Get yourself off autopilot and start living the life you dream about by breaking those bad habits for good!
Autopilot. Many of us do a lot of actions every day seemingly on autopilot, without even really thinking about them. These autopilot actions are the habits we’ve developed that are just part of what we do, such as drinking our cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine with dinner. Having these automatic habits isn’t necessarily good or bad; the important thing is that these habits you have are serving you and are promoting your health, wellness & fitness goals.
Because many of us have habits that we know aren’t the best, it’s good to know and understand that these habits can be broken, and without having to be miserable in the process!
If you have a habit or two that you wish to improve or break, these are some great tips on how to break a bad habit once and for all!
Decide and Commit
The first step to truly changing and improving your lifestyle is to officially decide and commit to letting go of the bad habit.
Replace. Don’t Eliminate
To truly break a bad habit, you’re likely going to be much more successful if you can replace it with a better alternative. This will help you avoid feeling like you’re deprived. Actions such as replacing herbal tea for coffee, kombucha for alcohol, or going for a walk instead of video games can be a great way of still accomplishing the desired outcome from the bad habit, but with a positive action. The important thing with this step is to be prepared ahead of time with what your positive replacement action or item will be so that when it’s time to rely on it, you have it available and don’t revert back to the autopilot option.
Remove Triggers
Many of the bad habits we have are there because of emotional, mental, or physical triggers. Start by removing any triggers that promote the bad behavior and instead replace them with positive triggers, such as pictures of your goal, positive affirmations, inspirational quotes, or any other thing that is positively influential to you.
Create a Supportive Environment
Things and people around us can go a long way in helping support positive habits. If you set up an environment supportive of the changes you wish to make, it will make you so much more likely to consistently be successful. For example, if you eat ice cream when you’re stressed and had a bad day, don’t keep it in the house to tempt you. Instead, have on hand healthy alternatives that will satisfy your sweet tooth but without the toxic effects.
Have an Accountability Partner
Sharing your goal and the habit you’re working to break with someone you trust can be a helpful way of helping you stay accountable and committed. For example, if your goal is to decrease or eliminate alcohol, have someone do the same thing with you, or share with your friends that you’re not drinking so that they’re aware and supportive. Teaming up is a great way of having someone to lean on and get support from when the change is difficult.
Use the Power of Your Mind to Create Success
Focus on the change and improvements being easy and being something you’re enjoying. Envision yourself having created the positive habit and see what that looks and feels like in your mind. Bottom line is that the thoughts you think in relation to your habits can go a long way in helping you find success and make the process smoother. Use positive self-talk and incorporate supportive affirmations in your journey of breaking a bad habit.
Understand it’s a Journey
Just like with any goal, the process of breaking a habit can have ups and downs. This means that if you can’t stop cold turkey, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure or that you can’t break it. As long as you’re consistently working at it and improving, that’s progress that should be celebrated. If you revert back here and there, don’t give up but recognize that it’s all part of the journey.
Celebrate Progress and Milestones
Setting progress milestones can be a great way of encouraging you along the way to replacing a bad habit. When you have reached a milestone, it’s a fantastic reinforcement and helps keep you motivated to keep going.
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