3 Ideas on Breaking a Habit

Definition: Habit

1. regularly repeated behavior pattern: an action or pattern of behavior that is repeated so often that it becomes typical of somebody, although he or she may be unaware of it
I really need to get into the habit of writing down what I spend.
the annoying habit of finishing someone else's sentences

How long did it take you to quit writing 1994 on your checks when 1995 came along? As I recall it, it may have been not one year but maybe several for me. It seems I might have been very attached to that year. Forming a habit that is that well ingrained takes a great deal of time and repetition. I am sure my husband would say that I wrote too many checks that year and he may be right. I just know that old habits die very hard for me.

As a person of advanced age, I find that breaking a habit is getting harder and harder. I love my side of the bed and setting the water temperature to very hot when I shower. I brush my teeth before breakfast and bump my leg up and down when I eat. I do finish my husbands sentences. I am a raging bundle of nervous habits that could drive a spouse or friend up the wall. So what can I do?

Are you the kind of person that is never ready for the meeting when it starts?  Do you need to rush back to your office for your mug or a different pen?  I know that our habits can control our lives and we cannot explain our behavior. For example, I was in the habit of not being ready to leave when I climbed in the car. I would revisit the bathroom, need an extra glass of water or get that folder for business just in case. There was always a trigger that kept me from getting in the car and staying there. It took me a while to recognize what I was doing. When I realized what I was doing, I had to make myself stay in the car the first time...I reassured myself that I was not going into the unknown where there were no bathrooms or water or telephones. I still fight this each time I get in the car but I am getting better all the time. I replaced that habit with the habit of not leaving the car...unless it is truly necessary to go back I stay seated until I arrived at my destination.

• WRITE IT DOWN

Bad habits can actually have a real effect on our ability to function in the work place, socially and can come to bear on our health. So it would seem that identifying the most harmful habits and focusing on them is a good plan. The idea that we would write our worst habit down and post it somewhere that is in plain view might be that gentle reminder we need. Then we would be facing the truth on a regular basis. Obesity starts with one bite and whirls out of control. Habits like writing down the wrong date, while amusing to talk about, can have some real and undesirable implications. Lack of friendly co-workers because of an annoying habit can make a job miserable. Facing the impact of our bad habit is the very first step to overcoming it.

• STOP IT DEAD IN IT'S TRACKS

I think that stopping that habit dead is a very good idea. While the step down method may work for smoking, simply being less annoying to those around you is not the key to escaping most behaviors. If the habit is bad...then less bad is not good enough. STOP IT NOW!!! Get it right from the very beginning. In the case of finishing other people's sentences or chewing gum, our nails, a box of candy and the eraser on our pencil or any of a hundred other habits, one day will make a lot of difference. Each day after that will see more improvement. Habits are like that.

• REPLACING BAD WITH AWESOME

This is a very tricky area...replacing one bad habit with another bad habit is not a good idea. I suppose that is where all those chewing habits came from...each old habit spawning a new one. In an article written in US News the author talked about bad habits in the work place. He said to replace those old habit with awesome stuff. For example, replace the habit of finishing people's sentences with the habit of adding a positive followup comment when they are done speaking. We can do that I am sure!

• BE PATIENT

One of the key elements to getting rid of a unhealthy or annoying habit is replacing it with a more desirable behavior.  However, as research at MIT showed, the habit will come back immediately if a person exposes themselves to a situation that triggers that bad habit.  This is what they had to say:

"It is as though somehow, the brain retains a memory of the habit context, and this pattern can be triggered if the right habit cues come back," Graybiel said. "This situation is familiar to anyone who is trying to lose weight or to control a well-engrained habit. Just the sight of a piece of chocolate cake can reset all those good intentions."

The bottom line is all about control...self control of life habits...a bad habit can be overcome. If we must replace those habits let it be with something worthwhile and productive. Success is all about tenacity...the old adage that old habits die hard is very true. But, if I can do it so can you!

b

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