Breaking Bad Habits Is A Process, Not An Event

Is it possible to free yourself from bad habits? Can people really change in any meaningful and long-lasting way? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” But you need a compelling reason to change, and you need to recognize that it won’t happen in 24 hours, as some programs and self-help books promise.

Change is not an event; it’s a process. Change happens through a series of stages, and most successful self-changers fail at least once before they succeed. Willpower alone won’t do it.

Researchers have identified six clear stages in the process of successful self-change:

1. Denial
2. Awareness
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
6. Termination

For most people, the process of breaking a bad habit is not a straight path that takes them from one stage to the next. Successful self-changers usually follow a path where they move forward, go back to a previous stage, and then move on to the next level of commitment. They may do this several times before breaking the habit for good.

Quitting a habit cold turkey usually doesn’t work. If you haven’t prepared yourself, pushing yourself into the action stage will cause you to feel like a failure the first time you slip up. You could end up more addicted to your habit than you were before you tried to quit. If you feel guilty and blame yourself for failing to break the habit, you will find it even harder to make a commitment to quit the next time.

Whatever your bad habit is, even if you have tried to break it many times, tell yourself this time will be different. And it will be because you will understand that breaking your bad habit is a process, not an event. You will have the knowledge and the confidence to succeed this time.

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