One Way To Fight Bad Habits

Do you have any bad habits? I know, silly question! We all have them and we all would like to get rid of them, or at least decrease their influence over our lives. Here is a clue from my own life. This is not backed up by any scientific research, although I did briefly look, it is just my opinion. Our bad habits turn up more frequently when we are bored.

Yep, that’s it, the great insight into your bad habits. They show up more when you are bored. Think about it. You over-eat because you are bored. You don’t know what to do with yourself so you grab a cookie. You are stressed and frustrated and bored with the situation, so you smoke a cigarette. For me, when I am bored or don’t know what to do, I start reading. I read on the Internet, in a book, on my Kindle, anything to take my mind off of whatever it is I am frustrated with and unsure about.

Now you might say, “Hey, it isn’t boredom, it’s frustration.” Well, you might be right, but when I get frustrated, I don’t know what to do. I sit and think about the problem, I try to write it out, I do all the things I normally do to fix things, and since I am still frustrated, I don’t come up with any answers. I become immobile. I don’t know what to do, so I do nothing. I get bored quickly. I guess it’s my undiagnosed ADD. To take my mind off of the fact that I am not doing anything about the situation, I read, or go get a cookie.

This may not fix bad habits for you, but I suggest you give it some thought. The next time your bad habit starts to raise its ugly head, go do something instead. Don’t open that bag of chips, go for a walk, pull some weeds in your garden, do something. I would be surprised to find that the desire for the habit does not dissipate!