How to Wean Yourself Off Your Unhealthy Habits

All of us sometimes succumb to our bad habits, be they as minor as staying up too late reading blogs, or as potentially disastrous as gambling too much money. While sources vary on the amount of time it takes to create a habit – good or bad – anyone can tell you that if you do something over and over again, it can form a habit. Many of us drink a cup of coffee in the morning without thinking about it, or smoke cigarettes as a form of stress relief. By tying mental rewards to these things and making them automatic, you are reinforcing these habits, whether you like it or not.

It’s not easy to break a habit. Since many bad habits are pretty much automatic, it can sometimes be hard to realize you’re about to do something until you’re already doing it. It’s necessary to make a conscious decision not to perform a behavior. Sometimes this is difficult if you are tired or stressed. One tried and true way to stop a bad habit is to wean yourself off by replacing it with another habit. Since three bad habits many people tend to have are consuming too much caffeine, staying up too late, and smoking cigarettes, let’s take a look at some suggestions for turning around these bad habits.

Too Much Caffeine

Many people begin drinking coffee or energy drinks for the first time in high school or college. After staying up late to party or to finish an assignment, they assume that they need caffeine to wake up and stay alert in class. Though many of us stop having homework after graduating from college, it does not stop the cycle of the bad behavior. What’s worse, caffeine consumption can perpetuate itself; drinking coffee during the day can lead to the inability to sleep, which in turn can make you tired and feel the need to consume more caffeine.

To wean off of a caffeine addiction, try to start by changing the way you think about it. Try drinking one less cup, or even going a day without it. Do you need it to stay awake? If you tend to have a lot of caffeine over the course of the day, start slowly by cutting back a little at a time. You can try replacing some of your cups of coffee with cups of green tea, which is less caffeinated; or if you dislike tea, have a partially-decaf cup of coffee. Of course, if you’re still tired, you’ll need to treat that too.

Too Much of a Night Owl

Studies have shown that different people perform better work at different times of day. Some people are naturally well-suited to starting their day early; some people will always struggle to wake up before 9am. Unfortunately, our world is set up in a disadvantageous way to most night owls. If you have trouble getting to bed on time, the first thing you should do is get ready for sleep earlier. Don’t just start getting ready eight hours before you need to wake up; start an hour before then if that’s what it takes.

Our environment has a big effect on our quality of sleep. Make sure that your bedroom is truly dark and that digital displays on clocks or computers aren’t actually contributing a lot of light to the room. Put your cell phone on silent or alarm-only and place it far enough away that you aren’t constantly checking it. Using a computer or watching TV before bed can actually make you less sleepy, so try to end your screen time an hour before you go to sleep. It can be helpful to have a routine before bed; personally, I keep a book on my bedside table and read for about a half hour every night. It’s a calming activity and because it’s what I always do before bed, even picking up the book can make me feel sleepier.

Too Many Cigarettes

Many people begin smoking in their teen years, whether it is to fit in, to relieve stress, or suppress appetite – and the habit continues for life. We’ve all heard the bad things about smoking; the smoke is unhealthy for you and those around you, it can stain your teeth or fingers and give you a cough, and not to mention that over a lifetime it adds up to a lot of money! It’s one of the hardest habits to break; according to WebMD only 10% of people who try to quit smoking without outside help manage to succeed.

To wean yourself off of cigarettes, you have several options. Nicotine replacement devices, medicine, or therapy are all viable options. You could buy ecigs and give them a try; they are much cleaner than regular cigarettes and fill the same void. Another option if you want to go cold turkey is to try to replace the habit with another. For instance, every time you want to smoke a cigarette, you can try chewing gum instead. Just be sure the habit is a healthy one!

General Advice

You don’t have to tackle breaking a bad habit on your own; a quick Google search will find a number of support communities and forums where others are trying to break the same habits you want to get rid of. In-person support groups also exist, and if neither of these options appeals to you, you can always get your friends and family in on it. Ask them to help you catch yourself committing these bad behaviors, and help you brainstorm ways to stop. You can even make a game out of it; anytime your spouse catches you consuming caffeine or smoking a cigarette, you pay them a dollar or give them a backrub.

It is best to focus your efforts on breaking one habit at a time. Attempting to break three or four habits at once can get confusing and make you resent your new way of life. Some people also say that it can help to start trying to break a habit during a vacation because your normal routines have already been interrupted. What habits are you trying to break? Share in the comments below, or help brainstorm other ideas to break these or other common habits.

