It is believed that process of making anything is time-consuming but breaking is as easy as breaking glass. We wish breaking a bad habit is that easier too, it’s not! Because bad seems good in this case even though we are aware that they would affect our health, mentally or physically. Don’t blame yourself as there’s a psychological reason behind this.
We will tell you how to break a habit and get out of this cycle.
Just scroll up the page!!!
Know The Science Behind Habits
Knowing the psychology behind a process helps your mind understand why you behave in certain ways. It also helps you find a mid-way to solve that issue. Same goes with habits. Good and bad ones, both are formed through the same process but one sticks longer (maybe forever).
It starts with a loop; we call it a habit loop which gets completed by connecting 3 dots.
1. First is a trigger point that forces your brain to do something
2. Second is a routine point which makes you behave in a certain way. For example, if you drink alcohol once and you feel good, your mind will ask for more. The moment you start listening to the brain, it will gradually try to take control over you.
3. Third point completes this loop by telling your brain that you are gaining a reward in return by performing that action.
Basal Ganglia, a section in your brain, add power to this by supporting your bad habits with emotions and memories. And when you start feeding the brain with this reward, the decision-making part called the prefrontal cortex goes in sleeping mode.
Also Read: 4 Bad Beauty Habits You Just Have To Break
How To Break A Bad Habit?
Your relation with bad habits is like a master and slave relation. They rule over your mind and life ultimately making it worse. You won’t realize when it happens as it is like a slow poison. A few steps will make you get out of this loop of a bad habit.
1. Accept It
Change is impossible unless you accept the fact that a certain person, a habit, or activity is bad for you. Once you do that, following the rest of the ways of breaking a habit would be simple.
2. Identify The Trigger-
If you identify the triggers, the habit loop will not form eventually preventing side-effects of them. So, do it in the first place. For this, you will need to pay attention to your routine and behavior. Take care of a few things such as:
• What is making you upset
• Is there a certain time of the day when you are stressed?
• Do you engage with people who have the same set of bad habits?
• Is it because of your bad lifestyle or morning routine?
Whatever it is, get the answers and work upon yourself.
3. Stay Away From Stress-
Stress and boredom are the main culprits that push you toward bad habits, it could be due to any reason. The effect is directly on your brain. So, the first way to break this never-ending loop is to reduce the stress.
Doing yoga and meditation will open your mind and you can easily gain control over it.
4. Swap It With A Good One
Sometimes it becomes difficult to change your bad habits because your brain could not find an alternative for it. So try to give good you can, for example, if you have the habit of eating sweets at night, replace them with dry fruits.
5. Set The Reminders
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Breaking a bad habit will take time and practice, more than this it will take a determination. If you are weak here, then you may not get out of this habit loop ever. A small reminder will act like someone is pushing you toward this new resolution.
You can either ask someone to monitor you or stop you from indulging in that activity.
6. Set Up A New Environment
This does not imply changing your house, friends, or family. By setting up a new environment we mean changing up your routine. For example, if you cannot resist the urge to eat junk, stop going to the fast-food stalls. Do not buy junk food and store it in your kitchen. Avoid engaging with friends or people who don’t support you in breaking a bad habit.
Also Read: Peer Pressure : How To Deal With Negative Effects of It?
7. Leave It
Sometimes these strategies don’t work because your emotions, memories, and habits are like sand the more you try to hold it tightly, easily it will lose. That is why practice these strategies but do not pressurize yourself.
Let it take time and start with baby steps; within 21 days you will be free from the barriers set up due to bad habits.