Stress Management Strategies: Reshaping Bad Habits
Knowing you need to change things can be overwhelming, but having some specific strategies can help you to set goals and work on things one step at a time. Use the following list as a guideline to help you set goals. Try one strategy each week, and don't get frustrated. You've had that habit for a long time, and it may take awhile to retrain yourself, but you can do it!
Practice the
Don't have habit triggers in your house. If sugar sets you off on a binge, don't keep sugary snacks around. If you can't resist shopping, don't keep your credit card in your wallet when you know you have to go to the mall, or better yet, leave your credit card at home. Bring just enough cash to make your purchase, and no more. Don't keep alcohol in the house if that's your weakness. If nighttime television is your weakness, get that TV out of your bedroom. Put it in the kitchen to make cleaning more interesting, or even (gulp) pack it away.
If you use your bad habit to soothe your stress, replace your habit (food, cigarettes, excessive Internet surfing) with another kind of “treat” that is just as good or better. Make that “treat” easily accessible in situations where you know you'll be tempted to lapse into your habit. For example, if you automatically turn on the television as soon as you get home from work, allow yourself twenty minutes of quiet time instead. Don't let anyone disturb you! Put on relaxing music and breathe, meditate, have some tea, read a book, peruse a magazine, or just take a catnap. You'll be recharged far beyond what that hour of soap operas or tell-all talk shows could have done.
Turn your habit into your specialty by becoming a connoisseur! Let food become a genuine pleasure. Focus on quality, not quantity. If you want food, eat a small amount of something really good. Savor every bite. Never waste your time, energy, or health on large amounts of substandard food. The same goes for alcohol. Rather than drinking as much as you can of whatever is available, settle for only small amounts of the very best. And the same goes for shopping. Don't just buy whatever you see. Collect something valuable and learn all about it. For example, learn about early American ceramics or antique train sets or Victorian hat pins or dog statues from around the world — whatever strikes you as interesting.
If you love to watch television, watch only quality television. Become an expert on classic movies or independent films. Watch and learn from nature shows, or science shows, or shows about art, cooking, whatever you like. You might even learn how to make your own movies. If you can't do without noise, learn all about classical music, or jazz, or classic rock, or whatever you like. Life's too short
Becoming a connoisseur doesn't work for every habit, of course. One can't really become a connoisseur of procrastination, for example. But a little creativity can still transform any habit into a hobby or even a specialty. If procrastination is your bad habit, become an expert on simplicity; that way, you'll have less to do (less to do late) and fewer places to go (fewer places to arrive late).
Or, you can throw yourself into the reverse of your habit. A nail biter? Learn how to do manicures and pedicures. A slob? Become an expert at organizing your household and routines in a way that minimizes cleaning. Many self-professed slobs have reformed and created successful careers for themselves as professional organizers.
