Quitting your bad habits
Bad habits may not necessarily be harmful, but they are irritating little tendencies that you would like to quit, such as sucking your thumb or poking your nose. Others, such as smoking, might be detrimental to your health. How do you quit such bad habits?
Changing locations and not knowing what to expect in a new country with new people helped 31-year-old Maxwell Madzi (not his real name) stop smoking. He went to Egypt and says that even though he knew he could easily get cigarettes in the country, he wasn’t sure of how those around him would react.
Just like that, almost four years ago, Madzi decided to stop smoking and he has never looked back.
“I have been smoking ever since I can remember. As a young boy, I thought it was cool to smoke and got into it. I was a moderate smoker, not too heavy, but letting go of the habit was never an option. I think the most important thing about quitting anything is to make that decision and honour it.
“The reason that people relapse to their bad habits is because they have not really decided they want to stop, that is what I think because to date, I have not smoked. In fact, I can’t stand smokers. I can, however, hang around them without craving a cigarette,†Madzi reveals.
Smoking is just one of the many habits that some would consider bad. They would like to stop, but have no idea where to start from and how to do it. Such habits may start as an escape from pain, a diversion of some sort, but in no time, without knowing it, they take root in your daily routine.
How to get rid of bad habits
Professor in psychology, Chiwoza Bandawe, says to quit a bad habit, you must weigh the benefits you get from that habit against the expected benefits of stopping. This will help you highlight the importance of why you must stop.
The next practical thing to do, he says, is to recall the circumstances that lead you into practicing that particular habit, whether it is anxiety or happiness. Knowing the circumstances will help you to be conscious of when you are likely to do it again.
“The first thing is for you to know that you have a habit that needs to be stopped. There are some bad habits that are beneficial and because of this, you must understand the benefits of stopping and not stopping.
“For something to turn into a habit, studies have it that you must have done that thing for 21 days straight. Similarly, to quit, you must keep away for 21 days straight. The other important thing is to look at the alternatives and the benefits of taking up that alternative. Take smoking, for example, some people choose to chew nicotine gum and it works,†points out Bandawe.
According to Bandawe, people must realise that stopping a bad habit is a process that needs commitment. Also, a relapse must not be seen as failure, but rather an opportunity to learn more about your condition.
