We all have habits that appear out of nowhere, so how do we identify this and manage our selves day to day ?
How do we change habits that are not good for us?
It can be difficult to manage and sometimes very frustrating as we know in the back of our minds it is something we want to change but we can't quite pull away from the bad habits we create.
this is usually a habit that starts subtly and is invisible until it grows into something we find ourselves stuck with and it can be hard to shake.
First of all, it is about navigating yourself and identifying possible habits you have or might be starting to form. speaking to people close to you is a great way of understanding what you might be doing.
Don't forget your habits might also be affecting the people around you in a negative way, so talking about this can be a very positive start as it is now out in the open.
Don't get me wrong, it might not always be a habit that is overly detrimental and it might be something as simple as biting your nails because you are feeling scared about something or nervous.
So with this in mind, there is usually a trigger for a bad habit and understanding the reason for this can help as there might be a simple way you can convert one method of dealing with stress i.e. biting nails, to something that has a positive effect like meditation, stretching or breathing exercises.
When trying to quit things like smoking or eating too much junk food it can be important to avoid taking breaks at similar times you would break for a smoke, or in the case of junk food, if for example, you have always had some biscuits with a coffee it might be worth trying to change the time or the drink to something like a herbal tea as you know coffee is a trigger.
This has been said a million times but one more cannot hurt, Exercise !!!
Going for a run in the morning or even simply stretching can re-train your brain to think more consciously about what you are doing to it, if you have just been training for 30 minutes, you might think twice before eating something that is going to negate your progress.
Try avoiding the negative thoughts, if you try and visualise enjoying doing something you are trying to achieve, you will naturally become less fearful and train your mind to accept a new and more positive habit.
Think about the bigger picture and where you want to be but in practice, keep it simple, small steps and don't try and jump to an extreme as you will more than likely burn out or revert to your original bad habit.
Hope this helps and it has helped me.
