Breaking free from a bad habit is easier said than done. People often start off with high hopes then end up feeling weak and frustrated midway.
But Dr. Travis Bradberry, author of "Emotional Intelligence 2.0" and president of TalentSmart, said it only takes 66 days of determination for people to effectively shake off their bad habits. His statement is backed up by the study conducted by researchers from University College in London.
Before Bradberry shared the steps for people to overcome their bad habits, he said it's important for them to first understand how bad habits are formed in the first place.
"Bad habits are formed and reinforced via the habit loop. First, something triggers you to initiate an undesired behaviour," he shared with The Huffington Post.
"Maybe you're feeling stressed, so you decide to numb out on Facebook for an hour or eat a whole bag of Flamin' Cheetos. The trigger event is whatever puts this idea in your head. The second step is the behavior itself. Your brain says, 'Sure, you deserve some Flamin' Cheetos,' so you dig in," he said.
After this, people associate this act as a "reward," and because it feels so good to forget one's problems and put off something they don't want to do, they'll likely repeat the bad behaviour. The rewarding increases over time.
Bradberry said 66 days might seem like a long time to endure, but when people break it down in stages, the process will feel much shorter.
For days one to 10, Bradberry said people should look inward. "Once you've identified a habit to change, the real challenge lies in understanding your triggers, and that can be harder than it sounds, especially if the habit has become so ingrained that you do it subconsciously," he said.
But if people give it enough thought, Bradberry guaranteed that they'll be able to get to the bottom of it. Maybe people like speeding their cars because they always leave work in a foul mood. Maybe people overeat because it's a way for them to cope with stress or deal with emotional issues. Once they raise their awarenesss of these issues, they'll find insight on how to conquer it.
For days 11 to 40, Bradberry said it's time for people to spread the word about their bad habits."Accountability is crucial in breaking bad habits. In this stage, you create a very vocal accountability network by telling everybody you can about the habit you're trying to break, and the more vocal you are about it, the more likely people are to call you out when you slip up," he explained.
Then finally on days 41 to 66, Bradberry said people should brace themselves for relapse triggers. It's common for people to make some mistakes, but whenever people do so, they should be smart enough to avoid bad habit triggers until it is completely extinguished.
Once people conquer their bad habits, Bradberry said it would be nice to get a real reward. "Sure, you could say that breaking the habit is its own reward, but why pass up an opportunity to celebrate? Just don't celebrate by indulging in the habit you worked so hard to break!" he said. "You should also use this opportunity to reflect and select the next habit you're going to break."
