Everyone has some bad habit that they want to get rid of. Some people may have harmful bad habits such as smoking. Others may have bad habits such as biting their nails. Father George Rutler knows that bad habits are hard to break. He understands a person will need to drastically change their behavior. Rutler has some tips to help a person unlearn a bad habit and replace some of them with good habits.
Accept the Problem
To make some changes a person needs to admit that they have a bad habit. They cannot deny the habit. They also need to realize that it has become a habit. While accepting of the bad habit alone will not stop it, this is the first step. A person will be aware of something that they need to change and then they can look at replacement behaviors.
Learn the Triggers
Father George Rutler believes that to help fix the behavior a person needs to understand their triggers. They may have a stressful event that happens during the day that will engage in the bad habit. Some people may engage in the habit due to stress or boredom. If a person learns why they are doing the habit it may be easier to break the habit.
Replacement Behaviors
It is going to be very hard to stop a bad habit without another behavior to replace it with. A person should take their bad habit and replace it with a positive one. For example, if a person reaches for a cigarette when they are feeling stressed they need to learn some ways to handle the anxiety. They can reach for a stress ball instead. They may also want to go for a walk or take a break from a situation if they are not able to handle it. This will allow them to break the habit of smoking and give the body something else to do and a way to calm down.
Set a Plan
It may take some time to get over these bad habits. It is important to plan ahead for the future. A person needs to learn from their mistakes. If something did not work the first time they need to have a plan so that they can give it another try. It may take a few tries to break the bad habit but if a person does not give it up they can change their behavior.
Take Things Slow
It is going to take time to quit the bad habit. A person may need to slow down and celebrate small accomplishments. They may reduce the number of times they engage in this habit during the day. It is a start and a person can use this to stay motivated.
These are some ways to unlearn a bad habit. These bad habits were not formed overnight and it will take more than a day to break them. By following these tips a person can learn to overcome these bad habits and trade them out for some positive ones.
