Hard habits to break:
Whether we like to think so or not we are legally creatures of our habit. In many ways this is just as well, for habit are like small computer programmer which take through certain situations in our life without our having to think very much about that are doing.
Unfortunately, although a habit is acquired ‘because it seemed good idea at the time’ it sometimes turns into less useful or desirable than it originally appeared.
Many of us have bad habits we want to end, be it smoking overeating, including in too much alcohol, or leading a sedentary life style. Counseling, in combination with medication, helps increase your chance of successful quitting. But it’s also important to be in the right mindset to achieve your goal, and this is something that applies to giving up any bad habit. An interesting theory you might want to keep in mind is that there are five stages to eradicating a bad habit:
Stage 1: Pre-contemplation.
This is when you’re in denial that you even have a problem and therefore aren’t even looking to make a change. You think- hey, I only smoke 4 cigarettes a day. I can quit any time I want!
Stage 2: Contemplation.
Your 4-butt habit has burgeoned into a-pack-a-day, and you finally acknowledge you have a problem. You being to think seriously about solving it. But you might not be ready to take action.
Stage 3: Preparation.
You will be much more likely to succeed at quitting your habit if you plan how to do it, and devise a list of mental and behavioral strategies to cope with any cravings. Some tactics you might to think about include pinpointing where your bad habit associated with a specific context- for example, you might light a cigarette when you are making a phone call. Planning ahead involves consciously giving yourself something else to do – for instance, keep a string of worry beads in a bowl beside at the phone to keep your free hand busy, or stow a pad and pen there so you chat. If over eating is your bad habit, resolve to order a salad starter when you eat out, so that you fill up with healthy foods ahead of a main course; and if your indulgence is drink when you get in from work, tetra-pack of apple juice or a piece of fruit ready to go in the refrigerator and reach for that instead.
Also think about what you do to replace your bad habit with something positive – the key is to focus on what you’ll be doing (say, talking a walk around the block), as opposed to what you’re not doing (smoking, eating, dessert).
Stage 4: Carry out the change.
You’re actually following the plan you’ve set out for yourself. You fought temptation, you made the necessary adoptions and revisions to help you reach the next level.
Stage 5: Maintenance.
At this point you’ll need to be vigilant about not giving into the temptations that can mean you lapse back into the old, destructive pattern. Be realistic: there will be times when you may slip, so don’t beat yourself up about it – instead, celebrate achieving your goals.
KICK THE BUTT
Recent research suggests that in addition to increasing your risk of your high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and cancer, counting to smoke could raise your risk of the harmful heart arrhythmia about atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Given what we know about its effect on our health, why do we find it so hard to kick the habit, and how can we succeed?
Whether we like to think so or not we are legally creatures of our habit. In many ways this is just as well, for habit are like small computer programmer which take through certain situations in our life without our having to think very much about that are doing.
Unfortunately, although a habit is acquired ‘because it seemed good idea at the time’ it sometimes turns into less useful or desirable than it originally appeared.
Many of us have bad habits we want to end, be it smoking overeating, including in too much alcohol, or leading a sedentary life style. Counseling, in combination with medication, helps increase your chance of successful quitting. But it’s also important to be in the right mindset to achieve your goal, and this is something that applies to giving up any bad habit. An interesting theory you might want to keep in mind is that there are five stages to eradicating a bad habit:
Stage 1: Pre-contemplation.
This is when you’re in denial that you even have a problem and therefore aren’t even looking to make a change. You think- hey, I only smoke 4 cigarettes a day. I can quit any time I want!
Stage 2: Contemplation.
Your 4-butt habit has burgeoned into a-pack-a-day, and you finally acknowledge you have a problem. You being to think seriously about solving it. But you might not be ready to take action.
Stage 3: Preparation.
You will be much more likely to succeed at quitting your habit if you plan how to do it, and devise a list of mental and behavioral strategies to cope with any cravings. Some tactics you might to think about include pinpointing where your bad habit associated with a specific context- for example, you might light a cigarette when you are making a phone call. Planning ahead involves consciously giving yourself something else to do – for instance, keep a string of worry beads in a bowl beside at the phone to keep your free hand busy, or stow a pad and pen there so you chat. If over eating is your bad habit, resolve to order a salad starter when you eat out, so that you fill up with healthy foods ahead of a main course; and if your indulgence is drink when you get in from work, tetra-pack of apple juice or a piece of fruit ready to go in the refrigerator and reach for that instead.
Also think about what you do to replace your bad habit with something positive – the key is to focus on what you’ll be doing (say, talking a walk around the block), as opposed to what you’re not doing (smoking, eating, dessert).
Stage 4: Carry out the change.
You’re actually following the plan you’ve set out for yourself. You fought temptation, you made the necessary adoptions and revisions to help you reach the next level.
Stage 5: Maintenance.
At this point you’ll need to be vigilant about not giving into the temptations that can mean you lapse back into the old, destructive pattern. Be realistic: there will be times when you may slip, so don’t beat yourself up about it – instead, celebrate achieving your goals.
KICK THE BUTT
Recent research suggests that in addition to increasing your risk of your high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and cancer, counting to smoke could raise your risk of the harmful heart arrhythmia about atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Given what we know about its effect on our health, why do we find it so hard to kick the habit, and how can we succeed?