Some Ways to Kill a Bad Habit

Bad habits can really hurt you. The first step to getting rid of a bad habit is to admit it. Then face the facts and take action - you need to fight this habit with a strong plan!

The following is for those pesky personal habits like pulling hairs out, cursing, looking at something inappropriate, etc. If you have a serious bad habit seek professional counseling or medical help.

What you need to do is write down a plan, and list what you'll do to defeat the bad habit.

Find out what pushes you or stimulates you to do this thing - is it a place you go? Is it an activity? Become more knowledgeable about your self, your own scenario. Keep track of yourself for a week, and write down all the activities you do. Use a simple table with the times listed in it: 8am - 8:30, etc.

Once you see where and when you do this habit, see if you can cut out those stimulating actions. For example, if you see that you pull hairs a lot when you watch TV at night with nothing else to do, maybe you can eat healthy popcorn or do light exercises instead.

One good thing to do is to wear a rubber band, and then whenever you are about to do this habit, pull the rubber band. Substitute the bad habit with some other good habit - say.. clenching your fists and saying to yourself "I am strong, I am OK." So you can fight a bad habit with a good one.

Another way is to write down in tabular form habits you want to rid yourself of. Then make a chart or just get graphing paper and each day that you succeed, put a check there and feel good. Perhaps enlist help, maybe a trusted friend. You have to go two weeks without the habit! After that it should be easier. You can do this if you are determined! Reward yourself if you are bad-habit-free for five or seven days in a row - perhaps by yourself a sweet treat or let yourself watch a funny video online or play pool or something.

Keeping reminders in highly visible places may help also. For example you can keep a reminder in your car or a paper hanging on your room's door. It doesn't have to be explicit and you can make it something only you would understand.

You should also is to think deeply about how ugly this habit is. Think about how it interferes with your priorities, how it hurts you, and how it is just plain illogical. Develop a strong hate for the habit - for example, think of how embarrassing it is to see a loved one doing the same thing, or how uncomfortable it makes them look. Think of how irrational this habit is - think to yourself, "why?"

You can defeat the bad habits if you build these defenses against them.