How to Turn Bad Habits into Good Ones

Posted on November 21st, 2009 by Scott

Habits can become problems if they are bad habits that you want to break. Similarly, we may wish for something to become a habit like learning the fingering for a new chord on a guitar. We may wish to reinforce this and be able to do it without thinking. To learn something so well that it becomes second nature usually takes about a month for most people.

But there are other ways that we can turn a new skill into a habit.

Firstly, have a set target in mind. What is it that you want to learn to do or to stop doing? Visualize your successful self at the end having achieved this target. It often helps to write down a positive statement which will help you to succeed. This has to be a very precise phrase, so something like ‘I will be better’ just won’t do.

How will you be better? It is more helpful to have a specific target like ‘I will not bite my nails’. Then see your beautifully long nails in your mind as you are painting them in your favorite nail polish.

Do some other thing instead. If you are prone to nail-biting, do something else which will keep your hands busy, or if you want to stop smoking, chew gum or something which will distract you. It will be very hard at first, but you must persevere.

What sets off your bad habit? Do you bite your nails when you are nervous? Do you snack when you are bored? Think about ways to spot the triggers and do something about them. Keep healthy snacks in your fridge instead of junk food, or play with worry beads to keep your hands busy. You will soon start to forget the automatic habit that you are trying to stop.

If you always go to the cupboard where the biscuits are kept, why not try to write a reminder message on the biscuit tin to yourself. Be gentle, but firm on yourself. A famous slimmer of the year kept a picture of a very large actress on her fridge to prevent her from overeating.

Try using your friends and family to help you. If you are trying to lose weight for example, tell everyone you know about it and they will have no problem telling you to stop every time they see you eating something. You will feel so guilty around them that you won’t dare!

Allow yourself to win. When you see that you are achieving your goal, give yourself a treat. It can be anything you like, for example, sticking to the slimming analogy, you could buy yourself that pair of really expensive skinny jeans as soon as you are able to fit into them. Things do not have to be harsh and regimented, make it fun. Keep a reward chart stuck on your fridge and award yourself stars for each step you get nearer to your goal. You will be much less likely to trip up if you can see how much progress you have made.

Before you know where you are, the bad habit will be banished forever.
Scott Barker- EzineArticles- Expert Author

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