5 expert tips to overcome your bad habits

Addiction is a common term used today to describe someone’s habits that may be more obsessive than usual. But what is it that counts as an addiction? We spoke with Ashdin Doctor who described addiction as something wrong for you as a person and further indulgence with the substance can only leave you feeling worse.

With over a year of experience as a habit coach, Ashdin says that though addiction and bad habits are used interchangeably, the meanings vary a lot. To distinguish the difference, we need to know what a good habit is in the first place. A good practice is something that puts you through hard work and delays gratification. A bad habit, on the other hand, is something that gives you instant gratification but one that lasts for a brief period.

A problem as serious as addiction is usually a coping mechanism for an underlying cause that is affecting either mental or physical health. It takes a toll on your health to the point where you are possibly harming yourself and others. One of the signs to realise that someone you know is addicted is when they are unable to cope with their problems without it. It makes them feel worse indulging in it over time and does not provide gratification. Hence, it is necessary to establish the difference between a bad habit and an addiction. 

Let’s face it, now that we know the difference between a bad habit and an addiction, we are no strangers to it. Due to our urban, fast-paced everyday lifestyle, we are guilty of things like eating late, junk food that involves processed sugars, not drinking enough water, being caught up in our phone at the ping of every notification. Sounds familiar? Ashdin gave us five tips that are essential to break any bad habits. These tips will help you overcome any vices and become a better version of yourself.

Introspect

So if you want to break a bad habit, the first step is to find the cause of the bad habit. Identifying and accepting that something is a bad habit will help you become more motivated to break it.

Support System

Many who suffer from bad habits tend to keep it to themselves out of the fear of judgement. But having a reliable support system, especially when you are trying to break a habit, is an utmost essential. A support system will ensure that you keep making progress on your journey and not fall back.

Improve Lifestyle

To successfully break a bad habit, you need to improve your overall lifestyle. Small lifestyle changes will automatically lead to better practices. Take an example: If a person is overweight, they will focus on healthier eating habits, exercising and being more active to get their weight to healthy BMI. Along with focus on the problem, it is necessary to improve all aspects of your lifestyle.

Accountability

A person breaking a bad habit might have to face difficulties along the journey which might make them fall back to it. If you want to avoid relapsing, it is necessary to hold yourself accountable with the help of someone. An example - If you’re going to break the snoozing habit, place your alarm away from your reach, so you have to get up and disable it. This will help in avoiding falling back to sleep.

Finding A Replacement

Habits are ingrained in all of us, which is why it is not possible to be rid of them completely. However, what can be done is to replace the bad habit with a healthier alternative that will not affect our lifestyle negatively. This ensures that something positive takes place along with the removal of a negative aspect in our everyday lives.

These five expert tips are sure to help you with your journey towards breaking bad habits and establishing good ones. Though initially confusing, the result is rewarding and having the willpower to overcome these harmful practices is more than enough to get through it.