The comforting thing about struggling is that you’re not the only one going through it, the sad thing about it? You have to struggle, in one way or another. We could struggle with anything under the sun, even with things that others may term as ‘a cup of tea.’ One of these many things is breaking a bad habit. It’s hurtful enough to realize a bad habit that you may have mostly when it’s self-awareness. Not everything that hurts us is a bad thing. In fact, if you look at it the right way, in the long run, it breeds better results.
We are coming to the end of the first month of the year, after most of us have written resolutions that we may have a hard time following right now. Having a resolution means that you are breaking a bad habit and replacing it with a good one that will help you get to your goal. Here are a few steps that will help you through that process;
Identify your triggers.
Spend a few days tracking your habit, when it happens and what causes it. What mind space are you usually in when it happens?
Get an accountability partner.
This is someone who will keep you in check over a period of time, someone who you will have to be honest with about your progress in getting rid of said habit(s).
Reward yourself for making progress.
Practicing positive reinforcement helps boost yourself-confidence making the prospects of breaking bad habits higher.
Prepare of slip-ups.
The amount of time it takes to break a habit has been debated over for some quite some time. Some studies claim that it takes 21 days while others argue it takes a number of months, up to 245 days. Whatever the case, it will not take one day or one instance. Be patient with yourself and when you slip up sometimes, forgive yourself and start over.
Practice self-care.
The best form of self-care is prayer. Take your worries and needs to God, He cares about every thing, big or small. His grace abounds.
It may take a while but overtime, your habits will change and you will be lad you took steps to make yourself better.