In my last post, I touched on 3 tips we can consider where breaking bad habits is concerned. Here, we will examine three more points worth taking to heart to overcome deeply ingrained negative behavioural patterns…
PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF-TALK
‘’Death and life are in the power of the tongue.’’
Positive self-talk is one great tool that helps us choose alternatives that fizzle out bad habits. When we consistently tell ourselves the outcomes we want to see, our minds start to believe what we are saying and begin to move in the direction of making our confessions become our reality. A repentant procrastinator (by ‘’repentant’’, I mean some honest self-assessment has taken place, triggers have been identified and the procrastinator is actively seeking to break free from the destructive pattern) who repeatedly confesses that ‘‘I am a responsible person’’, ‘‘ I get up and get the job done’’, ‘‘I give results and not excuses’’ is more likely to start getting motivated for action, than another procrastinator who keeps saying ‘‘that’s just the way I am’’, ‘‘I just don’t have enough drive to get things done.’’ This negative rhetoric hurts us and gives our bad habits firm footing in our lives. We must repeatedly say what we want to see.
SEEK EXTERNAL SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
While our words are powerful tools of transformation, positive self-talk alone would not be sufficient to get some people the change they want to see in their habits. Some negative patterns will not be broken, save through therapy, rehabilitation, counselling and accountability ventures. For instance, a person who struggles with unbridled alcohol consumption may need to go through therapy and belong to an accountability circle before experiencing a positive shift. Identifying the specific pathway to take to break a particular bad habit is vital.
ASK GOD FOR HELP
Yes. The last (but definitely not the least) step I’ll be touching on. Breaking bad habits often calls for strength, stamina and power that can only come from our inner man. Sheer willpower and human determination aren’t always enough to get the job done. For some folks, even years of therapy and rehabilitation will not successfully rescue them from the grips of addictions and destructive habits. When faced with a crippling behavioural pattern that has defied all known techniques of overcoming the same, let us remember that we have a Designer whose power can sift from our lives deeply ingrained flaws that have stuck to us longer than we can remember.
Written by Theodora.
