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Monday, February 21, 2011

How To Stop Bad Habits

Everyone has bad habits. From chewing your nails to twirling your hair or being a constant procrastinator, bad habits need to be identified as such so that it can be corrected. No matter your age, you can stop your bad habits and create new ones. Here are steps you can take to stop your bad habits.

* Identify and admit that there’s a behavior that needs to be modified. In order to change something, you must first acknowledge that it needs changing or work to be improved. If you’re in denial that your smoking is a bad habit or that your constant tardiness is a bad thing, you won’t find it in yourself to make the change. Take a good look at yourself at think about the action or behavior that you do that you would like to change. Once you know the specific behavior that needs to be stopped, you can take measures to do so.
* Determine the triggers of the behavior. One way to start changing the behavior is to first identify what causes you to behave that way in the first place. Do you bite your nails where you are feeling insecure or vulnerable? Do you light up when you feel stressed? Knowing the environmental and emotional causes that compel you to do the behavior can help you avoid the situation. Also, once you know that you have a trigger situation on your hands, it will cause you to be more mindful and aware that you may succumb to your bad habit as a coping mechanism.
* Use positive affirmations. You need to tell yourself that you can change for the better. Stay positive and fill your thoughts of life affirming things. Tell yourself you are a strong person and you can do whatever you set your mind to do. Don’t phrase the behavior you want to change in a negative way. Instead, phrase it positively. For example, don’t say, “I am not a smoker”. Instead say, “I am healthy and smoke free”.

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