Bad habits are time-sucking, energy-wasting, and detrimental to our wellbeing. So why does seemingly everyone have them, and is there a way out? We develop bad habits mostly due to stress and boredom. These bad habits actually address certain needs in our lives! While cutting them out cold turkey may seem like the best solution, the better alternative is actually to replace our bad habits with good ones. By doing so, we replace our bad habits with a healthier behavior that addresses that same need. Here’s Front Porch’s advice for overcoming bad habits:
Set a deadline
Setting deadlines forces yourself to act. Whether this means forcing yourself to move and undertake the burden of rent or not stopping until a task is done, put yourself in a situation where you physically have to get your rear in gear!
Knowledge is power!
Read about what you want to be/do. It will build confidence and help you in a professional setting, and any setting for that matter.
Eat well and exercise
The power of a good morning routine can easily be overlooked. I have found that waking up early and exercising jumpstarts my day, as well as automatically removing any stress I was carrying.
Find a substitute habit!
As mentioned earlier, we develop bad habits to deal with stress, such as nail biting, foot tapping, and jaw clenching. Finding a substitute habit will help overcome bad habits. An example of a substitute habit can be taking a walk when you find yourself tapping your foot. Also, squeezing a stress ball when you start clenching your jaw.
Find a buddy!
Joining forces with someone who shares a common goal can be very powerful, and this way you both hold each other accountable. You are in it together!
Cut out triggers
While this may seem self-explanatory, actually stick with it! Throw away sweets, hide TV remote, delete apps temporarily- do what needs to be done to ensure you rid yourself of the bad habit.
Conclusion
Bad habits are normal, so don’t beat yourself up! If you are able to recognize they are bad, you’re one step closer to replacing them. Thank you for reading, and we hope you are able to overcome at least one bad habit with Front Porch!
Every morning, I wake up, brush my teeth, make a pot of coffee, shower, and get ready to start my day. I do it in that order, every single day. It is my routine. Now, think about your daily routine. Do you check your phone first? Wake up your children? Make breakfast? We all have routines, and I think it is what keeps me grounded. As human beings in the twenty-first century, we do everything at a very fast pace. Our brains encode the things we do each day into something referred to as habits. We get tangled into the cycle of habits, and it hinders us from noticing what is going on around us and it puts our imagination on time out. Now you’re probably thinking, “Well, I like my routine.” And trust me, so do I, but I think we get a little too caught up in them.