Smash Your Bad Habits

By Leonor Collins

★ Are you tired of your bad habits and can't find a way to change them? ★

SMASH YOUR BAD HABITS is the right book for you!

A habit is a repetitive behavior you virtually always do without thinking, especially one that is challenging to break. It is more difficult to form good habits because it is simpler to succumb to bad ones.
We all have habits, whether they are good or negative. It can be divided into two groups, good and harmful, depending on the individual. These behaviors are the result of numerous influences. Most of our habits were ingrained in us from an early age. Habits based on instinct include drinking water, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, napping, and sleeping at night.
We are powerless over hunger, thirst, and sleep. When we are hungry or thirsty, we look for food, and when we are tired, we lie down. As a result, these are inborn habits. Other than this, many man-made routines allow a man to look neat and clean, such as brushing your teeth, taking a bath, dressing up, combing your hair, cleaning your room, etc. We can lead better lives by developing good habits.
Everybody has routines. They may be entirely neutral, completely nice, or completely negative. They all share the trait of being habits or patterns of conduct that are practically automatic. Habits don't involve effort or conscious thought. Frequently, we find ourselves acting in habitual ways without awareness of the processes around us.
Define habits first. Habits are the day-to-day choices and activities you make on a tiny scale. Our habits influence about 40% of our daily behaviors.
Your behaviors are mostly to blame for where you are now. How physically fit are you, or how unfit? a result of your habits. How satisfied or unsatisfied are you? a result of your habits. How successful or unsuccessful are you, exactly? a result of your habits.
Despite being a straightforward concept defined, a habit contains numerous significant subtleties and characteristics you should be aware of. I'll share my study on them with you in the chapters of this book.

The best thing to know is that habits can be changed. And I will explain how and I will provide you with a workbook made especially for you, to make you who you really want to be.

In this book you'll find:

- A FOCUS ON BAD HABITS

- HOW TO BREAK YOUR ROUTINE

- HOW TO BUILD YOUR NEW LIFE

- WHAT INFLUENCE DOES YOUR PARTNER HAS ON YOU

- HOW TO BUILD GOOD HABITS IN FAMILY

Don't hesitate, go back to the top of the page and click on the "BUY NOW" button.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leonor Collins
• Release date: Jul 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201272715

Book preview

SMASH YOUR

BAD HABITS

A Comprehensive Journey in Your Behavior to Discover How Little Things Can Change Everything.

LEONOR COLLINS

© Copyright 2022 by Leonor Collins

All Rights Reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

WHAT ARE HABITS

A SCIENTIFICAL APPROACH TO HABITS: DOPAMINE.

DOPAMINE

DOPAMINE & HABITS

HOW CAN I ADJUST MY DOPAMINE LEVELS?

HOW DOPAMINE AFFECTS OUR BEHAVIOR

DOPAMINE AND MENTAL HEALTH

SYMPTOMS OF LOW DOPAMINE

PART ONE: THE FOCUS ON BAD HABITS

IDENTIFY BAD HABITS: REASONS WHY BREAKING BAD HABITS IS SO DIFFICULT

HOW CAN WE CATEGORIZE BAD HABITS

HABITS THAT OFFEND OTHERS

HABITS THAT ARE HURTING YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

HABITS THAT AFFECT YOUR HEALTH

HABITS THAT AFFECT YOUR DIET

HABITS THAT AFFECT MONEY

HABITS THAT IMPACT YOUR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

FITNESS HABITS

GROOMING HABITS

TOXIC RELATIONSHIP HABITS

HABITS THAT SAY LOW SELF ESTEEM

PART TWO: BREAK THE ROUTINE

THE BEST WAY TO DITCH BAD HABITS:

HOW TO BREAK A HABIT (AND MAKE IT STICK)

3 WAYS TO BREAK BAD HABITS ACCORDING TO SCIENCE

NEUROSCIENCE INSIGHT: HOW TO BREAK BAD HABITS

TRICKS TO MAKE NEW HABITS STICK

DISCIPLINE

PART THREE:  BUILD YOUR NEW LIFE

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FORM A NEW HABIT? (BACKED BY SCIENCE)

THE SCIENTIFIC MANUAL ON GETTING AND MAINTAINING MOTIVATION

THINGS THAT STEAL OUR MOTIVATION—AND HOW TO GET IT BACK

CRUCIAL POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN CHANGING HABITS

DEVELOP GOOD HABITS IN SIMPLE STEPS

STRATEGIES: 9 WAYS TO DEVELOP GOOD HABITS AND MAKE THEM STICK

USING MEDITATION TO HELP YOU BUILD NEW HABITS.

MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF GOOD HABITS

GOOD DAILY HABITS TO HAVE IN LIFE TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL

BEST PRODUCTIVITY HABITS

10 HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUALS

PART FOUR: THE PARTNER’S INFLUENCE

HABITS TO AVOID IN A RELATIONSHIP

HOW BAD HABITS SHOULD BE HANDLED IN A RELATIONSHIP

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR PARTNER'S SPENDING HABITS INFLUENCE YOU?

SPENDING HABITS OF YOUR PARTNER THAT MAY BE RED FLAGS

GET YOUR PARTNER ON BOARD WITH HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHANGES

HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULDN’T TRY TO CHANGE YOUR PARTNER

WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE WITH YOUR PARTNER AND WHAT YOU CAN'T

THE KEY TO A HAPPY RELATIONSHIP

PART FIVE: FAMILY AND HABITS

FAMILY-FRIENDLY PRACTICES TO IMPROVE HABITS

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE FAMILY-HEALTHY HABITS

HOW TO ADDRESS THE POOR HABITS OF YOUR FAMILY

HOW TO RESPOND IF YOUR FAMILY PRACTICES BAD BEHAVIOR

BAD HABITS THAT CAN HURT YOUR KIDS' HEALTH

BAD HABITS' EFFECTS ON YOUR FAMILY

25 WAYS TO ENSURE GOOD HABITS IN YOUR KID

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

A habit is a repetitive behavior you virtually always do without thinking, especially one that is challenging to break. It is more difficult to form good habits because it is simpler to succumb to bad ones.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man well, wealthy, and clever, stated Benjamin Franklin in his book Poor Richard's Almanac back in 1735. One of the best illustrations of a good habit is this quotation. Early rising gives the body and mind a sense of freshness.

The situation right now, however, is just the contrary. Many people stay up late and rise much later. As a result, the person gets lethargic as the effectiveness of the mind and body is decreased.

We all have habits, whether they are good or negative. It can be divided into two groups, good and harmful, depending on the individual. These behaviors are the result of numerous influences. Most of our habits were ingrained in us from an early age. Habits based on instinct include drinking water, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, napping, and sleeping at night.

We are powerless over hunger, thirst, and sleep. When we are hungry or thirsty, we look for food, and when we are tired, we lie down. As a result, these are inborn habits. Other than this, many man-made routines allow a man to look neat and clean, such as brushing your teeth, taking a bath, dressing up, combing your hair, cleaning your room, etc. We can lead better lives by developing good habits.

Everybody has routines. They may be entirely neutral, completely nice, or completely negative. They all share the trait of being habits or patterns of conduct that are practically automatic. Habits don't involve effort or conscious thought. Frequently, we find ourselves acting in habitual ways without awareness of the processes around us.

Define habits first. Habits are the day-to-day choices and activities you make on a tiny scale. Our habits influence about 40% of our daily behaviors.

Your behaviors are mostly to blame for where you are now. How physically fit are you, or how unfit? a result of your habits. How satisfied or unsatisfied are you? a result of your habits. How successful or unsuccessful are you, exactly? a result of your habits.

Despite being a straightforward concept defined, a habit contains numerous significant subtleties and characteristics you should be aware of. I'll share my study on them with you in the remaining chapters of this book.

WHAT ARE HABITS

By definition, habits are actions or beliefs that we repeatedly engage in.

We might obtain a complete definition if we combined the many definitions of a habit from multiple online dictionaries. Consequently, a habit is a behavioral pattern that we frequently repeat or do at regular intervals to strengthen our competence and familiarity with the pattern. We might eventually exhibit the behavioral pattern without awareness after a certain period of repetition.

Understanding the definition of a habit might help us comprehend the goals that habit formation is meant to achieve. It also gives us an excellent reason to choose our daily routines carefully to achieve our goals.

