THE DEVELOPMENT OF BAD HABITS AND WAYS TO GET OUT OF THE ASHES.

 

 ABSTRACT:

The daily routine we follow, is out of habits.

‘Habit’ is defined as an addiction, a thing that a person does frequently.

But of course, there are ‘good’ habits and ‘bad’ habits.

Habits that are easy to follow are taken up.

And mostly the ‘easy to follow’ ones are the bad habits.

These bad habits are hard to change, because they become a part of you.

This chapter throws light on why we develop these bad habits and how one can discard them from his/her life. 

(I)

INTRODUCTION:

Bad habits can either waste one or two minutes of your life or they can waste your entire life.

In a nutshell, bad habits can be as minor as shaking your legs while sitting, to life-destroying ones like drug consumption.

For example, if you are a habitual junk food consumer, this habit can cause memory and learning problems. If you smoke regularly, you can be a victim of fatal diseases like pneumonia, emphysema, lung cancer, etc.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the leading causes of death around the globe have to do with bad habits, including smoking, poor diet and a lack of exercise.

We worry about pollution and harmful chemicals in the air and water.

But a new study of the major causes of death confirms what most doctors know: We are our own worst enemies.

But have you ever wondered why do we develop habits? Or, to be more specific, bad habits?

Zig Ziglar has said, “All bad habits start slowly and gradually. And before you know you have the habit, the habit has you.”

If individuals understand the root cause for bad habits, they are a bit close to stop them. 

(II)

CONTENT:

Many human body actions need to be repeated time and again.

When walking, for example, our legs continue to bend at the joints and use the same muscles at every step.

We don't have to ‘think’ while taking each step. And if we had to ‘think’, what to do for every moment, snails would seem fast movers by our standards!

Over the years, our brain develops all the routine, the much-repeated actions by an automatic part that requires no conscious decision taking.

You don't need to ‘think’ while you blink.

Nor when you breathe.

This leaves the rest of the brain free to make more important decisions such as when to stop walking, when to run, and so on.

As we learn a new job, it gets transferred from the thinking part of the brain to the automatic part. So, if Ramesh operates a machine in a factory, let's say for making parts of radio sets, he will find that the job is difficult and requires all the concentration to do it properly on the first day.

On the second day it is a little easier, and so on, until after a month or so, Ramesh will be able to carry out the job while chatting to the worker at the next machine, think about other matters, and possibly, even eat biscuits, while his hand will go on working at the machine automatically.

Ramesh has got into the ‘habit’ of operating the machine.

His brain will be alerted only when the machine malfunctions.

Then he will need to ‘think’ about the job.

Another daily basis example is as follows:

Let us suppose that every day, at each hour, a person uses WhatsApp, which is located on the right-hand corner of a mobile screen.

Now, whenever she switches on her mobile, her finger will go towards the right side of the mobile without any conscious thought.

She too, has developed a ‘habit’.

If we bite our nails because we are worried, that is one thing.

But if we continue to bite our nails, not only when we are worried, but whenever we think about something, we are developing the bad habit of ‘nail biting’.

As a result, it is very difficult to remove the act of biting from the ‘automatic part’ of the brain.

We will have to think all the time about not putting our finger ends near our teeth.

Habit breaking is very difficult and tiring.

As Warren Buffett has said, “Chains of habit are too light to be felt, until they are too heavy to be broken.”

But that does not mean one should lead on the bad habits.

Not only humans, but animals, birds and insects form habits too.

We can ‘teach’ a worm to go through a maze, and after it has carried out the journey many times, the worm will repeat the maze pattern it has stored as ‘habit’, even when placed on a bare table.

But what is the difference between bad and good habits? And why do they have such an important place in our life?

‘Bad’ habits are the ones which follow a negative behavior pattern.

Procrastination, overspending, smoking are some common examples.

On the other hand, ‘good’ habits benefits to one's physical and mental health.

These are often linked to a high level of discipline and self-control.

E.g., regular exercise, consuming healthy food, having a positive attitude, etc.

Since we become what we repeatedly do, our habits will either break us, or make us.

Hence, we should always try to inculcate good manners and practices because bad habits are easy to develop, but hard to live with.

So how do we get rid of these life-destructing bad habits?

But before that, here are two main reasons that causes bad habits:  

Usually, stress and boredom give way to bad habits.

Everything from nail biting to overspending, to consuming excess junk food to wasting time on internet can be a way of dealing with stress and boredom.

Recognizing the causes for your bad habits is crucial in order to overcome them.

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Here is a list to help change bad habits:

•      Make a note.

Keep a pocket diary near you to log your habit.

For at least a week, anytime you feel tempted to perform the bad habit, write down a description of how you felt when it happened and what you were doing at that time.

This will help you track down the pattern of your behavior. Therefore, the next time you are in the same situation, control the temptation to act out the habit.

 

•  Get rid of temptation.

Try to avoid objects, places, and people that tempt you to fall into the bad habit.

The habit notebook should help you identify these.

For example, if you have a habit of eating junk food, make sure there is less quantity, or even better, no quantity, of these at your place.

Also, when you go on a shopping spree, avoid areas that sell junk food.

 

•         Make the habit difficult.

This will give you an incentive to stop and prevent from picking up the habit unconsciously.

For instance, if a mobile phone distracts you from studying or working, switch it off before you start your job.

This will prevent you from checking your cell phone time and again.

 

•         Stay vigilant.

If you find yourself in a situation where it's easy to return to the habit, chatter the ‘don't do it, don't do it’ mantra to yourself.

Also, summarize the cons of the habit quickly in your mind.

 

•         Reward yourself.

When you avoid a habit, for say, like 15 minutes, reward yourself.

Associate success with positive feelings and experiences.

If you still crave for the bad habit, try a different reward.

 

(III)

CONCLUSION: 

Breaking bad habits is not easy. But at the same time, not impossible.

Very often one thinks, that to break a bad habit, he/she needs to become an entirely different person.

But the truth is, that you already have it in you to be someone without your bad habits.

E.g., you don't need to transform into a healthy person. All you need to do is return to being healthy.

Even if it was years ago, you have already lived without your bad habit. Which means, you can most definitely do it again.

After all, no one wants to hurt himself/herself.

You must become conscious of your habit, your triggers, and replace the behavior.

Eventually, and progressively, maybe, without even realizing it, your bad habits will be broken.

___________ALL THE BEST____________