Featured images: License: Creative Commons image source

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About the author: Adrienne is an aspiring writer who is working hard to break some of her own bad habits. When she’s not blogging, you might find her practicing French, whipping up a recipe she found on Pinterest, or obsessing over snail mail.

How to Wean Yourself Off Your Unhealthy Habits

De-stress your marriage

via newvision.co.ug

An informative article on the effect that stress can have on a marriage as well as some practical tips on managing your stress together.

Stress Symptoms- Is There Any Difference Between Men And Women?

Men and women; they are not just different genders but there are significant differences between them when it comes to attitude, behavior and perspective towards life. Stress symptoms too vary from men to women as do their responses. Now there are a number of reasons why members of different genders exhibit unlike stress symptoms stress symptoms  of which lifestyle habits and hormones are the most important factors. Below are the most commonplace and noticeable physical as well as psychological differences in the stress responses of men and women.

 Stress Symptoms Observed In Men

Following stress symptoms are observed in Men during extremely stressful conditions.
•    Weakness and fatigue.  Men are prone to suffer severe physical and mental exhaustion under consistent stress conditions.  Reduced endurance level, loss of energy and stamina, unrelenting sense of weariness capture his senses and thus reduce his concentration and focus significantly. 
•    Loss of memory Loss or deficiency of memory under stressful circumstances is common in men. Forgetfulness might affect his daily schedules, meetings and personal commitments.  As the problem becomes too acute, medical consultation might be necessary. 
•    Irregular sleeping patterns  Sleep disorders are common in stressed out men. They might sleep too much or the sleeping hours might be reduced noticeably. Both of these conditions might cause fatigue, insomnia and depression.
•    Physical symptoms Physical manifestations of stress include chest pain, palpitations, high blood pressure, headaches, increased sweating, constipation, obesity, indigestion, reduced sex drive, impotency and alcohol or drug abuse.

Stress Symptoms Observed In Women

Women are prone to experience anxiety and stress more often than men. Stress can be incurred by unhappy personal relationships, insecurity, workplace hassles and physical disorders. Following are the stress symptoms common in women.
•    Headaches caused by stress are known as tension headaches and they affect women frequently. As a result of persistent stress women might get headaches, back pain or acute stomach cramps everyday!
•    Digestive disorders, diarrhea, constipation and irregular bowel movement could be signs of stress. Also unbalanced eating and reduced appetite might cause stomach ulcers in women.
•    Irregular sleeping patterns and sleeplessness are effects of stress. Chronic insomnia might cause reduced concentration, physical fatigue and severe headaches.
•    Difficulty in breathing, asthma attacks and spasm are common stress symptoms in women.
•    Abnormal menstruation, loss of sex drive and other feminine problems might result as effects of stress.

Why Do Stress Symptoms Vary In Men And Women?

Oxytocin, epinephrine and cortisol are the three important hormones that regulate stress responses in men and women. Under stressful conditions, cortisol and epinephrine together increase sugar and pressure level in blood whereas cortisol alone reduces body’s immunity power. Oxytocin is produced in much less amount in men than women. Cortisol helps in releasing stress responses and pressure induced by stress. Hence the stress symptoms seem to be more acute in men than women.
If you would like more detailed information about varying stress symptoms in men and women, visit ManageStressAnxiety.com

Diagnose The Stress Symptoms In You

The Stress Symptoms

There is no doubt that modern society has advanced our standard of living and way of life, but at the same time all the hustle and bustle and increased demands have taken its toll on our mental and physical health. Though people consider moderate stress symptoms as a positive part of their lives, it is tough to cope when the stress levels becomes overwhelming. If you too are bogged down with professional and personal stress and find anxiety and depression as a chronic part of your everyday life, it is time to take some serious steps.
Identifying the stress symptoms  is of utmost importance in order to ward off more critical physical or psychological disorders.

Stress Symptoms Commonly Exhibited By All

Stress is so commonplace nowadays that we barely pay any attention to stress symptoms. Often certain manifestations of stress and anxiety are mistaken as standalone health problems. In the mean time stress spoils your emotional as well as physical health silently and causes various complex diseases and cardiovascular problems. The natural immunity system of body weakens as a result of continuous stress; you become prone to falling sick every now and then. So you must keep a check on the stress symptoms as they appear and be proactive in reducing your anxiety.