While certain habits, like going for a daily walk, are ones we intentionally practice, others, like mindlessly overeating, come about automatically and unconsciously. Here, we're going to pay particular attention to the second category of habits—those that, despite our best efforts to break them, seem to have a weird ability to persist.

Here is a fundamental psycho-biological truth concerning habits: the mind is naturally habitual. Each of us has an innate, habit-forming process to aid us in learning, one of the most crucial survival skills.

Ever observed a young youngster playing peek-a-boo? They appear to be able to go on forever, giggling whenever their parents' faces emerge. This is because peek-a-boo is more than just a game; it also helps kids develop what psychologists call object constancy. Because the nervous system is designed to learn vital information by repetition at the most fundamental level, children desire to repeatedly see the face emerge from what appears to be nothingness.

The act of habituating, or doing something repeatedly, also has another psychological goal: to nudge us toward pleasant experiences and away from unpleasant ones. We intuitively repeat any behavior that gives us greater information and control over our environment because learning is a rewarding process.

Unfortunately, this cycle of pleasure is susceptible to distortion. For instance, after a difficult day at work or school, we might have once returned home, eaten some ice cream, and felt instantly better. Feel bad, eat ice cream, feel wonderful, the subconscious silently recorded. The mind automatically repeats this helpful activity on a bad day, creating an ice cream habit.

Habits, including those we desire to preserve and/or break.

The behaviors we want to preserve because they are beneficial to us and the ones we want to get rid of because they prevent us from achieving greater happiness can be divided into these two groups. A habit is just a behavior we automatically repeat that saps our energy, has negative effects on the body or emotions, and is at odds with what we value most in ourselves.

Negative behaviors frequently have positive or enjoyable immediate effects, but these effects are transient and may have unfavorable outcomes. For instance, people can feel peaceful and secure emotionally after smoking a cigarette. Shortness of breath, congestion, and lung illness may occur from this behavior if it is practiced frequently enough. Over time, it takes more cigarettes to get the same impact.

The difficulty for humans in this situation is that the portion of our minds that immediately repeats, Feel awful, smoke a cigarette, feel good, is not the portion of us that can assess the genuine value of this habit. Our mechanical nature will rule without self-reflection and awareness.

Since bad habits are inherently self-repeating, mindfulness is the essential component required for all bad habits to be overcome.

CONSCIOUSNESS AND AWARENESS

Here, consciousness refers to awareness, awakening, and presence. It indicates that we are mindful of our actions. Although it's easier said than done, there isn't a miracle cure for an undesirable habit. According to psychology, life forces us to become awake moment by the minute due to our bad habits.

We can start to awaken ourselves and ask: Is this what I intend to choose at this moment? instead of the typical method of struggling against a habit like overeating and blaming ourselves when we fail to eradicate it. Even if we ask ourselves this question and decide to keep eating right away, we have worked our selecting muscle and strengthened it. Our ability to select grows stronger and much more compassionate the following time we are given the same choice.

It takes self-evolution to confront our unhelpful habitual thinking, unhealthful eating patterns, or any habit that inhibits our life force and ability to express ourselves. Our struggles in life serve as a summons to change. It's not about battling oneself, detesting oneself, detesting the habit, or focusing on our flaws. The goal is to cultivate an enlightened, loving heart and slowly lead ourselves back to our true selves.

A SCIENTIFICAL APPROACH TO HABITS: DOPAMINE.

Habits both liberate and destroy us. To free up mental capacity for more essential tasks like choosing which home to buy, good habits automate menial duties like cooking breakfast or shutting the door. On the opposite end of the spectrum, bad habits, such as overeating, smoking, and drug use, are to blame for our most serious health issues.

Our routines are controlled by dopamine, the brain's reward molecule. It's created in one of the oldest regions of our brains, and it inspires us to want what's good in the world while also assisting us in learning about it. Every time something positive occurs, dopamine tightens the connection between the circumstance and the activity contributing to your positive feelings. This is how habit-learning works. To make you need those things the next time you are in a situation like this, cigarettes, drugs, and some foods are designed to flood your brain with dopamine.

Resolutions for the new year might be of any size or form. Some people desire to shrink, while others desire to grow. Some people wish to strengthen their memories, while others want to strengthen their forgetfulness.

