deepstash
Beta
Deepstash brings you key ideas from the most inspiring articles like this one:
Read more efficiently
Save what inspires you
Remember anything
Strategies for Giving Up Bad Habits
4
Key Ideas
Save all ideas
Develop a Mantra to use when temptations appear
When temptation or self-doubt arises, you can repeat a mantra you have created, to recall yourself back in your self-disciplined state of mind.
Think of a quick word or phrase that you can repeat to yourself when you're tempted to indulge. You'll likely find it boosts your self-discipline fast.
434 SAVES
1.42k READS
Know your reasons for breaking bad habits
We give in to temptations due to our emotions winning over logic, as indulgence offers us temporary relief.
Create a list, with clear reasons for staying under control and all the ways you will be better if you don't give in to temptation. Keep the list at hand and read it out whenever you feel like indulging, until the craving passes.
335 SAVES
900 READS
Keep bad habits out of reach
Sometimes, bad habits are just too convenient and we're used to them, so creating obstacles that make the bad habit a challenge to perform will take care of impulsive actions and indulgences.
If one wants to quit smoking, it does help if there are no cigarettes around, for example.
301 SAVES
714 READS
Grow stronger mentally by defeating temptations
Giving up bad habits and defeating temptations makes us mentally stronger and more reliable.
Overcoming mistakes and slip-ups also helps build our mental muscle.
289 SAVES
976 READS
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
8
Key Ideas
Willpower is like a muscle
Just like going to the gym and building up strength, the more you train your willpower by accomplishing tasks on a consistent basis
Self-Discipline - a series of healthy habits
Long term change is better served by building better habits, than by forcing your willpower.
You will choose the apple over the cake for a number of times ... and then give up. Building a habit to start the day by going to the gym will work better.
Habits = “automatic” responses...
...to familiar environmental cues.
They form when you engage in a behavior repeatedly in the presence of consistent stimuli.
7
Key Ideas
How craving are stimulated artificially
- Salivary response: the more a food causes you to salivate, the more it will cover your taste buds.
- Rapid food meltdown: this tells your brain tha...
Building better habits means changing your environment
Most people think that building better habits or changing your actions is all about willpower or motivation. But your environment has an incredible ability to shape your behavior.
Nowhere is this more true than with food.
The reasons we crave junk food
- The sensation of eating the food: what it tastes like, what it smells like and how it feels in your mouth.
- The blend of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that it contains: junk food companies are looking for a perfect combination, that excites your brain and gets you coming back for more.
12
Key Ideas
Start a list of the emotions
Pay attention to your emotions as you start to think about eating (you might feel hungry, or have a craving to eat something). Notice your emotions as you eat, and after as well.
Pick one emotion to start with
Start with the emotional trigger that occurs most frequently. So if you only have social eating triggers once or twice a week, but you have stress or comfort triggers multiple times a day, choose the latter.
Find a healthy alternative
If the need is a way to cope with stress, you need to find some healthy way of doing that other than eating. If you don’t, then the need will become so strong that you’ll cave and eat.