Welcome to Day 5 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! In the past two blogs, we have focused on Setting Goals for a better future and Being Mindful in the present. In today’s blog, we are going to place awareness on Letting Go of bad habits that were formed in the past.
The Past is History
Being human comes hand in hand with creating bad habits, whether mentally, emotionally, or physically. We live in a world full of opportunities not only to do the wrong thing, but to become habitual in whatever we do. Everyone has a bad habit that they should let go. Most people have many.
By letting go of the ones we hold onto, we move away from the mistakes of the past and lighten the load we carry with us in the present and into the future.
When I began developing The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, one of my main motivations was to stop smoking. As with most bad habits, it was never part of my plan. In fact, I didn’t have a plan, and I think that was part of the problem. I started smoking socially, and then it became an increasingly frequent habit throughout my 20s that I would always slip back into.
It was only when I tried to stop that I realised how hard it was to quit smoking tobacco.
Replacing Bad Habits with Good Ones
Despite stopping several times, including stopping for a year starting on the day I won Pointless, it was always a lot easier to start smoking again than it was to stop. After a couple of cigarettes on a night out, the old habit would kick back in, and my health would pay the price. My skin would get bad and I would generally feel terrible.
Letting Go is different from the other habits in the W9AD in that it is the only one that requires you NOT to do something. But with that said, it is still you taking active control of your behaviour. This can be a hard thing to do because the only way for your brain to process the idea of not doing something is to process the idea of doing it, which was the last thing I wanted to think about when quitting smoking.
Thankfully, I had my fledgeling version of The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal to help me through, and on 3rd April 2021, I had my last inhale of tobacco. I honestly believe that it was that early attempt at the W9AD that helped me quit smoking. Instead of trying to stop by willpower alone, I was actively building other positive habits that benefitted my health and wellbeing and gave me better focus.
I like to think of Letting Go as giving something up to make room for all the good habits we are about to build. As you continue with your journal, you may want to let go of a specific bad habit for good, or for a set period. With The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, your commitment need only be for the next day. As with me and smoking, it doesn’t take too many next days before you leave your bad habit behind for good.
Call to Action!
Take some time to think about your bad habits. Write down a list of your behaviours that are having a negative affect on your health and wellbeing. Sort your bad habits from the ones that are worst at the top to the least negative at the bottom. Identify the highest habit on the list that you would be willing to give up and make that the focus of your Letting Go.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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