A popular adage says it takes an average of 21 days for something to become a habit. Three weeks of consistently doing the same thing repeatedly. Habits are formed for numerous reasons. Some are learned as a child, some are developed in school, some are created as a direct result of an experience or emotion, and some to meet a goal, for pleasure, or to change a behavior. Though some habits can be beneficial, others could put a life at risk. Essentially, the process of kicking bad habits and enhancing good ones can improve your overall quality of life.
Kicking Bad Habits
Bad habits may feel great while you’re doing them, but the consequences can often be life altering. As there are different levels of bad habits, the risks can range from having a bad day to suffering from addiction or even death. Below are some of the most notorious bad habits that you should kick:
- Binging on TV – Too much television is awful for your health. Those who spend a lot of time watching television can suffer from weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and vision problems.
How to Kick it: Try to set a time limit on how much television you should watch in a day. Set an alarm or even set the timer on the television to shut off after a predetermined amount of time. Then, find something to do that involves moving around to counteract those calories you failed to burn while sitting idly.
- Drugs & Alcohol – The repetitive use of drugs and alcohol whether to relieve stress, mask emotions, or party can ultimately lead to dependency and later addiction.
How to Kick it: Start by abstaining from using drugs or alcohol and removing any and all triggers from your life. Then, search for help with your addiction from providers like Luminance drug rehab Orange County. Enrolling in an in- or out- patient treatment program can help you quit using and teach you how to adapt to sober living on a daily basis.
- Overeating – Eating too fast, eating out of guilt, or eating to comfort emotions are all examples of overeating that can quickly catch up with you. Eating more than your body needs can lead to obesity, the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses.
How to Kick it: For those who may be overeating as a result of a traumatic experience or emotional encounter should seek the assistance of a therapist. Others, can stop eating too much by being mindful of portions. Using portion controlled containers and reading serving sizes on packages can minimize how much you consume.
Enhancing the Good Habits
Good habits are beneficial to the quality of life and should be encouraged and improved upon regularly. Here are some of the most common good habits to develop and how to make those habits better:
- Good Work Ethic – Coming to work on time, being organized, and knowing how to be a team player are all good habits that help to develop a good work ethic.
How to Enhance it: Participate in trainings, talk with management on ways to improve, and continually seek opportunities to evolve as an employee.
- Saving – Dealing with the stress of finances can have significant impact on your health. Developing habits to save money can help to improve your finances and your emotional health.
How to Enhance it: Challenge yourself to save everywhere you can. Set up savings accounts with different goals in mind. As your income increases, remember to increase your savings so you can reach your goals faster.
- Setting Goals – Goal setting is an ideal habit to have. Essentially, setting small achievable goals can help you to stay on track and accomplish more in your personal and professional life.
How to Enhance it: As you’re setting big goals, try to create smaller goals in between. This will help the bigger picture to not appear so big and far off. It also builds a sense of accomplishment. Each goal you meet or exceed adds to the drive to tackle the next one. As you set goals, reward yourself to encourage more goal setting in the future.
Habits are important, however, not all of them are created equally. If you’ve developed habits that are harmful to your physical, emotional, or financial health, kicking those bad habits is a step in the right direction. For those habits formed to reach a goal, develop positive behaviors, and improve the overall quality of life, continually developing those habits will help to enrich your life further.