Habits

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What Are Habits?

According to Wikipedia a habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

Habits are the little decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to researchers, habits account for about 40% of our behaviors each given day. 

Your life today is undisputably the sum of your habits. How in or out of shape you are? How happy or unhappy are you? How successful or unsuccessful are you? How hospitable are you? How respectful are you? How loveable are you? As a result of your habit.

As it is popularly said, we are creatures of habit, what you repeatedly do (i.e. what you spend time thinking about and doing each day) ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality that you portray.

Habits are an undeniably a powerful part of life. They are an integral part of the underlying behavioral psychology that shapes the direction of our lives. 

Habit Formation

Habit formation is the process by which a behavior, through regular repetition, becomes automatic or habitual. This process of habit formation can be slow. Research shows that the average time for someone to reach the state of complete automaticity was 66 days. Old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form because the behavioural patterns which humans repeat become imprinted in neural pathways, but it is possible to form new habits through repetition.

Bad Habit

A bad habit is an undesirable behavior pattern. The sooner one recognizes these bad habits, the easier it is to fix them. Rather than attempting to eliminate a bad habit, it is better to replace it with a healthier and befitting habit. A bad habit is a negative behaviour pattern. Common examples include:

  • Swearing.

  • Picking your nose.

  • Nail-biting.

  • Procrastination.

  • Fidgeting.

  • Overspending.

  • Obsessively Checking iPhone/iPad.

  • Video Games.

  • Cracking Your Knuckles(I bet you didn't know this and you probably do it all the time).

  • Speaking With Your Mouth Full.

  • Talking To Yourself.

  • Using Slang.

Bad habits may seem harmless, but they have detrimental effects in the long run.

Causes of Bad Habit

  • Stress.

  • Boredom.

  • Rejection.

  • Upbringing.

  • Anxiety.

  • Insecurity.

  • Inferiority.

  • Tension.

Overcoming Bad Habit

Like I said before, you don't stop an habit, you replace it. Bad habits are harmful to your health and could also jeopardize your success. So how do we get rid of bad habits and replace them with good ones.

  • Find a substitute for that habit.

  • Disconnect from any thing that triggers that habit.

  • Associate with someone willing to overcome similar habit.

  • Surround yourself with people who live with the new habit you intend to inculcate.

  • Visualize the process a success but do not fantasize. Visualize and work towards getting it.

  • Be ready to fail, but do quit!

You don't need to be someone else, you just need to return to the old you. We sometimes think that to break bad habits, we need to become an entirely new and different person. No, you already have it in you to be someone without your bad habits, you just had to make yourself change it.

Good Habit

A good habit is a behaviour that is of benefit to physical and mental health of an individual, often linked to a high level of discipline and self-control. Common examples include:

  • Regular exercise.

  • Consumption of Alcohol in Moderation.

  • Balanced Diet.

  • Getting on a Good Schedule.

  • Practicing Gratitude.

  • Managing Money Wisely.

  • Respectful.

  • Respecting Your Environment.

  • Practicing Good Hygiene.

  • Tenacity in The Right Path.

  • Being Focused.

  • Always Putting On a Smile.

  • Good Time Management.

  • Setting Daily Goals.

  • Attending To Your Primary Needs.

  • Never Stop Learning.

  • Motivating and Helping Others, and lots more.

How To Make A Habit Stick

  • Start Small.

  • Take It Slow but be Consistent.

  • Know Your Excuses.

  • Practice Your New Habits.

  • Don't be Scared of Failing.

  • Keep Track.

  • Associate With Role Models.

  • Know The Benefits.

  • Know The Pain.

  • Do It For Yourself.

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Comments

I think everyone should know their habits in order not to cause divide

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4 years ago

Yes, that's true. But it's one thing to know your habit and another to want to change it if it's bad. You could have a bad habit that affects just you and you could have one that affects you and the people around you. So don't just know your habit, if it's bad change it.

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4 years ago