The behaviors that result from many of these principles. Usually, the objective is to develop these behaviors into habits over time.

A ton of false study asserts that habit formation occurs after deliberate practice for a set period, ranging from 21 to 36 days.

The truth? There isn't a secret formula. Although habits can be formed quickly (just think of quitting smoking after receiving a cancer diagnosis), this is frequently not the case.

The capacity to control the well-known neurotransmitter dopamine is frequently associated with a person's likelihood of success.

DOPAMINE

The moniker neurotransmitter refers to the ability of dopamine to facilitate communication between nerve cells. Dopamine has been dubbed the pleasure molecule by popular science culture, which is accurate, but the truth is that there is much more to the story.

Deep brain regions like the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, and hypothalamus produce around half of the dopamine in our bodies. The digestive system produces the other half, which has a nice two-way link to the brain.

Dopamine manipulation is crucial for understanding how habits can be established, even though it is frequently linked to the high that comes from gambling, drugs, sex, or any other immediately pleasurable behavior.

Upside Down U

Like many of the substances found in our bodies, dopamine is biphasic.

DOPAMINE & HABITS

It resembles an upside-down U when plotted on a graph. It increases, peaks, and then decreases.

To better illustrate, let's utilize an exercise analogy.

You begin a new exercise regimen in the new year. Dopamine rushes through you as your brain accepts the novelty and newness as a positive and pleasant shift. However, if you continued doing the same workouts over time, your brain would start to adapt to the demands, and the novelty would disappear.

Dopamine production in your brain reaches a plateau. After a few additional weeks, the dopamine level starts to fall.

You must alter the stimulus to counteract this decline in dopamine. Social media businesses are quite aware of this. Randomizing the rewards is the best strategy to keep consumers clicking to get more and more dopamine spikes.

Because the largest dopamine boost comes from anticipating the reward rather than receiving it, not receiving it.

Given that, here are three methods to maintain your dopamine levels high:

1. Add novelty to any actions you desire to develop into habits. Change the exact workouts slightly rather than just saying you want to exercise daily. You and your brain will quickly grow bored if you repeatedly do the same thing.

2. Randomize: We frequently toss a person's schedule of workouts into a hat, which has shown effective in the clinic. They take a list of activities from it when they arrive on the day. As a result, their brain continues to secrete dopamine.

3. Reward: Rewarding yourself for good behavior is nothing to be ashamed of or fearful of. We have developed complex reward systems that aid in advancing our lives. Just make sure the reward is in line with the objectives you want to reach. Don't reward yourself with numerous McDonald's value meals, for instance, if you want to lose weight.

Understanding and controlling habit formation are possible. A dopamine-producing brain increases your motivation to persevere. The behavior becomes more ingrained over time until it reaches the habit-forming point.

What happens if my dopamine levels are too high or too low?

If your dopamine levels are low, you may become less driven and enthusiastic about things. It has been related to some mental diseases, such as schizophrenia, psychosis, and depression.

Being competitive, aggressive, and lacking in impulse control are all symptoms of having too much dopamine or too much dopamine concentrated in some areas of the brain and insufficient in other areas. ADHD, binge eating, addiction, and gambling are just a few diseases it can cause.

The dopamine-producing nerve cells eventually deteriorate in Parkinson's disease. Dopamine aids in muscular control; therefore, difficulties with muscle stiffness and mobility result.

The cause of the dopamine imbalance will affect the symptoms. They consist of:

•  aches, spasms, or stiffness in the muscles

•  gastrointestinal issues like reflux or constipation

•  pneumonia

•  Sleeping issues

•  slower movement or speech than usual

•  being worn out and lacking motivation, or depressed and hopeful

•  a lack of libido (sex drive)

•  hallucinations

HOW CAN I ADJUST MY DOPAMINE LEVELS?

By treating the root of the issue, you can raise a low level of dopamine. This could result from mental disease, stress, lack of sleep, drug misuse, obesity, or excessive sweets and saturated fat intake. An issue with the adrenal glands may also contribute to low dopamine levels.

A healthy diet that includes L-Tyrosine-rich foods can help you naturally raise your dopamine levels (the protein needed to make dopamine). Almonds, avocados, bananas, meat, chicken, and eggs are a few. Supplements such as omega-3 fatty acids, turmeric, vitamin D, and magnesium are also said to raise dopamine levels.

