How To Break These 12 Bad Habits For Good

Everyone has bad habits; you aren’t alone in that aspect, so rest easy as we highlight some 12 common bad habits and how to break these for good.

Many bad habits seem harmless at first but in the long run it can lead to health problems, missed opportunities and damaged relationships.

The best way to break a bad habit is to identify the triggers. Once you know what triggers your habit, you can start to avoid those. For example, if you smoke, you can try chewing gum or taking a walk instead.

Breaking a bad habit takes time but it is possible. With a little effort and motivation on your part, you can overcome toxic habits and live happier.

How To Break Bad Habits For Good

Why Is It Difficult To Break Bad Habits

Bad habits often provide immediate gratification making them difficult to resist. Whether it’s eating junk food, procrastinating, or indulging in excessive screen time, these habits can offer immediate pleasure.

Sometimes, we engage in bad habits without fully realizing it. They may be so deeply ingrained in our mind that they happen automatically without any conscious thought.

Our habits can also be influenced by the environment around us. If our social circle consists of people who mostly engage in unhealthy lifestyle it affects our habits and behavioral patterns as well.

14 Bad Habits To Quit For Good

1. Procrastination

Procrastination is our fear to deal with things that seem too difficult or unpleasant. We simply put off doing these things which in turns gives us a sense of relief even if it is for short term.

The science behind procrastination, suggests that our brain does its best to avoid tasks it deems unpleasant. So the next time you procrastinate, remember it is your brain stopping you.

The best way to break this bad habit is to acknowledge that you are procrastinating and reflect on the reasons for your procrastination.

Here are some tips:

• If you find a task overwhelming work in small stretches of about 20-25 minutes.
• Set deadline to complete tasks in a time-bound manner.
• Share your goals and deadlines with someone who can hold you accountable.
• Reward yourself after completing a challenging task.
• Minimize potential distractions that can hinder your productivity.

RELATED POST: 19 Tips To Overcome Procrastination

2. Impulsive Spending

A study has found that people may spend impulsively when they experience certain emotions like feeling depressed, bored, happy or excited.

People afflicted with impulsive spending experience dopamine hit or pleasure after spending money. But this can be dangerous as the body relies on getting its dopamine hit through their spending addiction.

Compulsive shopping habits, can also cause a serious dent in your savings. To quit this bad habit you can try these simple tips.

1. Don’t shop if you are feeling emotional.
2. If you are shopping online wait 24 hours before making the purchase.
3. Set lower transaction limits on your credit and debit cards.
4. Shop with a partner who would hold you accountable if you start buying impulsively.
5. Make a shopping plan and carry limited cash to buy only necessary items.

RELATED POST: 10 Good Money Habits For Your 20s

3. Being Late

Occasional lateness might be unavoidable due to unforeseen circumstances, but being consistently late can have negative consequences on your personal and professional life.

It may lead to a loss of trust, credibility, overwhelm and anxiety as you are constantly rushing to catch up or apologize for being late. Here are a few tips to help you:

Plan ahead: Estimate the time you need to complete a task or get to a destination, and then add some buffer time for unexpected delays.

• Set reminders to help you stay on track for deadlines or appointments.
• Prepare in advance, like selecting clothes or packing bags ahead of an event.
• During unexpected delays, inform those who are expecting you.

4. Gossiping

Gossiping is a natural human instinct since most of us want to stay updated on any interesting news that would break the daily monotony.

But gossiping as a habit is really toxic as it is based mostly on hearsay and can have damaging consequences for the person you are gossiping about.

A useful tip here would be whenever you hear gossip; you can choose not to react to it by remaining silent. Before you have the urge to gossip ask yourself – what does it say about you as a person and is your life absolutely perfect?

5. Bad Phone Habits

Grabbing your phone as soon as you wake up or checking your feed for updates every two minutes; sharing every little update of your personal life are all cases of phone addiction which is toxic to your mental health.

Phone addiction overloads our brain with excessive information as well as enforces other negative mindsets like low self-worth and unnecessary comparisons, not to forget the cumulative time-waste.

The physical effects phone addiction is equally bad as it affects your natural sleep cycle, vision and increases stress.

Begin some healthy phone habits stopping your phone usage at least 30 minutes before sleeping and keep your phone away from your bed.

