Come on you guys. Let’s whirlpool our way out of bad habits!

BY KAHA G. – 14 YEARS OLD

Imagine this. You’re sailing the seas and stumble upon a whirlpool. You don’t know how you ended up on the boat, or what it could mean, since this has to be a dream right?  Every time you see a jellyfish, your boat inches closer and closer to the whirlpool. So, you begin to panic and need to find a way to stop that one jellyfish that’s destroying your life. Here’s the catch, you develop an addiction to that jellyfish, even when knowing the downsides. It will keep luring you into the whirlpool until you fall to your doom. Unfortunately, this is a reality for a person with bad habits, which is why this week; I want to talk about breaking bad habits.

We all develop good and bad habits during our lives, whether it be reading our favourite books, swearing or even biting our nails, etc. The main focus is to take control of our bad habits, but how do we achieve that? Thanks for asking; here are the steps to break free.

Find out what triggers your habit. When something happens like stubbing your toe, or your life isn’t going the way it’s supposed to are examples of triggers that can induce bad habits. We need to find a replacement so that we don’t feel an immense amount of guilt afterwards. Let’s take swearing for an example, if the trigger pops up, then a solution could be to calm yourself down, or stop and take a minute to acknowledge your feelings.

Know that you don’t have to face the horror of breaking your habit alone. Tell someone you trust, or a loved one what’s happening because I guarantee you the absolute worst feeling is to have no one on your side when dealing with a challenge. Something equally important is surrounding you with a better version of yourself. Don’t interpret what I’m saying as changing into this new person. When you hang out with people who strive to seek goodness in the world and themselves, one way or another you’ll be moulding yourself into the person you aspire to be.

In conclusion, be positive. You don’t need your mind plotting against you while you’re sculpting yourself into who you want to be. Instead, visualize yourself as who you want to become, and use the word “but” to overcome negative thoughts. In the article How to Break a Bad Habit (and Replace It With a Good One), using the word “but” is extremely effective to block those little demons from slowing your growth process. For example, instead of saying “I’m terrible at changing myself for the greater good,” include “But I will improve that with time.” Failure is always going to knock at our doors, but what matters is how you respond to it. I truly believe we all can get through our downfalls and create a healthier lifestyle.

So, come on you guys. Let’s whirlpool our way out of bad habits!