Humans are creatures of habits- and it completely makes sense why. Our brains form habits to help us. When we perform habits and act automatically, it allows us to conserve energy and free up space in our minds. In fact, “approximately 45% of everyday behaviors tend to be repeated at the same location about every day”. While habits can be our best friend, they can also be our worst enemy.
Good vs Bad Habits
When I first heard that 45% of my day was habit, I was surprised. But then I realized that my persistent negative self-talk and constantly being on social media are bad habits that I’ve formed! (Thank goodness for positive affirmations helping me change this!) Just because I did not intend to only talk to myself negatively week after week does not mean it did not turn into a habit of mine. An awful habit. That was when I thought about just how important your intention- or lack thereof- is in creating habits.
While it is scary to think we could be practicing these poor habits unknowingly, we can get rid of them. Not only that, we can choose to create good habits! How empowering to decide what we will be doing automatically! You can imagine and create your ideal life by thinking how you want to be spending your time, skills to be working on, your goals, and forming habits accordingly. Below I have outlined how to get rid of our bad habits and pick up habits that are great for you.
How to Change Our Habits
1| Identify Bad Habits
The first step to changing our habits is to identify them.
How do you spend your time? What food do you feed your body? How do you talk to yourself?
All of these are habits. Start out by journaling to reflect and recording your days to see how you are spending your time. I thought I knew how I was spending my day, but this exercise was really eye-opening. One of my biggest surprises was the amount of time I was spending on social media. (Read my article on how to take your social media from toxic to inspirational here!!)
2 | Reflect on Reason
After noticing what you are doing, ask yourself why. Reflecting on the reasoning of our bad habits can be hard, but is important to break them. A lot of bad habits are formed as a way of escaping reality and are a poor coping mechanism. I had a few realizations of this while reading the book Healing The Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families (read my full book review here!)
3 | Find Your Motivation
Reflect on why you want to change your habit. What would happen if I continued to talk negatively to myself? What would happen if I decided to stop? Think about the big picture and further down the line. Who would I become in five years if I keep up with this habit?
By viewing your habits long term you are able to see if it is helping you get to where you want to be in life. List as many reasons as you can think of as to why you want to stop this habit. Keep the list somewhere easily accessible (maybe your vision board?) and use it for your motivation.
4 | Replacing Habits
Great news- now that you are not practicing your bad habits, you have time for good habits! Building new habits may sound hard, but think how wonderful it will be when these positive actions turn automatic! There are lots of positive habits to build! I have a lot of articles for ideas on positive habits: my resolutions for better mental health, hydration, self-care, gratitude, and so on. You can even learn something new! Whenever you feel the urge to slip into your old habit, go for your positive replacement!
5 | Repetition
Various studies have been done on habits to see how long it takes to form them. While it typically takes around 66 days, it has been noted to take between 18-254 days to form a habit. WHAT A RANGE! While there is no magic number of days to form a habit, it is clear that repetition is key. Afterall, habits in themselves are what we do over and over again. It is also important to note that missing a day or so of a habit did not break the habit altogether- so be gentle with yourself! Be proud of yourself for working on a new positive habit and do not let a missed day turn into a missed habit!
6 | Tracking Habits
It is VERY motivating to see the improvement you are making! You can track the frequency of the habit you are trying to break as well as the progress of your new habit! Not only that, but tracking helps keep your new habits at the forefront. You know the old saying, ‘out of sight, out of mind’? This is definitely true for me and my habit tracking! I have used apps on my phone to track my habits and a pen and paper. You can read my article about tracking habits and mood for more detail on the benefits and methods! I even have a free monthly habit tracker you can print off! It is wonderful, and insightful, to look back on your habit progress!
Habits for Life
Habits are a part of life. Luckily, we can choose to create habits that better us in life! Choosing to do the same positive practices every day until they become a habit is such a powerful decision! Ridding your life of negative habits and starting positive habits is truly life-changing. For help keeping your new habits, you can read my tips on motivation here!
What bad habits are you going to change in your life? What helps you start new habits? Please comment to tell me your tips! If you know someone who could benefit from this article, please show you care and share the bear! Be sure to sign up for my emails and follow on social media to get the most of the positive world of Brightside Bear!
