Today, I want to talk a bit more about habits and how to best form them. Here are a few things that you should know about breaking bad counterproductive habits in any area of your life. 1. Try and avoid triggers and high-risk scenarios. If you’re trying to avoid sweets for instance stay away from the desert counter at the restaurant. Otherwise, as soon as you are unaware it, you will definitely grab for a desert of your choice. 2. Expect some failure. Don’t beat yourself up when you fail to meet your goals all the time. Life happens. You have to forgive yourself and build on the mistakes that you made and learn from them. 3. Don’t quit the bad habit completely. Instead, take small steps to eradicate the habit slowly. Then you will be most successful. 4. Make sure you have some social support when you are trying to quit a habit that is really hard to give up. That way, if you are having a bad day, you can commiserate with your support group. 5. Be vigilant about your behaviour at all times. Habits are unconscious actions, so monitoring them lowers their frequency. 6. Look after yourself when you’re trying to shake a habit. When you’re stressed or tired, you will be more prone to bad behaviour and slipping back into old behaviour patterns. So, as you can see breaking old habits that are counterproductive can take time. Be patient, and you will get there. Are there any habits that you would like to change or get rid of in your writing life or life in general? Let me know here and then journal about it in your journal! Have a GREAT week ladies! ~ Irene S. Roth