We all have bad habits that we’d like to change. Some of us eat too much junk food and some of us sit around and watch too much TV instead of exercising. Some of us swear more than we think we should, and some of us spend more time playing video games than reading books.
Changing your habits doesn’t have to be as difficult as changing your life overnight. Here are a few things you can do to easily turn your bad habits into good habits:
Find Healthier Substitutes that You Enjoy
Smoking is one of the worst habits, yet it can also be one of the most enjoyable. People find it so hard to quit not only because it is addictive, but also because it is part of their daily routine and is enjoyable. If you were to try to quit smoking, you would have a better time finding a healthier substitute than you would quitting cold turkey. For example, you could take up vaping and choose from a variety of delicious flavors from something like a Zamplebox eliquid subscription box. You would have the same habit as smoking, and you could enjoy it just as much, but you wouldn’t have the unhealthy side effects.
For whatever habit you are trying to change, think about how you substitute it with another healthy habit that you enjoy just as much (or nearly as much).
Focus on Your Long-Term Goals
When you think about your long-term goals, you may find that there is more benefit to adopting the healthier habit than there is to keeping the bad habit, and that can keep you motivated. For example, rapper 2 Chainz talked about how he started eating healthier so he could have the energy to give lively performances at hundreds of concerts over the course of his career. Being able to have the career he wanted was more important to him than eating the junk food, and that made it easier for him to make the change.
What are your long-term goals? How can the benefits of those goals help you to leave your bad habits behind?
Get to the Root of Your Bad Habits and Find Another Outlet
A lot of people eat when they are bored, not because they are hungry. They drink too much because it makes socializing easier for them. They bite their nails because they are nervous. If they were to focus on the reasons that are driving their bad habits, it would be easier to quit. They could just find another outlet for those feelings.
For example, they could learn to do something fun with friends or to engage in a hobby when they are bored instead of eating. Or they could do something else with their hands when they are nervous. Think about what is driving your bad habits and how you could find satisfaction in another activity instead.
Ask a Friend to Help You to be Accountable
We all do better when working toward our goals if we know that someone is there watching us and keeping us accountable. You are much less likely to reach for that piece of chocolate cake if you know that you are meeting a friend at the gym in the morning and are going to have to weigh yourself. You are much less likely to sneak a cigarette if you know that your friend is going to call you later that night and ask how you did that day.
Ask a friend to join you in your journey to change your habits and to help you be accountable in reaching your goals. You’ll be more likely to stay on track and to reach your goals faster.
Changing your bad habits doesn’t have to be excruciating, but you do have to be consistent. Just be patient with yourself and know that a setback does not mean failure. Learn from your mistake and then start fresh the next day. So long as you keep working toward your goal, you will eventually reach it, even if you have several setbacks along the way. Enlist a friend and try these other tips to help you develop healthy habits.