General Physical Stress Symptoms

Stress symptoms, especially when they concern the health of an individual, are often taken lightly as nominal health problems wherein in realty they are much deep-rooted. Find out the regular stress symptoms observed in most people:
•    Tension headaches triggered by stress is the commonest of all stress symptoms.
•    All types of sleep problems can be caused by disturbed nervous system and persistent stress.
•    Indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, stomach pain or lower abdomen cramps could be set off due to stress.
•    Palpitations, Chest pain, cardiovascular troubles, hypertension and high sugar or blood pressure are often caused by continuous stress. 
•    Other common stress symptoms include mouth ulcers, skin rashes, gastritis, colitis, heavy sweating, inflammations, premature ejaculation in men, menstrual problems in women and breathing troubles.

General Emotional Stress Symptoms

General Emotional Stress

Our mental stability and emotional health is strongly connected with the stress response system of our body. Hence understanding the emotional stress symptoms is also necessary.
•    Persistent irritability, frustration, annoyance and restlessness are the common manifestations of stress. 
•    Under stressed out conditions, people often commit mistakes in decision making due to reduced problem-solving capacity. It results in a number of hazards in professional and personal lives.
•    Stress causes loss or shortness of memory and focus. It further instigates negative thoughts and causes more complex problems.
•    Mindless eating, obsession or uncontrollable cravings and recurrent mood swings are common stress symptoms. 
•    Other stress symptoms include loss of reasoning skills, sensibility and happiness which shows up in sudden nervous breakdowns. 
To deal with stress more effectively and smartly, you need to understand the stress symptoms  in a comprehensive manner. To find help on the same, visit ManageStressAnxiety.com

Useful Tips On How To Deal With Stress

How To Deal With Stress With Stand Alone Remedies

Stress has become literally ubiquitous in modern society in various forms. All types of professional or personal stress cause several physical as well as psychological hazards. Most of the so-called stress relief methods that educate you on how to deal with stress recommend overnight lifestyle changes. However an individual who is already stressed might not be able to change his/her everyday habits immediately. This is when you need stand alone how to deal with stress remedies which will help you control your stress conditions without making any significant lifestyle changes!

How To Deal With Stress With Optimism?

Pessimists are people who have an inherent tendency to see the negative sides of almost everything and every situation in life. They often worry over trifles, become anxious and then end up with stress symptoms like depression, sleeplessness and fatigue. At the same time optimists are bestowed with the power of positive thinking that helps them stay on the winning end always. Not that they have to face fewer struggles in life; but their positive perspective takes them a long way!
The secret to deal with stress effectively is adopting the correct attitude. If you consider the stressful situations as threats to your existence, your body will show up strong responses and thus your regular problem-solving and analytical skills will be inhibited. This is how pessimists end up with a jumpy and negative state of mind. On the other hand optimists take up stress and anxiety as creative challenges which they deal calmly and steadily. This is the reason why positive thinkers are always one step ahead of the negative thinkers!

10 Simple How To Deal With Stress Suggestions

Take a look at these 10 simple stress busters that go a long way in keeping you content and mostly stress-free:
•    Rise only 20 minutes earlier in the morning and take a walk outside to inhale some fresh air.
•    No more sleeping pills. Sleep peacefully on a comfy bed, do some reading before bedtime and strictly avoid daytime napping!
•    Maintain diaries or sticky notes to keep trivial and everyday tasks in mind.  Stop loading your memory unnecessarily!
•    Keep all stuffs, such as keys and wallets, for daily usage handy and always in the same place, this cuts out the stressful part of searching for them every single day!
•    Finish simple daily chores yourself to maintain normal activity level. 
•    Secure at least an hour of the day for your favorite hobby or exercise.
•    Talk to your loved ones about your work life stress or personal turmoil.
•     Keep pessimists away from you!
•    Keep in touch with all friends and talk to them frequently.
•    Smiling keeps you facial muscles relaxed and cuts down stress. So SMILE!
The above stress relief remedies are simple and easy to implement. Once you realize how to deal with stress without making any big time lifestyle changes, you can actually stay happy and stress free in all situations. If you would like more information about how to deal with stress, visit ManageStressAnxiety.com

How To Deal With Stress On Daily Basis

How To Deal With Stress And Its Causes?

It could be the work overload, personal problems or other demanding situations that might make you anxious and pose a threat to your physical and psychological health and well-being.  Now that stress has become recognized and commonplace in our daily lives and no one can ever deny the fact that he/she has experienced stress at some time. So learning skills on how to deal with stress has become really necessary for all! Though there are many remedies, tips and aids that offer stress relief, a person suffering stress conditions needs to know how to deal with stress in his/her own way.

How To Deal With Stress Triggered By Challenging Situations And Angst?

