Habitual | How To Break A Bad Habit
Wednesday, July 4th 2018
Negative Habits undermine our Positive Momentum
How To Break A Bad Habit
Heighten your awareness
Psalm 101:3a ESV
I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.
Accentuate the positive
Galatians 6:9 NLT
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Build a case against yourself
Psalm 51:3-4 NLT
For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
Itemize the threats/dangers
Proverbs 27:12 ESV
The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Tweak your environment
Psalm 1:1-4 CEB
The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. Instead of doing those things, these persons love the Lord’s Instruction, and they recite God’s Instruction day and night! They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
Before you can change a behavior, you must become acutely aware of the behavior. How often do you do it, when do you do it, how does it make you feel after you’ve done it. Write it down keep track of it, hold yourself accountable. You’ve got to become hyper sensitive to every aspect of your behavior and make the decision that it’s time to change!
People tend to set negative goals and focus on something they’re not going to do anymore, so ‘I’m going to eat less … stop smoking … or check e-mail less often, You’re just about doomed to fail when you set up your desire to change a behavior in that way, because ultimately what you’re trying to do is create new habits. The brain’s habit-learning system doesn’t really learn anything by “not doing,” Instead, frame your goals in terms of what you are going to do and the positive outcomes they will create.
– Art Markman (Psychology Professor at University of Texas)
When you are accentuating the positive you need to start a list of all the good and positive things that will come into your life as you begin to turn bad habits/behavior into positive/life-changing habits and patterns that follow after God. The moment that you are tempted, begin to think through your list, and realize that if you choose to do the bad habit/behavior you’re missing out on that reward.
Most of our bad behavior/habits are built off of lies that we tell ourselves, sometimes even in the very moment before we engage. We think things like “I need this”, “No one will ever know” or we begin to rationalize that it’s not that bad or it’s someone else’s fault! In those moments when those thoughts and arguments for the bad behavior begin to swirl in your mind, confront them with the truth. Sometimes the only thing you need to do is say it out loud to realize just how stupid it is, other times you may need to spend some serious time praying through them to get guidance and truth from the Holy Spirit…Our Counselor!
Each of us has a finely honed ability to be able to talk ourselves out of just about anything. We need to as an individual, lean into that, accept the fact ahead of time that this isn’t going to be easy. We must engage the process and begin to figure out all of the things that can go wrong, and use those as warning signs for the things might derail you as you embark on the process of making change. A lot of obstacles are very real!
People often overlook just how critical it is to establish an environment that makes desirable behaviors easy and undesirable behaviors hard to do. For example, if you’re trying to break the habit of eating sugary dessert every night, you don’t win an extra prize if there’s ice cream in your freezer and you manage to not eat it for several nights in a row.
If you don’t want to check your cell phone that often, shut it off.
If you don’t want to use it while you’re driving, put it in the glove compartment.
It seems simple, but it’s incredibly important. The more you manage your environment, the more likely you are to succeed. It’s not cheating, it’s called being wise!