How to eliminate an unhealthy habit, in 6 steps

Lately the word habit is frequently heard and even more, much of this term is written and it is found as a fundamental ingredient to achieve what we want.

For example; habits to incorporate sport into your day to day, habits to integrate healthy foods into your life, habits to improve self-esteemBut what does the word habit suggest to you?

What is a habit exactly?

A habit is a behavior that we carry out in our day to day, it is part of our routine and we run it on autopilot, without question.

There are healthy habits like applying body cream after showering. However, our routine is composed of bad habits or unhealthy habits that when performed on automatic pilot, we generally do not question them as we are not even aware that we are engaging in such behavior determined.

Unhealthy habits are those that are detrimental to health and are generated by underlying problemsThese problems are generally emotional. That is, by negative emotions poorly managed.

Negative habits that harm us

Currently the most common negative emotions are

stress Y the anxiety. Without ruling out frustration, worry, envy ...

These emotions lead to unhelpful habits, such as nail biting, smoking, insistently and frequently check social networks, eat between meals when you are not hungry, that is, for gluttony, among many other routines that do not add anything positive to our lives.

Steps and strategies to quit a bad habit

Has it happened to you or is it happening to you? Are you tired of these bad habits? Do you want to change these habits and you don't know how?

In this article I encourage you to implement the strategies and exercises that I propose to replace unhealthy habits for healthy, positive, beneficial and productive habits, so if you want: here and now we start!

1. Identify a habit that you do not like and that you do not feel good about

The first step seems obvious, but it is crucial. We must detect what exactly is that habit that is limiting our life and that we want to eliminate from our life. Once we know exactly what it is, everything that follows is much easier.

2. Decide to change

To get rid of a bad habit you have to be aware of the damage it is doing to you, noting its consequences. To reinforce this decision, write down the benefits that you will get when you have broken the bad habit.

Remember that changing and freeing yourself from a bad habit is not achieved only with the decision, it entails work, effort, willpower and carry out the steps that I propose, so do not stop read.

3. How many times does the bad habit appear?

Write down how many times you repeat the bad habit throughout the day and record it for 21 days.

4. Who or what gives life to your bad habit?

Identify, observe, be aware of what or who gives life to your bad habit and write it down. Do you feel anxiety every time you have to speak in public and does this make you drink a lot of coffee? Do you feel anxiety every time you have to face a job interview and does this make you smoke more? Are you overeating without hunger as a scheduled family reunion approaches? Do you make constant complaints and criticism when you visit social networks? Do you eat between meals when you are nervous?

Taking the last case as an example: the unhealthy habit is eating between meals and what gives life is this state of nervousness. Write down what or who generates this state of nervousness.

5. Replace the unhealthy habit

Replace, change the bad habit for a healthy habitThus it is less difficult since habit, being a behavior and therefore a routine, occupies us part of our time.

Eliminating the bad habit without more is impossible since we will have a feeling of emptiness and this can make us fall back into the bad habit. Therefore, it is important to choose a healthy habit to replace the bad habit and to behave as we really want.

6. Reward yourself

As you build the desired habit, reward yourself. Apart from feeling and experiencing the benefits of a healthy habit, Congratulate yourself by rewarding yourself with something that is rewarding for you for achieving what you set out to do..

Now with these six exercises you are prepared to eliminate any habit that you do not like, that does not make you feel good, that is not beneficial to your health and replace it with a habit, a routine, a healthy behavior, beneficial and constructive.

Remember, a day of training in the gym does not obtain the desired physical results, the same happens with the mind and the emotions, work daily, be tenacious, have willpower and persevere to achieve the healthy life you want and you deserve.