Figuring out the root cause of any form of anxiety, stress or worry is the first step towards getting relief from it. Until and unless you are able to eradicate this CAUSE, no stress relief method will actually provide you with the desired respite! A suggestion is to sit in a calm and quiet place and concentrate on your inner self to locate the cause of your worry. Other methods could include confiding in your near and dear ones or committing to paper your fears and concerns.

If there are certain activities such as exercising or hobbies you enjoy doing, consider taking them up more regularly to relieve the stress in your body and mind. When situations and thoughts get out of your control and deteriorate over time, try to stop worrying about them, many things that your fear getting worse often improve with time. You can never do any good to yourself thinking about them over and over! Controlling your anxiety is a process is called self-counseling.

Now understanding the method of self-counseling and implementing it in your life is not an easy job. It takes a lot of time, patience, setbacks and effort to master this art. Do not ever give up, continue practicing and make dealing with anxiety a skill integrated into your everyday life. Soon you will be coping with your stress all by yourself.

How To Deal With Stress By Making Simple Changes In Lifestyle?

Often people do not realize that their unhealthy way of life imposes extra stress on them. It could be a sedentary lifestyle or poor nutrition that leads to fatigue, resulting in further anxiety, stress and depression. These problems are not restricted to adults anymore; even adolescents and children need to implement certain healthy changes to their daily habits to overcome stress symptoms.
Waking up early in the morning, taking a brisk walk and inhaling some fresh air can go a long way in improving overall stress conditions of a person. Give up junk food and switch to natural wholesome foods instead. Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and keep your system hydrated. Sleep at least 8 hours a day so that the body remains fresh and healthy every day.  Cut out the late night movies and video game hours!
To understand how to deal with stress effectively, you must figure out the causes and symptoms of stress and anxiety. For in-depth information on how to deal with stress, visit ManageStressAnxiety.com.

Effective Tips For Fast Stress Relief

Using Simple Stress Relief Techniques To Handle Anxiety And Strain Effectively

Anxiety And Strain Effectively

Excess workplace strain and problems in personal lives often create more stress than an individual can handle. People feel that getting some extra sleep over weekends or spending few hours in front of the TV set is good enough to combat the stress. However, these methods barely provide any substantial Stress Relief in terms of reducing the hazardous effects of anxiety on the body and mind. The only effective way to deal with stress and anxiety is incorporating some natural processes in day to day life.  Some of the techniques include relaxation as well as physical exercises, meditation, a nourishing diet and aromatherapy. Collectively these will offer complete Stress Relief from within.
Stress, in reasonable amount, is almost essential for human beings especially because it brings out the hidden creativity and allows them to handle the steepest competitions of life skillfully. However extreme stress could impede the normal balances of one’s nervous system and overall health. Here we will discuss some of the effective techniques to fight stress efficiently.

Relaxation For Effective Stress Relief

Every human being is unique in his/her own way; hence all of them have a different set of personal preferences, physical conditions, fitness levels and stress conditions. All these should be considered when figuring out the specific relaxation technique for any individual.
Deep Breathing Technique: Deep breathing is an age-old technique of instant stress relief and relaxation that also serves as the cornerstone for many other exercise methods. Sit in a relaxed position and keep one hand on the chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale deeply so that the stomach expands while the chest goes in. Press the abdominal muscles inside while exhaling through your mouth. 
Muscle Relaxing Technique: This is suitable for people with no muscle injuries or back pain. Wear comfortable clothes and practice deep breathing before you start. Concentrate on the right leg muscles and slowly tense them up by contracting. Hold the contracted position for 10 seconds and then release the tension. Perform the same process for other muscle groups of your body.

Healthy Diet For Stress Relief

Unhealthy dietary habit is the root cause of malnourishment and thus increased stress levels. If you intend to combat stress effectively, make sure to consume a diet rich in Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate, Vitamins, Minerals and Fiber.  It will not only suffice your body’s regular need for nutrition but also reduce the stress symptoms like fatigue and anxiety. Consume more fresh fruits and green vegetables instead of sugary or junk foods that are rich in bad cholesterol and toxins. Switch to whole grains and organic foods instead of refined items. Drink plenty of water to keep the system clean and healthy.

Finding Stress Relief With Essential Oils Aromatherapy

Relief With Essential Oils Aromatherapy

Essential oils are used to reduce the painful effects of excessive stress through aromatherapy remedies. Extracts of Lavender, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Marjoram, Rosemary and Basil are commonly used remedies for stress relief.  The soothing effects and aroma of these oils eases symptoms like insomnia, disrupted sleep, mood swings, fatigue and depression.
Any or all of these methods can be incorporated in one’s daily life to achieve Stress Relief for good! For more information visit ManageStressAnxiety.com