Your a creature of Habits, but you can change it if you really desire to.
I myself had a slew of bad habits, or things I thought were bad habits. I bite my cuticles during moments in thinking while typing, I left all my bras in the doorknob of my bathroom, and the worst was procrastinating on doctors appointments (super expensive).
I made up my mind back in January that I was going to stop doing these things, and also pick up some few habits that would make my life a little easier. So I went on a search for a method that would help me in this journey. I had read about quite a few that seemed a bit ridiculous; requiring tons of writing notes to keep on hand, or restricting me from doing things that would trigger the habits.
Thankfully I did find a article about the Habit Loop, and how to use it tocorrect bad habits or replace them with new ones. One thing I will mention is that you have really REALLY want to do it. It’s not one of those things that has a guide or reminders or anything that would assist you. With that in mind, you have to make sure that this is what you want to do.
So the “habit loop” is a three-part process. The first step is the trigger that tells your brain to let a certain behavior unfold. The second step is the behavior itself, or the routine it creates without thinking about our habit.
The third step is the reward, or “something that your brain likes that helps it remember the ‘habit loop’ in the future.”
Once we’ve formed habits, they are hard to break because, many times, we forget we’re doing them. Because of the habit loop, we are able to do other things without thinking about our habit.
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We will be working on something else while simultaneously biting our nails, not realizing the moment we put them in our mouths.
We become slaves to our habits. They become inhibitors and some have the power to control our lives.
Though some substances we use have addictive qualities that make the habits almost impossible to break, there are ways to replace those bad habits with good ones… and all it takes is 66 days.
If you take the habit out of your life, the same way you put one into your life, you will find yourself free of the unconscious and, many times, detrimental patterns that habits cause. You could replace those old bad ones with new good ones.
Instead of watching Netflix before bed, you make yourself read a book. Maybe instead of soda with dinner, you make yourself drink water for 66 days.
Whatever your motives, this research should be the catalyst you need to kick those bad habits and start picking up some good ones.
Because there is no better time to turn over a new leaf (or habit) than in the fall.
Be Obnoxious (Days 1- 22)
Shout about it. Tell your friends, family and coworkers you are on a mission. Enlist them as officers to patrol when you’re slipping back into your old ways or not keeping up on your new ones. Tell them you want them to yell at you, bother you and constantly remind you.
Add extra pressure on yourself. The pressure of disappointing other people and going back on your word will make it that much harder to go back to your old ways.
Because sometimes it’s easier to disappoint ourselves than it is other people.
Self-Analyze (Days 22- 44)
Take a good look at your life. This is the time to really dig deep and do some soul-searching. What do you want in life? Why are you doing this? How do you want to represent yourself?
Whether you’re quitting a bad habit or picking up a healthier one, get to the core of why you’re doing this and how it’s going to affect your life.
If you can find that reason buried deep in your unconscious, you will be able to carry out these 66 days much easier. You will have an internal force pushing you.
Find The Light (Days 44- 66)
The third stage is the final push. As far as you’ve come, you still have to make it these last 22 days. It’s easy to burn out, get tired and forget why you are doing this. It’s easy to revert to your old ways because, up to this point, you have yet to rid yourself of the habit.
At this stage, you must find something to hold on to. Something that will that push you to that final goal. It’s the last 22 days that prove how strong and willing you really are.
At this point, it’s about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s about realizing that though you can’t see the other end, you can still see glimpses of it.
Treat Yo’ Self (66 +)
The only way to solidify the end of an old habit or the birth of a new one is to celebrate it. Throw a party, have some champagne, shout it from your Brooklyn rooftop. Make a day of it or call up your friends and have a swanky dinner party.
If it’s a habit people have been hoping you would break they will be more than willing to celebrate with you. Who knows, you can make this a yearly tradition!
THE ALPHESS 
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