Naseerah Nanabhai | naseerahnanabhai@gmail.com
1 min read | 12:30 PM CAT

Photo Credit: YouTube

Studies reveal that we spend approximately 40% of our day on autopilot, performing habits. Habits are frequent tendencies that we have and are mostly oblivious to. By their very nature, habits are subconscious- they happen with or without your intention. The summation of our habits represents our character—who we are—therefore, more thought should be put into the types of habits we establish.

It is vital to break the cycle of harmful habits and promote the occurrence of favourable practices. Bad habits can sometimes be hard to identify, mainly if they are part of your routine. You also may not notice the harmful effects of a bad habit immediately, but over time they might negatively affect your relationships and your mental and physical health.

Negative habits that often go unnoticed include rehashing stressful events, self-criticizing, mindlessly scrolling through social media, staying up late, impulsive spending, inactivity, and ignoring mental and physical health. These are subtle bad habits that, if done consistently, can slowly sabotage your well-being.

To resist bad habits, avoid the triggers that may tempt you into doing them by identifying the context in which they occur. Ultimately the secret to breaking bad habits is not to eliminate them but to replace them.

While establishing new habits may not be easy, a routine of positive habits can have heightened benefits over time, which promote overall well-being and a better quality of life. Think of mastering new habits as a sequence: Once you’ve learned the process behind it, you can generally establish anyone you need in the future.