Breaking an Unwanted Habit

Read "Break any Habit in 21 Days"

Some people say that it takes 21 days to break a habit, but for some, it has become so deeply embedded into their subconscious that they need to constantly convince themselves why they need to change, to start a new life. Yes, it is difficult, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

If we are guilty of a certain bad habit, we need the right amount of willpower to make the entire process successful. We need to come up with certain specific strategies, all of them planned out solidly, to keep us strong all throughout the process. 

A good technique is called the "Habit Reversal Training." Such techniques can be applied to any habitual behavior that is harmful or detrimental to our growth as individuals. Most of us would like to succeed at every endeavor and be like the superhuman we all would want to be. 

We stumble along the way, so instead of pursuing our goal, we back out and quit. What should be important right now is to learn from our experiences and know the rules so that we really do get to triumph in the end.

To start off, we need to understand the behavior that we need to remove. Why is it holding us back from success? We need to constantly remind ourselves of our efforts. We can have notes and pictures stuck in various areas in our home to remind us never to give up. We need to utilize these reminders and write down the negative consequences of our habit.

It helps to find a habit that could replace the one we want removed. This new habit is called the replacement behavior. For example, instead of chewing on our nails, we could try nibbling on a lollipop or a stick of gum. We need to plan out the replacement behavior so that it is good enough to avert our focus. 

It helps to also learn how to stop the thoughts that trigger the behavior. Most of these habits are triggered by stress and anxiety. We need to learn relaxation so we have tools to clear our minds of clutter.

So, yes, change may be difficult but it is always possible. No matter how old you are, change is always a possibility. We need a vital tool for staying right on path because this helps us catch slip-ups. A good example would be a journal to help us keep tabs on our efforts.

The more slip-ups we’ll see, the more embarrassed we’ll feel for ourselves. Rewards are also a good way stay motivated. These things constantly remind us of just how much we can achieve. Seeing just how much we’ve achieved strengthens us and inspires us to keep on.

There is a need to celebrate every single moment of our life. Yes, we may make bad choices along the way, but these should be reminders that at least we are trying and that we should never give up. Once we make that decision to bravely venture out into new territories, we need to take careful and deliberate steps.

The faster we rise, the harder we fall, and we should know that when every step is planned and deliberated. When we play the game of life, we also need to realize that in order to win, we must come up with new and exciting ideas. Happiness can be ours now, if we just allow it to come into our lives.