How to get rid of a bad habit
You've decided that you want to give up smoking, biting your nails, snacking, gambling, and losing weight all at the same time... You will easily be able to get rid of your undesirable behaviours if you exercise just a little bit of self-control and if you adhere to these simple guidelines, which are as follows:
Give yourself a month to think it over: It has been demonstrated through scientific research that in order to break a bad habit (or form a new one), it takes a full month of dedicated effort on both the part of the individual and the environment. Because of this, you have decided to set a time limit for yourself in order to complete your objective.
Make a list of all of the benefits that will accrue to you as a result of this decision, and picture yourself enjoying them: The opportunity to save money, more beautiful skin, and improvements to one's health...
As an alternative to engaging in this unhealthy behaviour, you could try eating a piece of fruit, strolling around the neighbourhood for five minutes, solving a grid of Sudoku puzzles, playing darts, or doing some other activity in its place.
Inform those around you; engaging in conversation about it and receiving encouragement from those you care about will assist you in maintaining your motivation. Informing those around you is a great way to stay motivated.
Find a model to follow, or several models, and model yourself after them: The website of a person who smoked cigarettes in the past, the Facebook page of an athlete who was overweight in the past...
Avoid putting yourself in situations where you could be misguided, such as going to places where smoking is permitted or keeping unhealthy food in the house. And don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back every time you successfully avoid giving in to temptation.
If you change one bad habit at a time rather than all of them at once, you will feel less overwhelmed and will have an easier time adapting to change. Changing one bad habit at a time also makes it easier to adapt to new situations.
Try, try, and try once more if at first you don't succeed in accomplishing what you set out to do. Think of it not as a setback, but as practise for when you face similar challenges in the future.