That old adage holds true: old habits are hard to break. Certainly, our vices will not go down without a struggle, but we must remember that it is not impossible to overcome them (just ask any former smoker). It is possible to halt harmful behaviors in their tracks with the help of a strong support network, the proper mantras and an additional hour of sleep.
If you have a terrible habit, whether it is knuckle-cracking, procrastination, or the ubiquitous propensity to overthink everything and everything, you may apply these science-backed methods to put a stop to it for good. The experts believe it may take as long as 254 days to completely eliminate a habit once it has become, well, a habit. And, after you’ve successfully eradicated your blunder, make sure to check out these
50 Subtle Habit Changes That Will Make You a Different Person in a Year
1. Read at least one book a month, preferably two.
2. Make a list of your objectives at the beginning of each week and each month.
3. assess and monitor those objectives throughout the year – really look each goal in the eyes and be honest with yourself about what you accomplished and what you might have done better.
4. Devote only one day a week to not consuming any animal products.
5. Before you sit down to a dinner with someone you care about, turn your phone on vibrate mode.
6. When you’re in pain, talk to someone you trust about it, even if it’s something you perceive to be a “minor ache.”
7. Walk whenever and whenever you get the opportunity.
8. Do all in your ability to be thoughtful of and conscious of the needs and feelings of other individuals.
9. Say ‘yes’ to something that terrifies you if you believe it will be beneficial to you in the long run.
10. Write in a notebook every day, with the knowledge that there are no rules, that no one will ever see it, and that it is just a tool to get your thoughts out of your brain and onto a piece of paper.
11.Becoming aware of your emotions in a manner you have never done before is as simple as attempting to address and identify them, rather than considering them as a quiet companion that you dismiss because you don’t even realize they are there at all.
12. Pay attention more than you speak. Accept responsibility for your failures and then forgive yourself. After that, try again.
13. In the minutes before you go to sleep, look at anything other than a computer or phone screen. A book, a window, your spouse, a pet, or the ceiling are all good places to start. Anything that will not immediately transport you back to the world from which you are attempting to take a vacation for the next eight hours is OK.
14. Instead of being proud of how little sleep you get, see sleep as an essential need and an extremely important priority, rather than a source of pride.
15. Pay close attention to the elements that will enable you to do well at your job. Do you need musical accompaniment? Do you need some peace and quiet? Are you in need of a window? Do you need some white noise? Is it necessary for you to place your phone on its side? Does it make sense for you to take 45-minute pauses to read a few pages of a book every 45 minutes? Do you need to go for a stroll first, or do you want to get right in the thick of things? Consider the instances in which you’ve performed your finest work, take note of the variables that were present throughout that experience, and then do all in your power to recreate that experience on a consistent basis going forward.
16. Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers every now and again. When your Uber driver seems to be in a talkative mood, strike up a conversation with him or her. Talk to your waiter about anything and everything other than the current happy hour offers. Discuss your dry cleaning with the person who is ringing up your order and find out how their day is going. Sometimes the encounter will be pleasant, but it will be quickly forgotten. However, there are instances when you will recall something even after many years have passed. When you pay attention to what others are saying, they have the most fascinating things to say.
17. When you set a new goal and experience the familiar rush of excitement every time you think about it, tell someone about your accomplishment. When you do this, you will be amazed at how much more real and tactile everything becomes.
White noise may help you concentrate or produce when you need to study. It can also help when your brain needs to rest for a while.
18. Count how many useless things you do and how many minutes you squander in the seconds or hours before you go to bed, and keep track of it. If you catch yourself doing these activities, such as clicking through absurd slideshows or diving deep into someone’s Facebook page, put a stop to it immediately. Make sure you brush your teeth. And then go to your bed. More you attempt to catch yourself performing these behaviors, the less likely it is that you will continue to do so.
19. When you decide to relax, be sure you are intellectually and emotionally committed to your decision. Don’t take any chances. Instead of sitting on the sofa and’relaxing,’ check your emails, do’something little’ for work, and plan your next vacation while you’re doing all of this.
20.Just make a complete commitment to unwinding. Immerse yourself in that movie, show, book, stroll, yoga session, or whatever it is that you’re doing. Allow it to be the only thing you are doing at the moment.
21.Wear whatever is the most comfortable, confident, and like-yourself combo that you can come up with for yourself. These outfits really exist; you simply have to put forth a bit more effort to track them out.
22. Check your mail as soon as it arrives. Answer the questions that need to be answered and toss aside the ones that aren’t essential. Do this as soon as possible. If you try something for a while and have success, but then four months later you’re back to your old habits, don’t spend any time berating yourself for your failure. It occurs to everyone at some point. Just start again from the beginning.
23, express your admiration for others, gratitude for them, inspiration by them, gratitude to them, here for them, honored to know them, and soothed by them to others around you.
24. Make every decision, even the smallest of choices, with the intention of being a person of integrity.
25. Consider where you were a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago, and more recently. Consider all of the things you are doing today that you would have never imagined you would be able to accomplish when you were younger. Then keep waking up every day and attempting to make the future one that leaves you amazed and proud once again.
26.If you want to stop smoking, you should drink…
Milk. According to Duke University Medical Center experts, serial smokers are significantly less likely to go outdoors for a cigarette after drinking it. They discovered that smokers who drank milk, water, fruits, and vegetables liked the flavor of cigarettes less than those who drank alcohol, coffee, and meat. “Smokers may make quitting a little easier by making a few dietary changes, such as drinking a cool glass of milk and avoiding things that make cigarettes taste nice,” research author Joseph McClernon, Ph.D., told Science Daily.
