automatically’ reaching out for that bottle. Instead in the initial days change it to a conscious choice of drinking half a glass with dinner… or stop drinking all together every evening and consciously choose to drink every alternative day or once in three days.

When you open the fridge and would previously reach for the beer as you start your dinner prep, consciously choose to either drink some water or maybe a cup of refreshing herbal tea. 

​You see how this helps? 

What you are doing here is instead of unconsciously (out of habit) drinking each evening… you are consciously choosing when and how much you will drink… if you will drink at all.

​This way, you are starting the process of breaking out of the old unconscious habit and consciously choosing to practice a new pattern- which over time will become a new positive habit.

Staying optimistic will help you deal effectively with negative feelings and also the stress of breaking old habit patterns.

Positive thinking is not a ‘cure it all’, but it can surely help in a big way in life- not just to break bad habits and develop new positive ones, but also with other challenges and situations in life in general. ​

also check out:

• What is Mindfulness? This is how Mindfulness can help with managing your mental health...
  
• ​How to develop mindfulness?
• Living our life from "Our Center"- conducting our life as a "living meditation"
• How can you center within yourself- i.e. be in Yoga-Unison with your own self, those around you and also the world at large?- A simple way to break-free of the 'repeat cycles' of time!!

Categories: 
Life Management  and    Self Development

Keywords and Tags:
#breakbadhabit #developgoodhabit #mindfulness #stopdrinking #startexercising #mindfulnessandmentalhealth  #consciousliving  #selfdevelopment