Does Replacing Bad Habits for Better Ones Really Work?

By Lyndsay S @lyndsinreallife

Do you have bad habits? Do you find it difficult to break them, despite knowing the damage they do to you or the people around you? If so, you’re not alone.

Breaking a habit is arguably one of the most difficult things to do in life, and it is extremely tough to last for more than a few days. Depending on what those bad habits are, there’s a chance that your body isn’t physically capable of breaking a habit. For example, heavy drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms if they don’t drink, because their body is so used to the increased alcohol content. That makes people feel like they have to drink and sustain their bad habits just to live.

Fortunately, there are ways around this. One of the most popular methods of beating a bad habit is to replace it for a better one. In this post, we’re going to take a look at how you can replace bad habits with better ones, and why it works!

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Finding Healthier Alternatives

Almost every bad habit consumes time and alters our body in some way. Whether it’s eating junk food, relying on alcohol, or smoking cigarettes, they all have healthier alternativesthat can be used as a substitute for a bad habit. Many people believe that this doesn’t work, but the golden rule to remember is that cutting down on something is the only way to gradually train your mind and body to get rid of a bad habit. This is how people free themselves from serious addictions and it avoids the danger of going completely cold turkey. Which, in some cases, could be dangerous to the body.

It’s important to first understand what alternatives are available. For example, if you’re a heavy smoker, then finding a solution such as Blazed Vapes can be a worthwhile investment. It functions similarly to a cigarette, it’s not as harmful, and can be a step towards freeing yourself from the bad habit of consuming nicotine.

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The Fear of Relapsing

One of the biggest concerns people have when trying to break a habit is relapsing. You’re not alone. Relapses are actually fairly common. In fact, most smokers try several attempts at quitting before they finally make any progress, and the same counts for any other bad habit. Seek support when trying to quit; it could make all the difference.

It all comes down to recognizing why you want to break those bad habits, what you plan to do in order to do so, and figuring out what makes you fall back into it. For instance, if you’re an emotional eater that has slowly made progress to cut down on excessive snacking, then you might eventually discover what triggers you to start eating unnecessary amounts of food. It could be something to do with your mood or even a physical issue. I’ve found it tends to be due to boredom, especially while watching TV.

In short, while replacing bad habits with better ones does work to overcome that habit, keep in mind the reasoning behind why you want to break a bad habit and what you can do in order to prevent yourself from relapsing. It’s all about being mindful.

What bad habits are you trying to break? If you’ve been successful, what helped you? Comment below!

This post was a collaboration.

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