I went for a long walk with a friend this weekend – loved exploring this little gem of a trail, Briar Creek Greenway, that starts at the Mint Museum Randolph. We got on the subject of habits. Mostly because I’m listening to Badass Habits by Jen Sincero, author of the You Are A Badass series. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but it’s a workshop-y book that will have me focused on developing a new, good habit, or letting go of an old, bad habit. (I’m set on creating a new, good habit.)
My friend loves the idea of focusing on adding good habits more than subtracting other habits – and she asked if I thought that worked all the time. I agree, to an extent, that adding is ideal. You could theoretically crowd out bad habits with more good habits. But there are some instances where the bad habit has absolutely got to go – particularly when the bad habit is negatively impacting your health.
Example: Disordered eating behavioral triggers
If you know for a fact that bringing an entire bag of fun-size Halloween candy over to the couch with you while you’re watching TV is going to trigger a full-blown binge because it has in the past, you HAVE to drop that sit-on-the-couch-with-a-bag-of-candy habit. It’s not serving you. Nothing good will come of it.
But to the “adding” point, you can certainly add the good habit of selecting a reasonable portion of Halloween candy and bringing it to the couch with you. You just still need to cut out the bad habit side to the experience.
Altering your habits is hard, especially when you’re working to interrupt the bad ones that can make you feel out of control. Do the work, and be patient with yourself.
