Breaking Bad Habits

"Giving up smoking is the easiest thing to do. I know because I've done it a thousand times."

Mark Twain

A lot of people will surely agree at this wistful remark by Mark Twain. It's no doubt that they know and understand that some habits are morally wrong and even harmful. Moreover, many will also agree that sometimes, it is a challenge to resist and stop those bad habits and overcome the urge of doing it. The reason? It may have been rooted in them for so many years that they struggle to resist it and change. The efforts to resist them can be very tiring or worse, it can be painful.

A doctor who works as a prison physician have observed that most offenders claims that they are slaves of their desires and obsessions. They argue and believe that once a person is addicted to a certain thing, he or she is controlled by pressure that he won't be able to resist. If that argument is true and have a valid basis, then each one of us can't be blamed for the wrong things we did because of pressure. But are we really helpless and poor victims of our desires and the inner force that drives it? Or is it possible to resist and stop the bad habits?

Because we are imperfect it is only natural to have wrong desires at times. But we should try to resist those desires, and it's also possible to resist and conquer it. Self-discipline is very important when it comes to controlling our desires, once we have it, we can surely eliminate the bad habits.

Here are some suggestions to break your bad habits:

• Recognize your bad habits and get to know about it. If you are struggling from a habit, ask yourself:

What benefits do I gain from this habit?

Do others find it annoying?

Does it have a negative effect on my health, financial aspects, my relationship with my family?

Does it hinder me to have a peace of mind?

Will I live a better life without it?

• Change your bad habit with something positive. Let's say that you spend so much of your time on the internet, perhaps you are wasting long hours scrolling on social media, watching vlogs or playing online games. If that's the case, then try to make a schedule of your activities and allocate more of your time for a wholesome activity such as exercising, learning a new skill, studying or reading.

• Monitor your improvement and progress. Give it a few moments, maybe several minutes each day to think about the progress you've made. If in case our bad habits are slowly emerging again try to figure out what went wrong or what hinders you from quitting that bad habit.

• Seek for help. "Two is better than one." This phrase might have been used hundreds of times, but it can never go wrong. Tell a trusted friend or your family members that you are trying to quit your bad habit. They can remind you if in case you are doing it again. You can also talk to others who had the same dilemma before but was able to successfully break through from it, ask for advice and what helped him or her to quit which can also be effective for you.

• Be realistic and balanced. Don't expect that just because you want to quit, you can quit overnight. There are habits that may even take years before you can successfully conquer. So be patient with yourself and adjust your expectations.

• Pray. This is what I usually say, if you can't take something by yourself, and nothing seems to be effective, pray. With God's help, you can surely break through your bad habits.

Breaking through a bad habit is not easy but if you try to apply these suggestions you can surely break that bad habit of yours, if not, you can resist the temptation or desire to go back to your habit.