Are you tired of having bad habits? Bad habits can become a part of your daily routine or can be an auto response to an unfavorable situation. Identifying that you have a bad habit and what kind it is, will be the first step towards making a change.
Figure out your bad habit. Is it a routine habit or situational habit? Routine habits are habits you continuously do often, for example if you place a dirty dish on the counter when you are finished with it, instead of putting it into the sink. Situational habits are a response you have to certain circumstances, for example if someone takes your parking spot and as a result you block them in or confront them. Whichever type your bad habit is, it can be changed.
Set up accountability. Create personal reminders or ask a friend/family member to point out when they see you doing these bad habits so you can be aware of when they are happening.
If you continuously leave your dishes on the counter maybe put a sticky note where you usually leave your dishes that says, “reminder put your dishes in the sink”.
If it’s a situational habit, meaning you don’t know when it can happen, you can practice rationalization techniques. So, if someone does take your parking spot, try to rationalize it instead of assuming they did it to you intentionally. One scenario I use is maybe they really need to use the restroom and I just helped them to not relieve themselves in their car. I am now going to go find another parking spot because I just offered this one to help them. Another example of rationalizing situational bad habits is, I am getting yelled at by my boss where I usually give them attitude back or cry in the bathroom. So, instead of taking their yelling personally, I rationalize that maybe they are having a bad day and how can I be apart of the solution. This may seem a little silly at first, but it works. The minute I make it about them and rationalize they need my help; it helps me to calm down and handle the situation. This technique takes practice and patience, but once you get it down it is a major game changer in those unfavorable situations.
Start small, and reward yourself for your better choices, because you may get to a low point where you ask yourself why am I doing this again? When it comes to bad habits, it's better to be proactive and give yourself directions to make real change. There are countless ways to change bad habits and these are just a few methods that have personally worked for me.
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