How To Break Bad Habits

We all have bad habits—whether it’s procrastinating, over-snacking, smoking, or mindlessly scrolling through social media. Breaking bad habits is challenging, but it’s entirely possible with the right mindset, strategies, and consistent effort. Here are some effective ways to break free from bad habits, along with practical exercises to help create lasting change.

Understanding the Cycle of Bad Habits

Before diving into how to break a bad habit, it’s important to understand why habits are so hard to change in the first place. Habits are formed through a process called reinforcement learning, where behaviours are repeated and rewarded over time. Your brain becomes accustomed to these behaviours, making them automatic and difficult to alter. A habit typically consists of three components:

1. Cue (Trigger): This is the event or feeling that prompts the habit. It could be stress, boredom, or a specific time of day.
2. Routine (Behaviour): This is the actual action or behaviour you engage in, like smoking, eating junk food, or watching TV.
3. Reward: The immediate satisfaction or relief you feel after completing the habit (e.g., relaxation, comfort, or escape from negative emotions).

To break a bad habit, we need to interrupt this cycle and replace it with healthier routines that provide similar rewards but without the negative consequences. Let’s explore some practical exercises that will help you do just that.

Practical Exercises to Break Bad Habits

1. Identify Your Triggers and Create a New Routine
The first step in breaking a bad habit is identifying what triggers the habit in the first place. Once you understand the cue, you can replace the old routine with a new, healthier behaviour that still satisfies the underlying need or desire.
How to do it:

• Track Your Habit: Keep a journal for a few days and note when you engage in your bad habit. Write down the time of day, what you were doing, who you were with, and how you were feeling. This will help you identify patterns and triggers.
• Analyze the Trigger: Once you’ve identified your triggers, think about the emotion or need behind the habit. For example, if you’re snacking when you’re stressed, the real need might be relaxation or emotional comfort.
• Replace the Routine: Create a healthier alternative for the behaviour. If stress is your trigger, try taking a few deep breaths, stretching, or walking around the block instead of reaching for food. The goal is to choose a new action that satisfies the same need but is healthier for you.

Example:
If your bad habit is checking your phone first thing in the morning (the cue), try replacing it with a morning routine that includes stretching or drinking water (the new routine). This new habit can set a more positive tone for your day and help break the cycle.

2. Use the 5-Minute Rule
When you're trying to resist a bad habit, the urge to indulge can feel overwhelming. The 5-minute rule is a simple exercise that involves giving yourself just five minutes to pause and reflect before engaging in the habit. Often, the urge to act impulsively can pass if you give it time.

How to do it:

• When you feel the urge to engage in your bad habit (e.g., smoking, eating junk food, or procrastinating), commit to doing something else for just 5 minutes.
• This could be anything from taking a walk, doing a brief meditation, reading a book, or even writing in your journal.
• After five minutes, reassess how you feel. You may find that the urge has passed or that you’re more able to make a mindful decision about your behaviour.

This simple delay tactic helps you break the automatic cycle of acting on impulse and gives you a moment to think through your choice, which can lead to healthier decision-making.

3. Create a Replacement Habit (Habit Stacking)
A powerful strategy to break a bad habit is to stack a new, positive behaviour on top of an existing habit. This technique is known as habit stacking, and it allows you to take advantage of your existing routines to create new, healthier ones.

How to do it:

• Identify a habit you already perform regularly. This could be something simple like brushing your teeth, having a cup of coffee, or getting in bed at night.
• Pick a new, positive behaviour that you’d like to add to your routine. It should be something small and easy to do.
• Stack the new habit immediately after the existing one. For example, if you want to start drinking more water, you could decide to drink a glass of water every time you sit down at your desk or after you brush your teeth in the morning.

Example:
If you want to start journaling but have a habit of watching TV in the evening, you could decide to write for 5 minutes in your journal right after turning off the TV. Over time, this new habit will become as automatic as the one it replaces.

4. Set Clear, Achievable Goals (And Reward Yourself)
Setting clear, specific goals for breaking your bad habit is essential for creating lasting change. A goal that’s too vague, like “I want to stop procrastinating,” is hard to achieve. But setting a goal like, “I will work for 30 minutes without distractions every day at 9 AM” is concrete and achievable.

How to do it:

• Define Your Goal Clearly: Be specific about the habit you want to break. Instead of just saying “stop snacking,” try “I will not snack after dinner.”
• Break It Down Into Smaller Steps: Rather than expecting immediate success, break your goal into smaller, more manageable milestones. For example, you can aim to reduce the number of times you engage in the habit each week before eliminating it entirely.
• Reward Yourself: Reward yourself when you hit these milestones. Positive reinforcement strengthens new habits and makes the process more enjoyable. Treat yourself with something you enjoy (but not the habit you’re trying to break!) when you achieve your goals.

Example:
If you’re trying to break the habit of spending too much time on your phone, set a goal of limiting phone use to 1 hour per day for the first week. Once you hit that goal, reward yourself with something that aligns with your new habit, like a relaxing activity that doesn’t involve screen time.

5. Use the Power of Accountability
Having someone to hold you accountable can be a game-changer when it comes to breaking bad habits. Accountability partners can offer encouragement, track your progress, and remind you of your goals when temptation strikes.
How to do it:

• Find a friend, family member, or even a coach who can help you stay on track.
• Share your goal with them and ask them to check in with you regularly.
• You can also join an online group or community that supports people who are working on breaking similar habits.

Knowing that someone else is keeping track of your progress can help keep you motivated and committed to breaking your bad habits.

6. Use Hypnotherapy for Habit Change
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses hypnosis (a state of focused relaxation) to help individuals achieve a heightened level of awareness. While in a relaxed and receptive state, you are more open to suggestions that can alter negative thought patterns and behaviours. Hypnotherapy taps into the subconscious mind, where habits and automatic behaviours are formed, making it a highly effective tool for breaking bad habits.

How Hypnotherapy Helps Break Bad Habits

1. Reprogramming the Subconscious Mind: Our habits are often deeply ingrained in the subconscious mind. Hypnotherapy works by accessing this part of the brain, helping to change automatic responses and thought patterns associated with your bad habits.
2. Addressing Emotional Triggers: Many bad habits are driven by emotional triggers, such as stress, boredom, or anxiety. Hypnotherapy helps you identify these triggers and develop healthier coping mechanisms, which can reduce your reliance on harmful habits.
3. Boosting Motivation and Willpower: Hypnotherapy can enhance your self-control and commitment to breaking bad habits. It helps you strengthen your resolve and stay motivated to make lasting changes.
4. Creating Positive Suggestions: Through hypnosis, you can replace negative thought patterns with positive affirmations and suggestions that encourage healthier behaviours.

​As a professional hypnotherapist, I can work with you to address your specific needs. Please get in touch for a free consultation.  We can begin your journey towards breaking free from bad habits and creating lasting, positive change.