A lot of people are facing habits that have negative impact on their lives and are trying so hard to stop, but as they try, they keep seeing themselves doing it over and again. It is true that negative habits are challenging to stop but with determination, it can be overcome. Here, we shall take a look at steps that could potentially help one to break free from negative habits and give them the ability to live above it. But note that it is all dependent on your choice to overcome the habit.
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The first and very crucial step to overcome and withdraw from a bad habit is to recognise the bad habit first. Being aware of your problem is the first point of call towards solving it. By recognizing the habit, you will also understand how it started, what caused it, what normally triggers it, the effect it has on you, why you want to stop it, and your abilities to stop it. All these are part of the recognition of the habit. The truth is that you cannot solve a problem that you do not know about. So to stop the habit, you have to come to terms with the fact that you have a bad habit which needs to be stopped.
After recognizing the bad habit, the next step is to resolve within your mind to overcome it. That is, set the kind of goals that you want to achieve towards stopping it. This may be challenging and it may not be automatic to stop, but you can start with reduction and withdrawal until you can overcome it. For example; for someone that is a habitual smoker who can smoke 2 packs of cigarette a day, you can make a goal to reduce the frequency of the smoking to, maybe, 3 sticks every other day. When you have achieved the goal, you can further reduce it, and the process continues until you have stopped it completely.
When you are on the pathway to overcome a bad habit, you have to endeavour to replace it with a more welcomed and better habit. This is because nature does not support a void or vacuum. If you try to stop a bad habit and you do not cultivate a good habit, you will see yourself going back to the bad habit. At the time you are meant to undertake the bad habit or when you recognise what triggers it, you can distract yourself or keep yourself busy with something that is worthwhile. This will take your mind off the bad habit and it will be easy to overcome. Of course, as long as you learnt that bad habit, it is also possible to unlearn it with determination.
One thing to also watch out for is the company you keep. There is a kind of association that you will keep and it will enable some unwholesome vices. But there are the good companies that you will keep and they will point you towards the right direction. If you stay in the midst of drunkards or heavy smokers for example, it is just a matter of time and you will join them. But if you stay in the midst of people who abhor such actions, even if you have the proclivity of such actions, their presence in your life will not enable it. This is why you need to open your eyes and choose your association wisely.
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Another point that will help you to live above your bad habit and stay off it, is to reward yourself for every major milestone achieved. If you give yourself a goal to stay off the habit for a period of time and you achieve it, it will be good to at least reward yourself accordingly. This will help you to set more goals and move to achieve them. More so, there is a kind of zeal that is released to do more when you celebrate your little wins.
The final point to consider here is to find someone to be accountable to - someone like a mentor, advisor, etc, who can be a family member, friend, boss, religious leader, legal personnel, or psychologist, etc, that will help you to monitor your progresses and give you an honest feedback. The truth is that if you have someone to be answerable to, it will guide your actions. If you are determined to stop a bad habit, it will show in your actions and you will put the required work into it. I conclude with this statement:
You have the power to overcome any habit, but only if you are willing.
Thanks for reading