How to Break a Bad Habit
Whether you’re a smoker, trying to break your nightly dates with the ice cream container, can’t pry your eyes from the television or have a problem with too many pairs of shoes, breaking a habit can be a daunting task. Scientists have actually been able to prove why habits are so hard to kick. Habitual behaviors actually change the neural activity patterns in the brain and if a stimulus from an old habit returns, your brain can shift back to the old pattern. Think of it as if your brain is on autopilot, a major jolt will be needed to get the habit out of your brain for good.
The staff at Apartments.com understands how trying it can be to kick an old habit. What better time to break it than when you’re moving and starting a new life!
Identify Your Habit
If you know that you have an excessive shopping problem, you’ve already started the recovery process. Most bad habits are not obvious until we choose to view them in that way. A nail biter may know she’s biting her nails all day, but if she doesn’t view it as an issue, she’ll have no motivation to stop. If others around you are expressing their concern about one of your behaviors, but you don’t feel it’s a problem, consider seeing a counselor to talk through the issue. A counselor can give you an unbiased view of the situation and help you figure out if you really have a bad habit that you should be trying to kick.
There is a difference, however, between “habits” and “addictions.” Bad habits are often called “soft addictions” because they resemble addictions in some ways. However, addictions are those habits that will cause a person physical and emotional pain as well as withdrawal symptoms if it is stopped. An addictive shopper may experience panic attacks when forced to stop shopping; a habitual over-shopper may get tense and angry but will likely not require the help of a doctor. If you suspect you have an addiction, contact your doctor. Addictions should be broken under the watch and guidance of a professional.
Decide to Stop
Although New Year’s Resolutions are quite popular, January 1st is often a bad time to try and kick a habit. For many people, the new year is a time of financial and work stress after the holiday season. Trying to kick a difficult habit when you’re already in a stressful situation, is not a good idea and is perhaps the reason why so many New Year’s Resolutions fail to stick. Breaking a habit will be much easier to accomplish if it is done in conjunction with another positive life change, like finding a new apartment or job. Since you are already making significant changes, your brain is already being forced to form new patterns. You must make a commitment to yourself to change before you will be successful at breaking your habit. You can’t change for anyone else but you.
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