Got a bad habit you want to stop, but not sure how to go about it? The fist thing to do is keep in mind is that not doing something is just as much a habit as doing it. The trick is to get into the habit of negation. Figure out how to make a habit of not doing the bad habit while keeping firmly rooted in your mind that this is not the same as making a new habit that is the polar opposite of the bad habit.
Boasting
Get into bad habit of bragging on yourself? It can become a chronic trait that ultimately results in your not being invited around anyone to boast to. The key to stopping the bad habit of having an inflated sense of your accomplishment is hesitation. Train yourself to take a breath before you spout out what a special person you are. Then, within that moment, realize that if you already aware that you have become a braggart then the odds are that few people are actually going to be impressed. So, paradoxically, each time you keep the boasting inside, you actually impress more people with your growth as a human being. Forget about learning self-deprecation and instead just avoid overselling.
Restlessness
Call it squirming, fidgeting or twitching, the result is the same: you have developed the habit of not being able to control bodily movements. People become restless and start to get fidgeting for a variety of reasons. Examine the circumstances that increase restlessness and focus on whether it is the result of boredom, agitation, nervousness, excitement or whatever. The next step is to apply a system of relaxation when your particular stimulus arises. Go ahead and learn how to officially meditate if you want or just train yourself in the art of concentration, relaxation and patience. If that fails, then reduce your caffeine intake.
Interrupting
Are you constantly interrupting other people and don’t know how to stop yourself? The core cause of the bad habit of interrupting people is likely to be that you are not really listening yourself. Of course, some people get into his bad habit because they listen well enough but just don’t consider the current conversationalist to be interesting or important. If that’s your case, you’ve got bigger fish to fry. To break the bad habit of interrupting others, learn how to listen more attentively. In extreme cases, look into hypnosis or OTC medications that have the potential to increase your ability to focus.
Spitting
Unless you are a baseball player or work in an Old West amusement center, spitting really just does not fit into the 21st century cultural zeitgeist. Start by improving your swallowing skills. If it is painful to swallow, have a doctor check out your throat. If you spit because you chew tobacco, realize that you have significantly increased the potential for cancer and losing your vocal cords and switch to gum. If spitting has become a habit because of cultural and ethnic standards, learn that the rest of society long moved on and turned its back on the acceptance of such distasteful customs.
Bellyaching
Has your bad habit led to developing a reputation as whiner, chronic complainer or grouch? Do you seem to gripe about absolutely everything? Some have probably already advised you to start finding the positive in things that cause you discontent. That’s easier said than done in some cases, so forget all about the idea that giving up the habit of whining automatically means you have to become Pollyanna. There is a huge difference between complaining about everything and extolling the virtues of those very things. That middle ground is known as lack of concern. Stopping your bellyaching merely means stopping yourself from publicly expressing your negative viewpoint, but it by no means requires that you actually see things positively.