27.Make a cue.
Professor Alison Phillips recommends concentrating on a signal that informs you to participate in a better, healthier behavior to overcome a negative habit. She discovered that when inactive individuals were encouraged to exercise by a signal, they were more inclined to do so on a regular basis. Phillips recommends using an alarm clock in the morning or driving directly from work to the gym to establish a pattern for those who want to work out more.
28.Share information with those in the same boat.
It’s true what they say: with a little assistance from our pals, we get by. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, 42 percent of smokers who used social media for moral support were able to successfully quit, and an even higher percentage (72 percent) were able to quit when their social media use included encouraging words from automated messages. The study’s authors discovered that Twitter discussions provided individuals with a venue to brag about their achievements while also seeking assistance on bad days.
29.Exercise can help you break old behaviors.
Yoga on the beach is a great way to get some fitness.
According to Concordia University experts, the easiest method to quit smoking is to replace it with exercise. When they looked at smokers’ behaviors, they discovered that those who exercised were better able to avoid smokes. Even a simple exercise like walking reduced withdrawal symptoms, so you may want to trade up your pack of smokes for a gym membership. If you want assistance in getting to the gym, please contact us.
30.Buy a genuine alarm clock.
It’s one thing to tell yourself you’re going to become an early riser; it’s quite another to really get into the habit of waking up at, say, 5:00 a.m. Dr. Neil Stanley, a sleep specialist, recommends utilizing an alarm clock if you want to start making more of your mornings (and no, not the one on your phone.) According to one research, 26% of adolescents and college students were awakened up in the middle of the night by their phone, therefore Stanley suggests sleeping as far away from your phone as possible for a restful night’s sleep. The simpler it is to wake up, the better you sleep.
31.Consider where you want to go in the future.
Don Chambers, author of Money Basics for Young Adults, suggests visualizing the things you desire if your aim is to avoid squandering all of your money. Chambers advised Time, “Develop a single thrilling mental image of where you want to go in five years.” “Think about that scene every day as you drive out of your driveway on your way to work.” These visions will inspire you to concentrate on a long-term objective rather than short-term gratification, and “genuine progress will be achieved.”
32.Sleep an additional hour.
Do you want to put an end to your sugar cravings? Your bed may be the solution you’re searching for. Over a four-week period, participants who extended their bedtime by up to 90 minutes decreased their sugar consumption by an average of 11.8 grams per day, according to a research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
33.Purchase gel manicures.
Nail biting is a bad—and unsanitary—habit. Nonetheless, it is difficult to break. If you’re one of the estimated 30% of the population who chews their nails (according to statistics published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment), try putting aside a portion of your salary each month for gel manicures. These unique, long-lasting manicures, as nail expert Dr. Dana Stern told InStyle, “may be an amazing tool to help nail biters ‘bite the habit.'”
34.Rely on technology to assist you.
Excessive use of technology has a bad reputation (for good reason), yet it may be useful in some situations, such as breaking a bad habit. Subjects were able to boost vegetable consumption by 6.5 servings, reduce saturated fat intake by 25 minutes per day, and increase activity by 25 minutes per day with the use of smartphone applications and monetary incentives, according to Northwestern University researchers. Do you want to give this technique a go at home? Some applications, like MyFitnessPal, make it simple to monitor your food consumption and exercise, while others, like DietBet, will even pay you to lose weight.
35.Use the word “but” to combat negative ideas. guy laying in bed melancholy Shutterstock
“I despise the way I look, and I’ll never be able to change.” How many times have you caught yourself doing this, berating yourself for skipping a workout or indulging in a second cookie? When you find yourself stuck in a negative thinking loop, self-help guru James Clear suggests adding a “but” at the end of the statement, as in “I’m dumb and nobody respects me, but I’m trying to acquire an useful talent.”
“Rather of berating yourself for making a mistake, prepare for it,” Clear said. “We all make mistakes now and again.”
36.Be aware of your surroundings.
Before you eat that second piece of cake or sacrifice another night of sleep for a Friends marathon, ask yourself, “How am I truly feeling?” When psychiatrist Judson Brewer told smokers to do so, they were twice as likely to stop. Evidently, just being aware of your poor behaviors is enough to make you desire to put them behind you for good.
40.Set out a night to focus only on yourself and your objectives.
“Most people live life on autopilot,” says executive coach Shefali Raina, “and are not purposeful about structuring their lives or being clear about how they want to live and be.” Her answer? Plan a “date night” once a month to reflect on how far you’ve come toward your objectives and how much more you want to accomplish.
41.Visit new and unusual places.
Vacationing is a win-win situation: not only will you be able to appreciate the marvels of the globe, but you will also be one step closer to changing your bad habits. Travelers are less sad and report higher emotions of pleasure, according to studies. Many of our old habits are just coping mechanisms for underlying worry, so traveling may help to relieve those problems and eliminate the need for those vices in the first place. If you do decide to go, make sure you familiarize yourself with the 25 Countries Where You Shouldn’t Drink the Tap Water.
42. Turn off your phone’s notifications.
If your phone is continuously buzzing with alerts, it will be difficult to resist your electronic addiction. Dr. David Greenfield, head of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction, told CNBC, “The smartphone is like a personal slot machine.” “There’s something there because you hear a buzz and a beep. Unwittingly, our smartphones have conditioned us all.” And if you’re looking for additional methods to avoid technology, check out this list.
