Breaking habits is a tough thing to do, in the first instance it can be hard to know if you need to change a habit. I started to notice that certain things I was doing consciously or unconsciously, were having a negative impact on my health and over time I recognised that I needed to break that behavioral habit.
The best way to approach breaking a habit and creating change is by starting small, pick something that is manageable and not too tough to start with. Bedtime was a good start for me, some nights I would just stay in the TV trance for hours and would stumble to bed way too late. So, I decided to set a timer on my phone to reduce the amount of TV I was watching and to help me get a good bedtime routine.
Its helpful to remind yourself about why you are wanting to create that change in your life. Motivational statements, visions for your life with the change in place, and journaling about your reasons why, can all help to remind you of the reasons you want to break a particular habit.
Making the change a part of your normal routine can also help to integrate it into your life more quickly and enable the new healthy habit to stick. And of course, we all love a reward, so giving yourself something to look forward to reinforces positive change.
This all the depends on the type of habit that you are trying to break, you may need help from professionals to work on more complex habits. But if you are wanting to create healthy change then maybe enlist a friend to help you. You can both talk about the habit and be accountable to each other about your progress towards the goal.
For many of us we need to break the habits of a lifetime, like working too hard, not having any boundaries, exercising too much, engaging in negative thought patterns, or engaging in behaviors that keep us feeling stuck. These may feel overwhelming to try to change, but by starting small, concentrating on what we can do, being kind and compassionate to ourselves, we can break habits and start living well.
Reference:
Alexander, Ani. (n.d.). 10 Powerful Benefits of Change and we Should Embrace it. https://tinybuddha.com/blog/10-powerful-benefits-of-change-why-embrace-it/
Raypole, Crystal. (October 29, 2019). How to break a habit. https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-break-a-habit
Scott, Elizabeth. (April 02, 2021). How to Take a Break from Work and Why you Should. https://www.verywellmind.com/why-you-should-take-a-break-3144576
Elizabeth is the Eastern Bay of Plenty Wellness Facilitator