DONNA DAWSON’S VIEW

Kicking bad habits

‘Habits’ are repetitive patterns that we develop to help make our daily routine easier and more predictable. When we do things out of habit, we don’t have to fully think about what we are doing, and can therefore save our energy and thinking power for more difficult or complex tasks.

Some habits are developed to help us deal with stress. This is fine if we have developed good habits that help us – but bad habits, such as addictions, can affect us both physically and mentally in a negative way, and be hard to break.

The good news is that because habits are “learned”, bad habits can be “unlearned”.

Substitute a new response for the old one:

For instance, instead of automatically reaching for an alcoholic drink/cigarette/vape to calm you down, think about what other things you can drink/eat/do, instead.

For instance, substitute a cup of tea, some chewing gum, ten minutes of slow, deep breathing, or 20 minutes of exercise for the bad habit. Leave post-it notes around the house to remind you of your various options.

Start the NEW habit:

Start the NEW habit with as much initiative as possible. 

Announce to a family member or friend what you are trying to do, so that the fear of ridicule if you falter will spur you on!

Perform the new habit:

Perform the new habit as often as possible: Repetition will soon make the good habit ‘second nature’, and this is known as ’Reinforcement’.

Un-reinforced habits tend to fade away.

Picture your goal:

Keep your goal in mind.

Picture your goal in your mind’s eye (for example, de-stressing in a healthy way), as focussing on ‘positive reward’ provides the best motivation.

Negative Reinforcement:

Sometimes thinking about what will happen if you don’t change the bad habit (for example, falling ill or shortening your life-span), can spur you on just as much as positive reinforcement can.