Feeling powerless in the fight against bad habits? Examine their nature to know the enemy in person. What are the addictions and what is behind them? How to get rid of bad habits without the help of a specialist? We offer right now to look at their habits from a psychological point of view and learn about the methods of dealing with them.
What are bad habits
Bad habits are automatically performed actions that have a bad effect on the person himself, and sometimes on others.
What are bad habits:
Harmless
They irritate others, but do not harm them.
Do not close the door to the toilet, sing in the bathroom
Social
Born on the basis of interaction with others.
Use obscene language, touch the other person on the shoulder
Addiction
Psychology distinguishes between habit and dependence, since in the first case a person can control his actions with the help of will power, and in the second case his own strength is not always sufficient for him.
List of bad habits
- Poking around in the nose (rhinotyllexomania). American scientists led the study by interviewing Wisconsin residents. It turned out that 50% pick in the nose 1 time per day, 22% - up to 5 times, 10% do it 15-20 minutes a day. 90% of them use a handkerchief, 29% throws dried mucus on the floor, 8% leaves on furniture and 7% eats it. In the US, there was a case when a 53-year-old woman, who often picked her nose, broke her nasal septum.
- Gnaw nails (onychography). The habit arises in the childhood, speaks about the hidden insult.
- Shopaholism (oniomania) is an obsessive desire to acquire something. Accompanied by the constant discussion of the purchased. The reasons are a lack of adrenaline, a desire to feel successful, a weak level of self-regulation. Studies by the German Technical Fund in Germany have shown that about 800,000 Germans suffer from oniomania.
- Overeat (hyperphagic reaction to stress). Lost loved ones, survivors of an accident, illness or emotional shock suffer.
- Technomania - the desire to have the most modern technology (phones, computers, other gadgets). It occurs mainly among young people who want to keep up with the times.
- Smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction are the most harmful habits of a person. They provoke diseases, worsen health, and contribute to degradation. Excessive use of alcohol or drugs is fatal. To overcome addiction, you need a lot of strength, sometimes - the help of specialists.
- Other common habits are: snapping joints, interrupting, sucking on a finger, staying up late, eating junk food, drinking coffee on an empty stomach, using medication unnecessarily, masturbating.
Bad habits: a list of unusual research
Wash often
Dermatologist at one of the clinics in London, Nick Low, believes that the habit of daily washing is harmful. Water and cosmetics, in his opinion, defat the skin, wash off good bacteria from it.
Rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth
English dentist Phil Stemmer, having studied bad habits and their consequences, spoke out against rinsing. He is sure that the toothpaste should protect the enamel. The doctor does not recommend brushing your teeth after dinner - food makes the enamel softer and more vulnerable. It is advisable to wait a half-hour pause.
Long sit on the toilet
Israeli researchers claim that sitting for a long time on the toilet is harmful - the risk of hemorrhoids increases.
Breathe incorrectly
Psychotherapist Neil Shah does not recommend breathing only by the chest. The doctor advises to breathe in the stomach so that stale air does not stagnate in the lungs.
Preventing bad habits
Bad habits, the list of which can be continued indefinitely, easier to prevent than to eradicate. How to do it?
- Form healthy habits. The more they are, the less likely to get used to the bad.
- Objectively look at yourself. Statistics say that in 80% you can avoid dependence, if you honestly admit it to yourself.
- To be informed
Beginners to gambling admit that they did not perceive hobby as a threat to their will. The person should know about the facts, scientific or psychological research.
How to get rid of the bad habit
Find the root of the problem
Psychologists are sure that psychological traumas, phobias, internal processes are behind the harmful addictions. For example, the passion for shopping determines the lack of positive emotions, bright moments, and drinking alcohol is a way to get away from oppressive reality, unwillingness to accept it.
To solve a problem, find an individual cause of its occurrence, you can use the method of frank conversation with yourself or talk with a psychologist.
The most common causes of bad habits:
- Unmet needs, low self-esteem
- Biased perception of oneself
- Exaggerating your own responsibilities to others
- Psychological or physical trauma
Watch
It is advisable to observe in which situations a negative addiction is involved. It is worth trying to avoid situations, places, people or factors that provoke a habit.
Cheat yourself
If a child takes a scoop from the sandbox, it will burst into tears. But if you change the scapula on the rake, you can peacefully give inventory to the owner. So with adults. Do you want to smoke? Eat candy. Do your hands reach for a squeeze pimple? Smear it with cream.
Hurry slowly
Solving the problem, it is undesirable to think that it is once and for all. Categorical in this matter makes it worse. It is better to concentrate on numbers, for example, to log in to Facebook not every 20 minutes, as is usually the case, but 3 times a day. Psychologist Howard Reichlin, examining how to get rid of a bad habit, came to the conclusion that the “digital” perception gives a positive result. The installation may look like this: "I do not quit smoking, I just do it 4 times a day."
Apply carrot and stick
For trespassing, you need to punish yourself, for example, by routine work. Could not resist the mat - my plate. Even if it already shines like a mirror. But for endurance it is desirable to encourage yourself. What - is an individual matter.
Avoid provocateurs
A person who quits smoking is in a circle of smoking friends - a real meal. If you have a sincere desire to learn how to get rid of a bad habit, you need to change your social circle, the usual rhythm of life, yourself. No matter how difficult it may be, but the reward will not keep you waiting - freedom from painful addiction lies ahead.
To plan
If you decide to lead a lifestyle, you need to plan the day so that it will be time. Knowing when to eat lunch, and when to sleep, you will be able to predict your own actions, and then control your behavior.
In the course of the experiment conducted by London scientists, it turned out that 91% of the people who made plans, including charging, make it. And only 34% of "non-planners" wake up for morning exercises.
Seek help from loved ones
They will not solve our problem, but they can help. For example, to support morally, not to leave in a difficult moment, to treat with understanding the oddities or other behavioral features that may appear in the period of unlearning.
Forgive myself
There is nothing wrong with disruption. This is just a transitional period, not a step backwards. Eaten candy during the diet does not mean that the diet is broken, but only speaks of ordinary human weakness. If self-control is temporarily lost, it is undesirable to despond. It is important to forgive yourself and go on your way.
We told what are the harmful habits and how to get rid of bad habits without help. But the last word is yours. Only a sincere desire to change your life for the better will allow you to do this quickly and painlessly.
