Everyone has one or more habits that they’d like to break, ranging from smoking and overeating to nail biting and grinding teeth.

Although patterns are natural to human behaviour, overdoing something can be financially, physically or psychologically damaging. As such, breaking a detrimental habit should be on the top of your list, and here are a few ways you can do that.

1. Understand the psychology behind the habit

According to Charles Duhigg, a reporter for the New York Times who’s covered topics regarding human behaviour, there are three concepts that make up a habit. These are the trigger or cue, routine or habit and reward or gratification. Before attempting to change the routine, you must study the trigger (the stimulus responsible for making you want to do the habit) and reward (the sensation you get after performing the habit).

For example, the habitual need to check your social media maybe triggered by a feeling of boredom, fear of missing out, or being lonely. After checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you might feel a brief sense of relief and completeness.

2. Become more aware of the trigger and sensation

While you might be aware of the habit, it’s highly unlikely that you’re aware of the frequency of its triggers and rewards. But now that you’re aware of these two aspects, you should begin writing down the regularity of these processes. This will help you to become conscious of the sensation that heralds your routine.

As you go about your days for a month or two, record any situations that might, for instance, trigger your need to nibble on that piece of chocolate or run out of the office to get your nicotine fix. This process is not so that you can stop the trigger or fix it, but to find competing responses to the trigger.

3. Replace the habit with another action

Assuming that you’ve record the number of times you’ve felt the urge to check your Facebook newsfeed, you’re now fully aware of your triggers and how you feel after you satisfy them. At this point, it’s time to carry out an alternative, competing response.

For example, as you begin to feel bored or like you’re missing out, log out of your social media platforms, put your mobile devices or computer in another room, and do something that gives you the same gratification as checking your social media. This may include stepping out of your house (without a smartphone or tablet) and going to visit friends, or just taking a walk. Simpler solutions also include reading a book or jotting down little doodles to keep yourself entertained.

Altering your habits won’t happen overnight. It may take a few days or a month to fix, but as you begin to introduce your new response, it will overpower the bad habit, while still providing you with the same gratification. As you go through the process of rehabilitating your responses, take note of the effectiveness of the competing response.

If (after a month, or so, of trying out a new response) your competing routine makes up 15 of the 20 times you respond to the trigger, then it is safe to say you’re on your way to kicking your unhealthy habit completely. However, if you find that your old habit is still the main recourse, it’s time to look for a new competing response. The road ahead might be bumpy and uneven, but your habit – as with every habit – is beatable.

About the author: Tendai

Tendai is the content manager for Maestro Pressure Coolers and has a profound interest in health and wellbeing. He has written a number of articles on how to improve one’s health and can be followed on his Google+ for more interesting content on the topic.