Breaking Bad Habits with the Help of NLP

Breaking bad habits can be really difficult, isn’t it? Sometimes people try so many different methods and dollars to eliminate their bad habits, but they keep failing. Why? This is because they want quick and easy results.

Breaking bad habits can be done easily only if you are willing to put in the effort. Everyone has annoying habits that they would like to change or eradicate from their lives. These habits could be anything from biting our nails, indulging in too much chocolate, or even smoking, for example.

Sometimes bad habits can cause various psychological problems like anxiety, depression, stress, etc.

It is only when the habit gets out of control and becomes a problem that we recognize and realize that we need to cut back or stop altogether but breaking a habit can be an exceptionally difficult task. Usually, try as we might; the habit often persists.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) looks at how we can change our current perceptions to simply and effectively eradicate those habits that are causing us problems.

It is not as difficult as we may believe, because if we think in terms of the brain is a computer and then consider that NLP is the software required to reprogram the computer, we can see that we simply need to integrate this updated program into our minds and this will enable us to see things in a completely different light.

Sometimes our existing views can be so limiting that they hold us back, keep us tied to specific behavioral patterns, and even if this is not a conscious decision unless we learn how to change our perceptions at source, we are always likely to struggle, stay set in our ways, forever replaying our bad habits.

If we agree that our brains are computers, they can be updated, and the contents stored within can be restructured; this would then allow us to make the most of our reorganized content and progress.

Our habits did not just manifest suddenly, they occurred over a period of time, and we unknowingly allowed them to become a habit.

To change something that has become deeply ingrained, it is safe to assume that we need to do this from the inside out to combat it and eradicate it.

This means that breaking bad habits which have been stuck with us for a while requires us to commence with our brains which are, after all, the powerhouse for everything we think and everything we do.

Quite often, we have doubts about our own abilities. If left unchecked, these doubts can seriously undermine our chances of being able to make important and positive changes in our lives. We must prevent our limiting self-beliefs from restricting our success at changing our lives around.

So, if we have established that in order to be able to change our old way of thinking and feeling, we just need to rethink our perception of the actual problem, i.e., what causes us to continually repeat the habit even though we attempt to resist it.

There are actually three factors of breaking bad habits that we need to consider, and they are:

  1. That the habit occurs because of the thought processes of the individual
  2. How we feel because of those thoughts (the triggers)
  3. How our minds respond to those feelings.

Triggers are very powerful, and when they occur, they send us picture signals of how we would feel if we gave in to this stimulus.

Triggers can produce a powerful emotive response that can be difficult to ignore, such as you like chocolate and you borrow money from your friend to get it. So, When you see chocolate in any other place, you may think to borrow money—those experienced with eating trigger to buy chocolate.

This is because we have become conditioned as to how we will respond to specific triggers. So changing our reaction is the only way we can set up new behavioral responses.

If we allow the triggers to continue to create favorable responses in our minds, then we ultimately end up giving in to the craving or urge to indulge; afterward, we possibly feel anger and sensations of guilt.

So, to change the habit, all we need to do is to address the emotions and sensations conjured up by the trigger using NLP, and once we have achieved this, the new behavior needs to be endorsed.

Breaking Bad Habits- Step 1. Change the perception of the Trigger.

If you assume about smoking and think that this is a bad habit and you want to get rid of, then you simply need to relate some devoted harmful aspects with it, such as how dreadful it smells, how bad it feels when the cigarette in your mouth have and how it tastes so vile. This works best if related to a definite flavor or smell that is found to be disgusting.

Breaking Bad Habits- Step 2. Increase the intensity of this feeling.

Because the trigger and the perception will have now changed, it is important to ensure that this reaction to the repulsive taste or scent is affirmed so that the original pattern does not slip back into place. When the habit is high, enlarge the feeling of dislike towards the trigger and strengthen it. This helps to reaffirm those new responses and keeps the old behavior at bay.

Breaking Bad Habits- Step 3. Re-identify

Carry on the re-identify with the new changing output and give your approval to them. The more this is practiced, the easier it becomes to move away from previously hard-to-break habits. See yourself differently as you move further away from those self-limiting behaviors. Because the mind is so powerful, it will do if it is programmed to work and react in a certain way.

It is easy to incorporate these powerful NLP techniques into a daily routine, over-writing the previous negative information stored on the computer (our brains) and updating it with a more successful behavioral plan.

You can get more information from the book “NLP: The Essential Guide to Neuro-Linguistic Programming.” This book will help you to overcome trauma, fear, stress, or anxiety by increasing your confidence. This book also helps to build effective personal and professional lives and relationships.

These techniques are proven to be highly successful, and NLP can help to overcome any previous problems or self-doubts that may be stored within so that all bad habits can be eliminated successfully and all through accessing the power of the mind.


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