Habits are behaviors that are repeated regularly. Some are helpful behaviors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, while others can be a threat to our health. Bad habits can initially form as unhealthy coping mechanisms to stress, and spiral into ineffective behaviors. Habits are hard to build and harder to break, because once normalized into our routine, we find it difficult to break out of the pattern.
To break a bad habit, we must actively train our brains to disengage from the activity. This involves monitoring and adjustment. In the beginning phases of breaking a habit, it can be especially difficult to remember not to engage in the activity. A useful tip is to give yourself a different motivation to focus on as your reward, which will help you to disengage from the negative habit. For example, if the habit is to quit smoking, for every time you think about smoking but successfully refrain from having a cigarette, treat yourself to a positive reward. Use this reward system to help you stay focused on your goal.
How do I Know Which Habits to Break?
When thinking of “healthy habits”, start to think about every day behaviors. These can be activities like brushing your teeth, eating (or not eating) breakfast, having a certain food or drink every day, and other daily pursuits. Think deeply about which of these behaviors are good for your body, and which could be replaced by more productive routines?
Beginning to Make Change
You can always learn from bad habits and form new ones; you just have to put in the effort to make changes. If your find yourself in a cycle of feeling unwell, maybe it’s time to start analyzing your habits and slowly introduce more positive lifestyle habits that can influence how you feel.
Here are some ideas of healthy habits to include in your routine (Peterson & Ward-Smith, 2013):
- Adding physical activity to your daily routine
- Eating a balanced diet
- Having a healthy relationship with sleep
- Finding a good work-life balance
- Knowing how to manage stress and finding relaxation techniques
- Forming a productive daily schedule
References
- Gerdes, K. (2015). Habit-Forming: Humility and the Rhetoric of Drugs. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 48(3), 337–358. https://doi.org/10.5325/ philrhet.48.3.0337
- Graybiel, A. M., & Smith, K. S. (2014). GOOD HABITS, BAD HABITS. Scientific American, 310(6), 38–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26039932
- Peterson, J., Schmer, C., & Ward-Smith, P. (2013). Perceptions of Midwest Rural Women Related to Their Physical Activity and Eating Behaviors. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 30(2), 72–82. http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 24262708
- POSTERARO, T. (2016). Habits, Nothing But Habits: Biological Time in Deleuze. The Comparatist, 40, 94–110. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26254756
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Medical Disclaimer
The articles provided on this website are for informational purposes only. In addition, it is written for a generic audience and not a specific case; therefore, this information should not be used for diagnostic or medical treatment. This site does not attempt to replace the patient-physician relationship and fully recommends the reader to seek out the best care from his/her physician and/or diabetes educator.