10 Helpful Steps for Breaking a Bad Habit

REALITY CHECK. Every person has habits — acquired behaviors or thought processes that are repeated so frequently and automatically that they figuratively become hardwired into the brain of the individual. Some of these habits are good, whereas others are not so good. To break a bad habit that may be affecting their health negatively (e.g., unhealthy snacking, excessive drinking, etc.), individuals need to be aware of the behavior they would like to stop. Once that particular conduct is determined, they can develop and implement a strategy for changing those actions that may be compromising their health, for example. ALL IN. Above all, breaking a bad habit requires a resolute commitment to change. As such, individuals who are not committed fully to altering their life in a way that enables them to overcome their negative behavior(s) are doomed to fail. Breaking a bad habit mandates a rigorous investment of time, energy, and perseverance — elements that go hand in hand with a person's buy-in to the requisite change. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. In reality, no single viable way exists to break bad habits. An approach that may be effective for one person may not work for another. The key for individuals is to identify their bad habit(s) and then to address, to the degree possible, those factors that are contributing to their behavior. In that regard, it can be very helpful to identify cues or triggers that lead to the undesirable habit and then eliminate as many of those elements as possible. TARGETED PLAN. Once individuals understand their situation, they should develop a plan that entails detailed goals for changing their behavior and strategies for minimizing the triggers for their habit(s). In general, they should focus on achieving relatively smaller steps initially and then expanding their goals going forward. The underlying concept is to avoid establishing a solution to changing their behavior that may seem unduly daunting to them. CHANGE THE SCENERY. Research indicates that, to a degree, breaking a bad habit entails that individuals reduce their situational triggers until they can identify and implement new ways of dealing with them. In other words, one of the most effective steps for changing behavior is to avoid the people and the places with whom and in which the bad habit(s) occurred. As such, if an individual's set of circumstances cues a person to engage in unwanted behaviors, it is time to change that individual's environment. CONSTRUCTIVE THINKING. Individuals who want to break a bad habit should focus on acquiring a new alternative behavior, as opposed to setting a negative goal of not doing something. All factors considered, an individual's internal system for learning habits does not really learn anything by not doing. The basic goal, in this instance, should be to create and ingrain new positive behavior-related habits. Arguably, one of the easiest ways to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new one (e.g., instead of consuming a bowl of ice cream in the evening, eat a bowl of strawberries). CELEBRATE SUCCESS. Individuals should reward themselves for any positive accomplishments they achieve, big or small, with regard to their efforts to break a bad habit. Although heartfelt praise, whether from others or themselves, often is a very powerful payback for undertaking a desired behavioral change, a material reward also can be appropriate, as well as quite motivating. MENTAL MATTERS. One step that can help individuals break their bad habits is to imagine scenarios in which they engage in the desired behavior — as opposed to the bad habit. Such visualization can reinforce their positive actions. Another mind-related step that can affect a person's ability to break a bad habit is mental preparation and practice, which can help individuals decide, in advance, how they will handle tempting situations, should they arise. RIDE IT OUT. Individuals should always remember that they are human. As such, they occasionally may slip back into an old habit (or two) now and then. When that situation occurs, they should not beat themselves up (i.e., “if they slip up, they should not give up!”). In reality, success is not an absolute end point. The overriding goal is to change the unwanted behavior. If they get off track (for whatever reason), they need to return as soon as possible to whatever has worked for them. Being harsh on themselves is not helpful. NO RUSH. Research indicates that as much as 40% of a person's actions are habits, as opposed to conscious decisions. On occasion, some of those habits have a negative impact on a person's life. Breaking one of those habits can take time, however, regardless of how obvious the need for behavioral change is or how much an individual may want to alter what they do. More often than not, the process of such change is arguably long, ranging (according to recent studies) from as few as 18 days to more than 8 months. In this situation, patience is more than a virtue — it is paramount.