Contest: Breaking Bad Habits

Hello stemians,I welcome you all to my blog. We all know that it's hard to break bad habits,but it's achievable if we focus on good habits. There's no use in puting yourself down for getting into bad habits. We all fall victim to them at some point in our lives but it is still possible to reward ourselves if we are able to accept our mistakes and break the bad habits.

What are some bad habits that are hard to stop,and Why is it hard to stop?

☑️Excessive drinking

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This is one bad habit that is hard for many people to stop. You know most times, people thinks that once you take alcohol your sorrows just disappears. There's no doubt,but what happens after that? Do you know the kind of damage it might have caused in your system.

Liver damage can occur if you drink in excess. It can also lead to a long-term addiction and serious long-term damage to your health.

☑️Junk food

I am a typical example of some one that likes eating junk foods on daily basis. I have been battling with this habit since I graduated from school,I now eat out as if I don't have cooking utensils at home but to me Junk food is fast and already made. Nowadays,it seems like junk food is already part of our daily lives and I know I am not alone in this.

☑️Skipping of meals

Most of us,due to work,we skip meals to work. It's important to note that food and water are essentiall for survival. You will not be as productive if you do not eat regularly and properly. Eat regularly and don't skip meals to work.

☑️Smoking

To me, smoking is a leading but preventable leading cause of death in the world today. Smoking is very dangerous to health even if a person claims to smoke passively. Smoking can cause cancer ♋ which affects health. And most people says it gives them joy.

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How can we tell if a habit is just a habit or if it's more like an addiction? And what can we do to break them?

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine when a habit becomes an addiction. This is because both the good and bad habit exist on a spectrum as they can overlap and have distinguishing features.

Now for you to really understand if your becoming addicted to something,you might be tempted to ask your self the following questions.

▶️Do you find yourself craving the behavior and you feel like you have lost the ability to stop it.

▶️Do you continue this behavior even though it causes negative consequences physically, mentally and socially

▶️Are you do much occupied with the activity or substance to the point that it prevents you from doing other things you need or want to do.

▶️Do you have a physical dependence on the substance. All these are ways we can use in other to know if they are becoming addiction.

On the other hand, there's good news too as the following steps can be employed to break this bad habits.👇

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✅First of all, identity what triggers you to repeat this behavior. It could be stress,a smell or sound.

✅Experiment with changing your routines. For example if drinking alcohol makes you to misbehave, Skip the drink and replace it with something else.

✅Reward your efforts..for example, you could use the money you saved on drinking to treat yourself to a night out.

✅Be persistent. Remind yourself of times you may have been successful at making changes in the past. Go easy on yourself when you have a set back,then get back on track and remember change is possible.

What are some challenges that people might face when trying to quit bad habits,and how can they overcome them?.

They may think that these habits are not too bad, hence they would say "my habit is not so bad"

Addiction can be more difficult to change and for some people, breaking an addiction may require professional help. It's nothing to be ashamed of, many people need a little extra help and asking for it is ultimately a courageous sign of strength.

How can we support and encourage others to quit their bad habits without being judgemental or pushy?

The following methods can be used to help those in need of support in other to stop their bad habits.

Hold your judgement, this means that you should not be critical on people when they are trying to change rather,you must be supportive and positive when helping them build better habits.

Help them identity and cut the triggers,if your loved one knows what what triggers their bad habit,they can be more prepared to deal with them.

Join forces with them as it will let them know that you are there for them.

Be understanding and,not controlling,as a mentor,it could be tempting to force people to see things your way. This will lead to pushback and resentment instead of the desired help.

Teach them to exercise self control.

    Thanks for going through my post

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