There’s no united answer to whether people can change or not. While physical changes happen inside the body all the time, in terms of personality traits and characteristics, it’s very much debatable. They say that money changes people. But doesn’t money actually make circumstances that reveal them? This topic is of very high debate with plenty of ramifications. However, as the Roman proverb says, “Every man is the architect of his own fortune,” and that’s the naked truth.
There are certain things that can be changed and influenced by the individual himself. Types of behavior, such as bad habits, addictions, and often health-related issues, are something humans can control and change. Speaking of which, it’s usually healthy, good habits established in our lives that improve the overall quality of our lives and simultaneously replace the bad habits.
However, it’s important to shove the bad habits out the door. How to break bad habits is a question many are looking for the answer to. And while the answer is rather obvious, it’s not so easy to accomplish. The key is to replace a bad habit with a good one. And as with all behavior patterns, they take time to establish. However, the common perception that it takes 21 days to develop a habit is just a myth. In reality, it takes around two months to establish a habit that becomes automatic.
Nevertheless, if you’re wondering how to stop bad habits, it also comes with a challenge: to come up with alternative, less harmful, or healthy and good habits to have instead. For example, resist the urge to smoke with a few minutes of breathing exercises or replace scrolling on your phone with reading a book before bedtime.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of bad habits examples that you would be better off giving up. Remember that what is considered a bad habit may vary from person to person as it’s very individual. However, for the sake of this post, we will refer to bad habits such as those that are harmful to health or socially treated as ‘wrong’ or ‘unethical.’ Do you have any of the ‘bad’ habits from the bad habits list below? Also, what are some good habits to have that you have successfully established throughout life? Let us know!
#1
Drinking and driving.
#2
Bullying people.
#3
Talking during movies.
#4
Being late all the time.
#5
Too much cologne/perfume.
#6
Believing everything you see on the internet.
#7
Interrupting other people when they’re speaking.
#8
Speaking with your mouth full.
#9
Littering.
#10
Spitting in public.
#11
Coughing and sneezing without covering your mouth.
#12
Chewing with mouth open.
#13
Assuming that people know what you’re thinking rather than telling them.
#14
Promising things you aren’t sure you can deliver.
#15
Telling people things other have shared with you in confidence.
#16
Lying all the time.
#17
Ignoring physical symptoms of potential health problems.
#18
Obsessively checking your cell phone.
#19
Spreading rumors or gossip.
#20
Comparing yourself negatively to others.
#21
Criticize other people too much.
#22
Saying “Yes” to everything.
#23
Not protecting yourself from the sun.
#24
Leaving clean laundry in the washing machine so long that it smells bad.
#25
Blaming others because of your failures.
#26
Excessive complaining.
#27
Borrowing and not returning items.
#28
Finishing people’s sentences.
#29
Focusing on the negatives.
#30
Not cleaning fingernails.
#31
Failing to wash your hands frequently enough.
#32
Not appreciating all the good things in your life.
#33
Picking nose.
#34
Smoking cigarettes.
#35
Sleeping with makeup.
#36
Using your cell phone at the dinner table.
#37
Not telling your doctor the truth.
#38
Gambling too much or gambling with money you can’t afford to lose.
#39
Slurping soup.
#40
Driving too fast or too slow.
#41
Cancelling plans with friends at the last minute.
#42
Being unwilling to accept constructive feedback from others.
#43
Texting or otherwise using your phone while talking to someone in person.
#44
Avoid paying bills on time.
#45
Being a know-it-all.
#46
Picking your teeth when other people are around.
#47
Failing to honor commitments.
#48
Arguing in public.
#49
Loaning money to people you know will never pay you back.
#50
Not drinking enough water.
#51
Not taking off shoes when you enter the home.
#52
Excessive alcohol consumption.
#53
Popping/snapping gum in public.
#54
Spending time worrying about spam comments, negative reviews, and internet trolls.
