2024-01-14 04:00:00
Spending many hours sitting on the couch or in front of the computer or cell phone, eating junk food excessively, fUsing tobacco products, consuming alcohol and sleeping few hours are some of the habits that are not considered part of a healthy life.
From the prestigious Cleveland Clinic of the United Statestwo, the psychotherapist Natacha Duke, provided 7 keys to breaking bad habits. It takes a little planning, focus and perseverance. The change is worth it for its potential benefits, such as better self-esteem and greater longevity.
Oscar Wilde once wrote: “I can resist everything except temptation.” Bad habits are tempting by nature. “Bad habits can be hard to break because of our brain’s reward system,” Duke explained. “Even if something is ‘bad’ for us, it causes an increase in dopamine, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter, which reinforces this behavior over time,” he added.
“We are also more likely to adopt ‘bad’ habits when we feel stressed, lonely, sad, depressed, or any other feeling that we find difficult to tolerate,” Duke said.
To start leaving bad habits, here are the 7 keys:
1. Prepare for discomfort
«As humans, we tend to avoid uncomfortable feelings. “When we try to make a change, we often wait for willpower to take effect, but in reality, it is often our unwillingness to tolerate discomfort that prevents us from doing what we need to do,” he clarified. He suggested practicing discomfort tolerance and learning healthy ways to calm yourself.
2. Start making a game plan
You should write and plan on a piece of paper, a diary, or in an app on your phone what the overall goal is, what the reason is, and what the small goals are to achieve it. You must also choose a start date.
3. Write why you want to change and why you don’t
«There is often a part of us that wants to change and another that does not want to change or is not ready. It is essential to leave space for this last part in order to mobilize your motivation to change, “he said. If ambivalence is not recognized, it will be difficult to make real and lasting changes.
4. Set realistic and gradual goals
When trying to make a change, it is common to cover more than you can, going all out from the beginning. But it’s often not the best. If, for example, you usually drink two cans of soda with sugar a day, you can switch to the light version and reduce your frequency of consumption.
5. Identify your triggers
You have to ask yourself what exactly is preventing change from being easy. Detect situations that trigger bad habits, such as sitting in front of the television and snacking on ultra-processed products, such as cookies or potato chips.
6. Figure out how to distract yourself
You should think regarding actions to take when the urge to continue with bad habits arises. For example, you can call a friend, take a walk, take a shower, practice a breathing technique. “Delaying the behavior, even for 15 minutes, can decrease temptation,” Duke says.
7. Replace bad habits with better ones
You can start drinking sparkling water when you want a soda, go for a walk when you want to smoke tobacco, or use a stress ball for people who bite their nails.
Seek the help of a professional cognitive behavioral therapy It can also help challenge thoughts that reinforce the behavior you want to avoid.
1705214412
#quit #bad #habits
