We all have good or bad habits. I would say my bad habit is my eating habits. At times I could eat very healthy but then I get into a habit of eating Chocolate. For example last month alone, I ate M&M's every day for a month. I couldn't help it but I stop and changed it once I realized that I was headed down the wrong path in terms of my health.
Perhaps you have had the experience of relapsing into a bad habit you very much wanted to overcome. If that is the case, you may begin to doubt your ability to abandon the unwanted practice permanently. And unwanted practices may be many: overeating, “addiction” to sweets, overdrinking, impulse buying, habitual lateness, gambling, smoking, and a host of other habits.
Since the temptation to return to bad habits may be especially strong when you are under pressure, can you adjust some of the circumstances in your life to lessen the pressure? Even when certain problems cannot be avoided, you can learn to control your emotions so as not to feel overwhelmed with discouragement.
The power of discouragement is often underestimated. “The spirit of a man can put up with his health malady; but as for a stricken spirit, who can bear it?” Proverbs 18:14. Often it is not the problem but the resulting discouragement that weakens us.
Another Bible proverb puts it this way: “Have you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress? Your power will be scanty.” Proverbs 24:10. Uncontrolled negative emotions will weaken you. They will make you vulnerable to relapse, perhaps pressuring you to return to a bad habit for relief. How vital, then, to fight discouragement!
If you are teenagers, pressure from parents or school can cause someone to get back into a bad habit. The fight against a bad habit, then, goes beyond enduring the initial period of painful withdrawal. It involves living through disappointments without permanently reverting to the bad habit.
Difficult? Yes, but entirely possible. The strategy that helped you break the habit in the first place will, if continued, help prevent or overcome relapses. The greatest benefit? Self-respect—a worthwhile reward in itself. And likely you will also be more highly esteemed by those who know you. Note these steps:
1. Recognize and admit bad habits. Ask yourself, ‘Do I really benefit from this habit? Is it annoying to others? Does it affect my health, financial status, well-being, family, or peace of mind? How much better off would I be without it?
2. Replace the bad habit with something positive. For example, do you spend too much time on the Internet, perhaps looking at unwholesome material? Then schedule that time for wholesome reading, study, or exercise.
3. Monitor your progress. Each day reflect for a few minutes on your progress. If you have a relapse, determine what circumstances led up to the problem.
4. Enlist the help of others. Tell friends and family that you are attempting to break this habit, and ask them to remind you when you seem about to fall back into it. Talk to others who have successfully beaten the same habit.—Proverbs 11:14.
5. Be balanced and realistic. Do not expect immediate success. Some habits that took years to develop may die hard.
6. Pray to God. With God’s help you can break any bad habit.—Psalm 55:22; Luke 18:27
Till tomorrow, have a great day.
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