H.A.B.I.T.s to Break to Build a Better YOU

Health Hints by Alexandra Nicole Torres (HealthCare Magazine)

PhotoCredit: Dreamstime.com

Breaking free from an unhealthy routine to build a good one requires time, patience and commitment - it's a process. Let's face it, we all have our guilty pleasures that are really difficult to depart from.

To Guide us on our Journey, let's remember the acronym H-A-B-I-T:

1. (H)AVE A GOAL. In order for you to be successful, you must learn to KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. The key to building a solid plan is knowing yourself and knowing what you really want to do and what you want to achieve.

2. (A)DOPT A STRATEGY. Any goal WITHOUT A PLAN, is just a wish. Thus one way to achieve a goal is to strategize to counteract bad habits. A common approach is to create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) goals.

3. (B)E OPEN TO CHANGE. Avoiding triggers is not easy as it sounds, the next step is to be accountable for your actions. Discipline yourself and stick to your plan. If you are not able to reinforce your plan by yourself, find someone who will help you achieve your goal.

4. (I)NTRODUCE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. Certain behaviors that are repeated becomes automatic that you are not sometimes aware that you have committed something that you have promised not to do anymore. One way of breaking this is POSITIVE and NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENTS - reward yourself for things don
e that you want to be repeated and punish yourself for bad practices that you want to break. With time, forming desired habits will no longer feel like a chore and becomes automatic.

5. (T)URN IT AROUND. A Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse says that those who focus on restraining themselves ended up thinking about their bad habits even more. So instead of trying to stop yourself from unhealthy habits, your should try replacing it with a beneficial one.

Habit changing and habit forming may take some time and a lot of willpower. But don't beat yourself up for stumbling a few times before getting in the groove your goal-replacing plan. Not every one gets it the first time. A study at the University College London by Philippa Lally and colleagues found that occasional breaking of habit formation DOES NOT AFFECT THE OUTCOME. This suggest a consistent and deliberate repetition, with irregular breaks CAN STILL SUCCESSFULLY FORM A ROUTINE.

At the end of the day, THERE IS NOT ONE SOLUTION TO BREAKING UNHEALTHY PRACTICES BECAUSE YOUR PLAN MUST WORK FOR YOU AND WHAT YOU ENJOY, NOT FOR ANYBODY ELSE.

Reference: Health Hints by Alexandra Nicole Torres (HealthCare Magazine)

PhotoCredit: Dreamstime.com