How to get rid of bad habits and acquire useful ones?

What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? Did you put on your left or right shoe first? Which way did you drive to work? Our whole life, its distinct forms are nothing but a bunch of habits.

Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Head of Training Center

Technically, it is not easy to replace one habit with another. For a sustainable effect, you always need a reason. Why? For what?

Why give up beer? Why stop smoking? Why go jogging in the morning? What meaningful and desirable changes in life will occur when one “bad” habit is replaced by another? In the series of answers to these questions there is a chance to find a reason, a motive for changing a habit. Meanings are of paramount importance, so it is important to start with them.

At the level of actions it is easy to replace one habit with another:

choose a planning horizon, let’s say a quarter;
for this quarter we fix intermediate goals regarding habit #1, step by step reducing its influence on the current life;
gradually introduce an alternative desired habit #2.

For example, if a person eats a lot of sugar, start by adding one spoonful of sugar to drinks instead of two. In a week and a half or two weeks we will reduce the dose to half a spoon, and in a month we will drink tea and coffee without sugar.

In parallel, introduce products with natural sugar. This can be dates, apricots, topinambour syrup and so on. In the food will also be a lot of sweet, but of natural origin. Next, you should limit the addition of sugar in cooked dishes – baked goods, porridge. And so step by step.

With smoking is a little more difficult, there is a strong physiological dependence, but smoothness and step-by-step will help to cope with the transition.

What else helps to change the habit and consolidate its result:

An environment for whom your “new” habit is already the norm. Such people will naturally support your choice and demonstrate its “reality” and benefits through their own experience;
Public promises: yes, they work too, if the opinion of others is important to you;
the context of your life, the infrastructure. Using sugar as an example, such a person should have dates, dried fruits, bananas, honey (if you are not allergic) and other natural goodies at home. It is necessary to scout out places where it is easy to buy them, and quickly replenish the stock.

We wrote about other useful habits here.

You can also work with your subconscious mind. When you start imagining or visualizing, our brain does not distinguish it from the real event. Therefore, you can mentally form a clear image of the desired end result and exercise without any effort to achieve the intended goal.

What else will help to change habits?

Julia Chuprikova

Practical psychologist, psychological consultant, physiognomist, psychodiagnostician

These recommendations will help you to form new useful habits.

Both changing and forming habits is a long process. Some habits are easy to change, while others can be changed through pain and tears. The key is to start. Once you understand the mechanism of action – identifying the sign, the regular action and the reward – you will master the habit.

Another method of habit formation is to combine an old habit with a new one, starting a real chain of useful actions. For example, when drinking a glass of water, put a slice of lemon in it. After washing your face before going to bed, put a moisturizing mask on your face. Taking a shower, dousing the feet with cold water.

The best cure for forming bad habits is self-esteem and self-love. Living consciously and being in control of our actions is the best reward for our body and soul.