● By Ahmed Wafi
You can do it!
Whether it’s smoking or sleeping late, we all have bad habits we would much rather do without. Guess what – you can with this step-by-step guide on how to cut it out of your life once and for all. Ready for a change?
STEP 1: ADMIT IT AND DECIDE YOU WANT TO CHANGE
You can’t be helped if you don’t want to be helped. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to solving it. Think it through and decide for yourself whether the problem is severe enough for you to put a halt to it. Your verdict might be biased so you may need to talk to someone you trust to give their verdict.
STEP 2: FORMULATE A PLAN
What? The addiction. Who? You. Why? Because it’s holding you back from reaching your potential. The ‘when’ and ‘how’ will be the heart of your plan.
When should you stop your addiction? It’s important to understand that habits weren’t built overnight and you’re not going to get rid of them overnight either. It is going to take time, effort and a whole lot of energy!
The ‘how’ is a more complicated question because each bad habit is to be approached differently. Generally, teamwork makes the dream work! Get support from close friends and family members, and talk it out with them every now and again. There are going to be times where you might slip up and it’s always nice to have someone help cushion your fall.
TIP: Develop hobbies that can replace your bad habit. Make sure it’s something you like and not just some fad.
STEP 3: EXECUTE IT
he process will take time and it’s a bad idea to be drastic with your approach. Start small and go from there. For example, if you used to smoke 10 cigarettes a day, cut that down to nine then eight and so on.
The key is being disciplined. Once your plan has been developed, stick to it. There will be times where you’ll fall off the wagon. It’s perfectly alright so long you get back up and continue the struggle.
STEP 4: CELEBRATE
Give yourself a treat for every small win. When you’ve succesfully kicked the habit, go for the big celebration!
Photo by Sara Bakhshi on Unsplash