I used to think “just stop” worked—until I started testing habit breaking guide tricks and realized my “I’ll quit tomorrow” ass was wired wrong. Like, last week I doomscrolled again on the F train, heart racing with guilt, and instead of spiraling, I muttered, “Okay, brain, what’s the cue?” and actually felt a shift. Still skeptical, still American, still a mess—but here’s my raw take from the Big Apple, anyway.
I tried “cold turkey” once, wrote “NO SNACKS!” after demolishing chips again—felt ridiculous, seriously. But then I read about bad habit replacement and how your brain needs a new loop. Mind blown, kinda. Anyway, contradictions everywhere—I preach this but still doomscroll X at 2 a.m., oops. That’s me, flawed and trying, whatever.
Step 1-3: Spot, Swap, Survive – My NYC Meltdowns
From my sagging couch, with the faint smell of street halal, breaking bad habits starts with Duhigg’s loop: Cue → Craving → Response → Reward. I started small: every morning, I’d ID one cue, like “Bored = phone.” Sounds lame, but stop unwanted routines is real—dopamine redirects, loop breaks, whatever. I felt it after a week; less auto-scroll, more “eh, I’ll read,” ha.
- Step 1: Name the Beast – Write the habit. Mine’s “Stress = nail-bite.”
- Step 2: Cue Hunt – Trigger? Mine’s “Waiting = phone.” Did this on the platform—wild.
- Step 3: Craving Redirect – Same want, new action. Stress? Fidget cube, not nails.
My big flop? Tried “quitting” coffee by hiding the pot and ended up stress-brewing in the dark. Total fail, ugh. But the overcome negative habits science says replace, don’t remove, I guess. This Atomic Habits book by Clear is wild—your brain can rewire, even if you’re a hot mess like me.
Step 4-6: My Biggest Screw-Ups Breaking Bad Habits
Okay, here’s the real talk on kick bad habits, scribbled from my sweaty journal where the pages stick like glue. These practical habit breaking tricks are what I’ve leaned into, messy as they are, seriously:
- Step 4: Response Swap – Change the move. Phone buzz? 10 squats.
- Step 5: Reward Keep – Same hit, new source. Scroll done? Victory dance, ha.
- Step 6: Track the Whoops – Log slips, no shame. Mine’s “Ate chips at 1 a.m.—lesson,” whatever.
But, ugh, I’m inconsistent—skipped days, binged Netflix, doubted the whole thing, oops. Breaking bad habits ain’t linear; some nights, with subway heat making my shirt stick, I’m like, “Is this even worth it?” Yet, I cut late-night snacking by 80%, which is wild for NYC, seriously. This Greater Good Magazine piece on replacement helped me get why swaps work, I guess.
My Biggest Relapse in Breaking Bad Habits
Oh man, I’ve botched this breaking bad habits thing so many times, it’s almost funny. Once, I tried “willpower” on doomscrolling—boom, 3 a.m. X spiral. Lesson? Habit change steps mean system, not strength, duh. I now say, “Cue = water, not phone,” and it’s way less fake, I think.
Another fail? Overdosed on “perfect.” Told myself “Zero slips!” while my chips mocked me, oops. Felt like a liar, seriously. Now I stick to 1% better: “One less bite,” ha. This NIH study on cue swaps slapped sense into me, finally.
Wrapping Up My Chaotic Breaking Bad Habits
Phew, what a ramble—breaking bad habits has been my lifeline through NYC heat, chip binges, and dark brews, ha. I’m no guru, just a dude with cold coffee and a cat side-eye, trying to keep my head up, whatever. It’s not magic, but it’s real, I guess. Try one tiny hack—spot a cue, swap a craving, or something. Drop your own quit bad habits wins or epic relapses below—I read ‘em all, even when I’m stress-eating halal at midnight, ha. Let’s keep it real, y’all, seriously.
Outbound links :
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (because I skimmed it while eating chips)
- MyFitnessPal (where I log meals for 3 days then forget forever)