Dopamine will also rise during enjoyable activities. Some include exercise, meditation, massage, and getting enough sleep. It might also be beneficial to reflect on your successes and the positive aspects of your life.

Your doctor may prescribe you antidepressants or mood stabilizers, along with other mental disease therapies, if low dopamine is the cause of your depression or schizophrenia.

Dopamine-boosting medications are frequently prescribed to people with Parkinson's disease. These frequently result in significant improvement in symptoms.

HOW DOPAMINE AFFECTS OUR BEHAVIOR

Dopamine is one of the most well-known neurotransmitters that affect behavior in people. Our bodies release dopamine when we engage in pleasurable activities like sexual activity, consuming pleasing food, or using drugs. Creating a reward system follows our brain's association of the dopamine release with pleasure. For instance, eating comfort food causes your brain to release dopamine, which uplifts your mood. As a result, even if comfort food might not be the healthiest option for your body, your brain interprets this as a reward and encourages you to repeat this activity.

Dopamine and reinforcement go hand in hand. It is believed to be the chemical that drives someone to repeat an action. We develop our habits with the aid of reinforcement and rewards. Positive experiences are more appealing to people, whereas negative ones are avoided. We develop these patterns because of dopamine. Because of this, those with low dopamine levels may be more prone to becoming addicted to substances, foods, sex, or alcohol.

DOPAMINE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Lack of dopamine can have negative psychological and physical impacts.

It is crucial to remember that because this key body chemical regulates various bodily processes, unusually low dopamine levels are linked to addiction and can also result in physical and mental deficits.

Low dopamine has been associated with dysfunctions such as anxiety, addiction, and behavioral disorders.

Low dopamine has been linked to impairments such as:

•  Anxiety

•  Behavioral disturbances

•  Addiction

•  Brain fog

•  Mood swings

•  Mental health disorders

•  Delusional behavior

•  Feelings of hopelessness

•  Low self-esteem

•  Depression

•  Lack of motivation

•  Low sex drive

•  Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm

•  Psychosis

The brain determines whether an experience was joyful enough to repeat through dopamine production. People may alter their behavior to help release more dopamine when this deficient neurotransmitter. They will engage in activities stimulating their reward center even if they are hazardous or taboo. They might look for illegal substances like alcohol or narcotics or indulge in other risky, compulsive habits. An unhealthful reward system response in the brain might result from an imbalance of dopamine.

SYMPTOMS OF LOW DOPAMINE

Dopamine has a significant impact on how people behave. A person's quality of life may suffer from low levels of this neurotransmitter. Dopamine levels affect self-control expression, appetite, focus, muscle control, sleep cycles, memory storage, and mood management. An individual cannot perform at their best when there is an imbalance in this chemical.

The following list is not exhaustive of possible signs of insufficient dopamine:

•  Difficulty swallowing

•  Aches and pains

•  Tremors

•  Stiffness/difficulty moving

•  Muscle spasms

•  Loss of balance

•  Awakenings during the night (such as insomnia or excessive sleeping)

It is significant to remember that each person is unique and might not display the same symptoms. Your healthcare practitioner can assist you in several ways if you think you or someone you care for may have a dopamine shortage.

PART ONE: THE FOCUS ON BAD HABITS

Bad habits disrupt your life and keep you from reaching your objectives. Your physical and emotional well-being are in danger because of them. They also squander your time and effort. Why then do we continue to do them? And perhaps most importantly, what can you do about it?

Motives for Recognizing Trends

There are various reasons to recognize trends, but the most significant ones are to protect previously formed positive habits and identify areas of our life that require development. Particularly when it comes to our lifestyle choices, it is true.

The first step to conquering health obstacles and leading a healthier life is recognizing undesirable habits and their causes. Additionally, negative habits feed off one another. Consequently, it's critical to spot trends before they get worse.

Furthermore, when you recognize trends, you might find an underlying factor influencing many facets of your life. For instance, smoking, inactivity, and pollution all impact lung health. Furthermore, it affects how quickly you can ascend a flight of stairs or how long you can play with your children.

IDENTIFY BAD HABITS: REASONS WHY