#55
Eating too many processed foods.
#56
Regularly carrying a heavy bag on the same shoulder.
#57
Preparing food without tying back long hair.
#58
Having workaholic tendencies.
#59
Behaving passive-aggressive.
#60
Eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.
#61
Refusing to learn anything new.
#62
Leaving your keys and wallet in random places.
#63
Hoarding things.
#64
Biting fingernails.
#65
Drinking energy drinks.
#66
Failing to go to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.
#67
Drinking too many high-sugar beverages.
#68
Not properly disinfecting or cleaning contact lenses.
#69
Putting things off until the last minute.
#70
Slacking off at work.
#71
Taking on more than you can handle.
#72
Too much multitasking.
#73
Sitting around waiting for the perfect moment to begin something.
#74
Wearing the wrong shoes.
#75
Buying too many lottery tickets.
#76
Leaving the lights on when you leave the room.
#77
Excessively checking your hair/eyebrows/makeup/nails.
#78
Dropping food and eating it anyway.
#79
Bragging too much.
#80
Saving broken things to fix… someday.
#81
Emotional shopping.
#82
Spending too much time online.
#83
Using a worn out toothbrush.
#84
Paying for entertainment subscriptions that you don’t use.
#85
Staying indoors too much.
#86
Substituting online connections for in-person relationships.
#87
Putting your faith in people who are known to be unreliable.
#88
Being too much of a perfectionist with cleanliness.
#89
Poor nutrition.
#90
Overthinking.
#91
Being envious of the success of others.
#92
Overly affectionate public displays of affection.
#93
Watching random videos that scroll across your feed about someone’s child or cat.
#94
Being all work and no play.
#95
Spacing out and not paying attention to what people say during conversations.
#96
Not warming up before exercise.
#97
Never brushing your tongue.
#98
Trying to change your significant other.
#99
Following an irregular sleep schedule.
#100
Negative self-talk/self-criticism.
#101
Allowing yourself to get distracted from what you should be doing.
#102
Emotional eating.
#103
Pencil chewing.
#104
Cramming for exams the night before.
#105
Consuming too much sugar and salt.
#106
Eating too quickly.
#107
Having poor posture.
#108
Buying things you don’t need.
#109
Leaving sheets on the bed too long without changing them.
#110
Spending too much money eating in restaurants.
#111
Finishing a book you hate, just to get it done.
#112
Wearing headphones for too many hours.
#113
Using incandescent bulbs rather than CFLs.
#114
Breaking promises to yourself.
#115
Licking your fingers.
#116
Sitting for long periods of time.
#117
Being too sedentary.
#118
Mumbling or muttering under your breath.
#119
Using slang inappropriately.
#120
Trying to change another person’s opinions.
#121
Excessive throat clearing.
#122
Eating fast food.
#123
Skipping meals in an effort to lose weight.
#124
Snacking before bed.
#125
Loafing too much.
#126
Running errands in rush hour.
#127
Leaving the cell phone plugged in, even when it is fully charged.
#128
Unconscious pen clicking.
#129
Grinding teeth.
#130
Touching your face.
#131
Freeloading your electric devices.
#132
Belching in public.
#133
Claiming your successes are just luck.
#134
Cracking your knuckles.
#135
Using your phone in bed.
#136
Leaving the toilet seat up.
#137
Not holding eye contact.
#138
Picking the ends of your hair.
#139
Watching TV right after work.
#140
Staring into an open fridge (while all cold air goes out.)
#141
Lick or bite lips.
#142
Falling asleep with the television on.
#143
Lack of social connection.
#144
Buying holiday gifts at the last minute.
#145
Skipping breakfast.
#146
Carrying credit card debt.
#147
Worrying about things that could go wrong.
#148
Not brushing teeth after every meal.
#149
Consuming caffeine during the evening hours.
#150
Rushed speech.
#151
Nibbling while cooking.
#152
Humming to yourself.
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