RELATED POST: HOW TO OVER COME PHONE ADDICTION

6. Perfectionism

Striving for excellence is admirable, but perfectionism as a habit can have negative consequences as you set excessively high standards for yourself and others.

Perfectionists often tend to be overly critical of perceived mistakes or flaws. It also affects productivity as you spent excessive time on a task trying to do it perfectly.

It is also associated negative self-talk as well as strained relationship with others as you set unrealistic standards for your colleagues, friends, or family members too.

Here are some ways to overcome perfectionism.

• View your failures and mistakes as lessons on self-improvement.
• Be kind towards yourself by acknowledging that you are human and prone to imperfections.
• Shift your mindset to emphasize on progress rather than achieving perfection.
• Set realistic goals for yourself and others.

7. Unhealthy Food Habits

There are a ton of unhealthy food habits most of us are familiar with like eating too much junk food and sugary drinks, binge eating when stressed, skipping meals, not drinking enough water, not chewing food properly, not eating on time and so on.

Unhealthy food habits are often linked to emotional eating or using food as a coping mechanism for stress. So explore alternative stress management techniques such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or seeking professional help if needed.

Learn about nutrition to help you develop a healthier relationship with food. Practice mindful eating by paying attention to your hunger and fullness cues.

8. Whining

Once in a while, we all whine how life is unfair, but frequent whining is a sign of a deeper problem; pent-up frustration or anger, or trying to get attention or control others.

If you find yourself whining frequently, it may be a sign that you are struggling with something major. Here are 2 important tips for you:

Instead of whining, try using “I” statements like, instead of saying, “This is so unfair!” say, “I’m feeling frustrated because I don’t understand why we have to do this.”

When you feel the urge to whine, take a deep breath and count to ten to calm down and react in a better way.

RELATED POST: 16 BEST TIPS TO LOVE YOURSELF DEARLY

9. Poor Sleep Habits

Sleep is a vital body function which allows the body to fix wear and tear throughout the day. Yet most of us struggle to sleep well due to various reasons like absence of a consistent sleep schedule, stress, excessive use of electronic gadgets before bedtime and so on.

To have a good sleep create a relaxing bedtime routine and indulge in some stress-free activity like reading a book at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

10. Being Disorganized

But being disorganized can impact your life in several negative ways. Excessive clutter can create physical and mental chaos, making it harder to focus, relax, or find necessary items and even increase the possibility of making mistakes. A fair bit of organization in your professional and personal life will save you a lot of time and mental hassle.

To break this habit is to set up a system like having a place for everything in your home. You can also create a clutter free environment by getting rid of things you don’t need. Every six months or so de-clutter your home, try to fix regular time for a weekly cleaning chore.

Additionally, you can also get help from a professional organizer to create a system that works for you.

11. Indecision

If you’re indecisive, you may miss out on a lot of opportunities. For example, you might not apply for a job because you’re not sure if you’re qualified, or you might not ask someone out on a date because you’re not sure if they’ll say yes.

Indecision can also lead to a host of other health problems such as anxiety, stress, headaches and stomachaches as well, because when you worry too much about the consequences of taking decisions it affects both your mental and physical health.

If you’re struggling with indecision, there are a few things you can do.

• Before you make a decision, make sure weigh the pros and cons of each option.
• Set a deadline for yourself as this will force you to make a decision, even if it’s not perfect.
• Don’t be afraid to make a wrong decision, learn from it and move on don’t let indecision paralyze you.

12. Nail Biting

Nail biting is often a sign of anxiety or stress; it can also can put strain on the teeth, and lead to problems such as chipped teeth, misaligned teeth, and gum disease.

If you find yourself biting your nails when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, it’s important to find healthy ways to manage these emotions. Here are some tips for you:

• Identify what triggers the nail biting, are you anxious or sacred?
• Trim your nails to make them less tempting to bite.
• Find a substitute activity, like playing with a stress ball, when you’ve the urge to bite nails.

Final Thoughts on Bad Habits

When you are trying to change a bad habit the first step begins with what triggers that toxic habit. Now the process might not be easy which is why you have to understand the science behind habit formation and how you too can develop some life-changing habits to live happy and healthy.