The reward for ending a bad habit can be great. But the process may not be easy. We’ll help you get started.
Do you find yourself unconsciously going to the freezer for a bowl of ice cream every evening? Or biting your nails whenever you’re bored or anxious? If so, you may have picked up a bad habit that can negatively affect your life.[1]
How to break bad habits
It takes time and an action plan to stop bad habits. In fact, research suggests it can take at least 10 weeks to break a bad habit.[2] It may take even longer, depending on how long you’ve had the habit.[3]
These actions can help you break bad habits:
Step 1: Determine your motivation for change
Before you can successfully change a behavior, you need to first identify why making that change is important to you.[4] Personal reasons are stronger motivators than wanting to do something because others want you to or think you should.[5]
For example, you might choose to forgo that nightly bowl of ice cream because you want to avoid unwanted weight gain. As a result, you may feel better about yourself or have more energy to keep up with your kids. These reasons are more motivating than someone suggesting that too much ice cream is bad for you.
Go beyond just thinking about your reasons—write them down so you can refer to them anytime you feel yourself slipping.[6] It’s sometimes helpful to also write down the reasons why you’re reluctant to change.[7] For instance, maybe that bowl of ice cream is something you now associate with relaxing before bedtime. Acknowledging and thinking about why you’re resistant to change can serve as a catalyst to make the change.[8]
Step 2: Recognize your habit loop
Habits can form from repetitive behaviors, or because you’re in what’s known as a habit loop.[9] A habit loop consists of 3 things—a trigger, behavior, and reward—that your brain links together.[10]
Before you can break a habit loop, it helps to understand how it works: [11]
- A trigger causes your brain to want to engage in a behavior. For instance, a work presentation has you feeling anxious, which causes you to bite your nails. Or the act of watching TV in the evening makes you want ice cream.
- A behavior is what you do in response to the trigger. For instance, you bite your nails or grab the ice cream scoop.
- A reward is how you feel while in the act of the behavior or soon afterward. You feel less anxious after biting your nails or you feel relaxed and satisfied after eating ice cream.
Step 3: Identify triggers
Identifying what drives a harmful behavior is key to creating an action plan that helps stop it.[12] Some behaviors can have multiple triggers.[13] For instance, you might mindlessly snack on chips when you’re anxious, bored, or watching TV. Sights, smells, sounds, certain times of the day, and even your thoughts and emotions can trigger a behavior.[14]
Step 4: Pick a replacement or distraction
Once you know what’s triggering the bad habit, you can take steps to either stop it altogether or replace it with a better one.[15] Research suggests that you might have greater success breaking a bad habit if you find a good replacement.[16] For instance, you can swap that bowl of ice cream for a bowl of fresh fruit. Over time, the fruit bowl becomes your new fruitful habit.
You can also try to delay or distract yourself when an urge to engage in a bad habit strikes.[17] Most urges fade away in about 20 minutes.[18] While you’re waiting for the urge to pass, try to distract yourself by calling a friend, stepping outside, going for a walk, or engaging in a breathing exercise.[19]
Step 5: Reward yourself
Rewards or incentives can help keep you motivated and stave off urges to engage in a bad habit.[20] You might treat yourself to a manicure once you stop biting your nails. You can put the money you save on ice cream into a travel fund. You can also review your reasons for trying to kick this habit in the first place and use that as motivation to keep going.
In summary: You can stop bad habits
Because habits are automatic behaviors that occur with little (if any) thought, they can be challenging to stop.[21] Don’t talk down to yourself or throw in the towel if you slip up. Breaking a bad habit takes time, patience, and self-compassion. Review your list of “reasons why” and remind yourself about the benefits you’ll gain by changing your behaviors.
Now that you know more about how to put an end to bad habits, you may be curious about how the Sincerely Health® tools in the grocery app can help.
You can start by downloading the grocery app. You’ll save $10 on groceries* for creating an account. Next, create a personalized Sincerely Health® nutrition profile to receive 1,000 points*.
Your nutrition profile allows you to:
- Set specific nutrition goals.
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FAQs about breaking bad habits
How long can it take to break a bad habit?
It can take up to 10 weeks, and sometimes longer, to break a bad habit.[22] Zeroing in on your motivations for breaking the bad habit can help you succeed.
What is a habit loop?
A habit loop consists of 3 things—a trigger, behavior, and reward—that your brain links together.[23] The trigger causes an action that you feel offers some reward.
What can you do when you have an urge to engage in a bad habit?
You can replace a bad habit with one that’s better for you, resist giving in to the urge for at least 20 minutes, or distract yourself with another activity.[24]
Sign up for Sincerely Health® and create a nutrition profile to help you get healthy today!
[1] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[2] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits; British Journal of General Practice. Making health habitual: The psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Last reviewed December 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3505409/
[3] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits; British Journal of General Practice. Making health habitual: The psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Last reviewed December 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3505409/
[4] Harvard Health Publishing. How to Break a Bad Habit. Last reviewed May 2, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-202205022736
[5] Harvard Health Publishing. How to Break a Bad Habit. Last reviewed May 2, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-202205022736
[6] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits
[7] Harvard Health Publishing. How to Break a Bad Habit. Last reviewed May 2, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-202205022736; Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits
[8] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits
[9] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[10] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[11] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[12] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[13] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[14] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[15] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[16] American Heart Association. How to Break Bad Habits and Change Behaviors. Last reviewed December 14, 2023. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-behaviors
[17] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits
[18] Harvard Health Publishing. How to Break a Bad Habit. Last reviewed May 2, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-202205022736
[19] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits; Harvard Health Publishing. How to Break a Bad Habit. Last reviewed May 2, 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-202205022736
[20] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits
[21] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[22] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits; British Journal of General Practice. Making health habitual: The psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Last reviewed December 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3505409/
[23] HelpGuide.org. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed November 21, 2024. https://www.helpguide.org/mental-health/wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-negative-behaviors
[24] Cleveland Clinic. How to Break Bad Habits. Last reviewed December 29, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-break-bad-habits; American Heart Association. How to Break Bad Habits and Change Behaviors. Last reviewed December 14, 2023. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/how-to-break-bad-habits-and-change-behaviors
