By Charlotte Lew
What are habits? Habits are the little things that we do everyday. They may seem insignificant, like having a piece of chocolate at 5 pm or using a favorite pen, but they are what shape our lives. Researchers at Duke University have suggested that about 40 percent of our behaviors on a given day are accounted for by habits. Habits shape the person we are, the things we believe, and the personality that we portray. Some good habits like going to the gym or playing an instrument can have positive effects, while bad habits, like smoking and having bad posture, can be detrimental to physical and mental health. Transforming habits can transform lives.
Bad habits interrupt and disturb our lives, prevent us from accomplishing our goals, and suck up our time and energy. If this is the case, then why do we still have bad habits? Habits are hard to break. It is nearly impossible to completely give up smoking or change from McDonald’s to salads just in a single day. Breaking a habit takes much more than just stopping. In many cases, people need a “replacement behaviour” and oftentimes, they help much more than just refraining from an action. This is why nicotine gum or inhalers work well. However, in some extreme cases, a habit can be stopped immediately. For example, a person may be traumatized by almost getting hit by a car while texting and walking and never dare to do it again. Again, these cases are rare and breaking a habit usually takes longer.
There are many ways to break a bad habit. Firstly, you can just replace it with something else. Like mentioned before, a substitute can be more effective than just simply stopping an action. Next, cut out as many triggers as possible. If you eat chips when they are in the house, then stop buying them, or throw them out. If you slouch while sitting on a bean bag, then switch to the couch instead. Because enviornment is so important to our lives, changing the enviornment can make bad habits break easier. Lastly, join someone who has a similar goal. A person who also wants to live healthier can encourage and motivate you to continue a workout or diet plan. The two people can encourage and celebrate accomplishments together.
Research has shown that it takes about 10 weeks, or 2.5 months for the average person to break a habit. This comes from a study which shows that it can take from 18 to 254 days to break a habit. Personality, motivation, circumstance, and the particular habit are all factors that can determine how long it’ll take to break a habit. People are nearly always of change when they are aware of their bad habits and are sufficiently motivated. So no matter what it is that you are trying to stop doing, keep trying, and you can do it.
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-how-long-you-actually-need-to-break-a-habit-according-to-science
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