A bad habit is an undesirable behavior pattern. Common examples include procrastination and overspending. But removing established habits can be a challenge because they are a part of who we are.
Keep your habits in repair.
Some habits are simply irritating, such as tapping your feet or chewing gum too loudly. Others may have adverse long-term consequences, such as:
- Over-sharing on Facebook could compromise your privacy;
- Eating the wrong foods, not exercising, smoking, and abuse of drugs or alcohol could threaten your health;
- A lifestyle paid for with plastic rather than from savings could jeopardize your financial stability;
- Texting while driving = time bomb, dude.
The sooner you recognize your bad habits, the easier it is to fix them (BTW, if you don’t think you’ve got any, ask your friends). Why is this? With age, repetition cumulatively reinforces undesirable behaviors so eliminating them becomes more difficult.
Not as easy as it seems.
According to the “habit loop” concept, every habit has a cue, a routine, and a reward (see: Good habits, good life!). For example, when the TV program ends (cue), you go to the fridge (routine), and eat a snack (reward). To change a bad habit, identify the cue and then modify your routine and reward. It could be as simple as a Post-It note on the refrigerator door, demanding 10 sit-ups before entry. After sufficient repetitions, your reward is a svelte waistline!
But health psychologist Kelly McGonigal sees this as a simplistic solution. The process for stopping bad habits is fundamentally different from forming new ones when it comes to “really freakin’ hard changes,” she says. The key to reaching whatever goals we seek—from happiness to good health to financial security—is learning to harness self-control. This means you’ll need skills for tolerating distress, cravings, anxiety, and discomfort. You’ll also need willpower for when you are most overwhelmed by desire, stress, anxiety, boredom, or self-doubt.
Curing “habitosis.”
How do we control our unwanted habits? Research published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2010) suggests a strategy. Ninety-nine students kept diaries of their battles with bad habits and temptations such as excess sleeping, eating, and procrastination (no surprises there; see: Hard work always pays off…). They reported that vigilant monitoring—watching out for slip-ups and saying “Don’t do it!” to yourself—was the most useful strategy to combat strong habits.
Although some habits may require professional help to change, understanding the basic principles of behavior change can give you a head start:
- What needs to change? You’ll only change what you honestly decide you want to change. If you don’t see a problem, you won’t commit to changing your behavior (inertia trap*).
- Acknowledge your fallibilities. Be honest with yourself about your shortcomings. This opens the possibility that poor habits can be improved.
- Set reasonable goals. If the commitment feels like too much, you’re doing too much. After all, your bad habits have taken years to establish themselves! Create a realistic schedule that you believe you can meet or you’ll use your failure as proof that you can’t change.
- Build momentum. Saying “I don’t” versus “I can’t” is psychologically empowering. By slowly ratcheting up what you don’t do, you’ll have better control of the change process. It may start small, but over time, it adds up to a whole “new you.”
- Track progress. Vigilant monitoring helps us notice the habit and remember that we wanted to change it. Consider keeping a diary, journal, or online program to track how well you’re doing towards the goals you’ve set.
- Forgive yourself. Even the most determined suffer an occasional relapse, so don’t get discouraged. Try to figure out why you slipped and then get back on track.
- Seek additional support. It’s tough going it alone. Reach out to your friends, family, or role models. Group programs may also be more motivating than going solo.
NeXters, education and good habits may be the most powerful factors in living a longer and healthier life. You know that’s what you want, so why not start working on the “new you” today?
Winners have simply formed the habit of doing things losers don’t like to do.
~ Albert E. N. Gray, author of “The Common Denominator of Success”
* Questionable beliefs can “trap” our better judgment, leading to poor decisions and unintended consequences. In the inertia trap, we procrastinate or deny the need to take action. Learn more about this, and other traps, in the Young Person’s Guide to Wisdom, Power, and Life Success.
Image credit: “close up portrait of girl smoking cigarette” by sergeyp, licensed from 123rf.com (2016).
