Here’s a little tip to help you identify a habit that might be destructive.
Destructive habits are any kind of habit though which the outcome, or consequence, has a negative impact on your life.
These habits, for me at least, are triggered by either the joy of accomplishing something and feeling good, or the pain of not accomplishing something and feeling bad.
For example, I was a serial snacker. Deep down, I still am, but I’ve managed to cut right down because I realised when I got cravings (triggers) and why.
I’d often reach for the biscuit tin when I accomplished something. Even something small or trivial. Let’s say I finished a report or a presentation. I’d feel like I’d accomplished something and reach for the biscuit tin for a reward.
Well done, you. You did something good, now here’s a treat.
That’s basically how you train a dog.
I’d also reach for the biscuit tin when something didn’t quite go my way or when I felt the slightest hint of depression. My manager said no to a project I proposed or I’d spent 20 minutes on Instagram and realised I didn’t have enough time left before my next call to work on whatever I was meant to be working on.
Here, the biscuit (or biscuits) were a bit of a pick-me-up; a way of turning a bad situation into a slightly better one.
Oh well, I’ve lost 20 minutes of my day, but this tasty treat will help me forget about it and feel a bit better.
Both of those triggers prompted destructive routines that gave me temporary emotional rewards with negative consequences.
I say they’re destructive because at one point I realised that, on some days, I’d probably been consuming 1000 calories of biscuits (you can be the judge on whether that’s 1000 calories of rewards or 1000 calories of pick-me-ups).
At one point, I reached 14 stone. That’s simply too heavy.
But, in identifying that trigger, and what was behind it, I was able to stop.
I still do snack, when I let my guard down, but knowing how to consciously recognise it and why stops me heading to the biscuit tin more than 9 times out of ten.
Now, there’s that blog finished. Time for a reward.