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!
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Bullying people.
Use to only be only kids doing this. Now it seems adults have regressed to this childish behavior.
Talking during movies.
Being late all the time.
I was taught from a young age that when you have somewhere to be you leave early to make it there before the time you're supposed to be.
Too much cologne/perfume.
Especially cheap perfume, it just gives me a headache and makes me nauseous.
Believing everything you see on the internet.
My dad needs to learn this one. He believes damn near everything he reads or sees on the Internet.
Interrupting other people when they’re speaking.
My brain is like 63 miles ahead of everything else (ADHD) so this is me lmao
Same here! My husband and kids are ADD/ADHD too. If we put our fingers on the tip of our nose when someone else is talking, it means "I don't want to be rude and interrupt but I have a thought so as soon as you can stop for a sec please let me say the thing before I forget the thought." Works GREAT for us.
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THIS...It's one of my top ranked pet peeves. One of my coworkers, you'll be telling them something and they just start talking to you about something completely different...MAKES NO SENSE SHUT YOUR MOUTH UNTIL I"M FINISHED. Sorry..
I've really had to unlearn this, in my family two people will have an entire conversation both talking and listening at the same time. I didn't realise this isn't normal for a long time.
Could you share some tips? I am getting in the habbit of interrupting people because my partner is really chatty and wont ever let me talk. But hate it and i dont want to do it to other people
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Yes, its rude to interrupt but...it has its benefits, it can have its reasons, and it might even help someone. Should I sit back 5 or 10 minutes (or longer) whilst someone is telling me something I already know? Yes, it is polite to listen to people and nice for people to be heard, but it's also a waste of everyone's time particularly in the workplace. Sometimes you can think someone is finished speaking, start to speak but it turns out they'd not finished they'd just paused for breath. And sometimes, your interruption can help someone, stopping them make a fool of themselves or from hurting someone. Not all interruptions bad.
To many people listen to respond and not to understand. They are thinking about their response before you ever get a chance to finish
I'm guilty of this. I ask questions about the subject before they finish. Just tell me to shut up
Everyone does this to me. It's so bad I can barely think of finishing what I want to say because I'm just expecting it.
I have adhd so my brain is constantly annoying. I even interrupt myself, ha!
I have an anoxic brain injury due to a hospital overdosing me. It is literally painful for me when people interrupt me. Because short term memory function is near to nothing I just walk away from strangers and slap the taste out of the mouths of friends and family who know better. ABI also impacts restraint and judgement.
Littering.
If it carried a high enough punishment people would be allot less likely to do it.
Spitting in public.
People who do this spit phlegm. I don't necessarily blame them as it's unhealthy to swallow that, and who wants to carry around a bottle of that? It's disgusting to do it towards someone and a sign of disrespect.
Assuming that people know what you’re thinking rather than telling them.
Telling people things other have shared with you in confidence.
I’m 61, and there are secrets people told me in high school, so between 1975 and 1978—46 to 48 years ago—-that I have still never told anyone about. Of course, forgetting some of them helps, as does the fact they really don’t matter anymore. But even the ones I remember, important or not, have never been uttered out loud or written down anywhere. Secret’s safe with me.
Promising things you aren’t sure you can deliver.
I'd rather tell someone I doubt I can do it than saying hell yeah I can. I don't like to make myself look dumber than I am.
Obsessively checking your cell phone.
Spreading rumors or gossip.
Try telling this to my classmates. There’s some kind of gossip or the other being spread mostly about some students “being in love” or some bs
Comparing yourself negatively to others.
Criticize other people too much.
Not protecting yourself from the sun.
Leaving clean laundry in the washing machine so long that it smells bad.
Blaming others because of your failures.
Excessive complaining.
People got enough s**t on their plate to not have to take more from someone else.
Borrowing and not returning items.
Failing to wash your hands frequently enough.
How frequently is enough? I wash my hands after going to the washroom, or whenever I'm in the washroom for any reason, before and after eating, and any other time I'm doing something that's a bit dirty or messy. I got rashes and open sores all on my hands and wrists.
Picking nose.
Sleeping with makeup.
I had a ex that did this. Her pillow looked like pennywise did a faceplant on it.
Using your cell phone at the dinner table.
Whoever wrote this doesn't realise that some people have dinner by themselves?
Not telling your doctor the truth.
You can only tell them as much as you know. I hate it when they expect you to be able to tell them the exact cause of an ailment when it's a complete mystery.
Smoking cigarettes.
Driving too fast or too slow.
Absurd. The “speed everyone else is going” is often the only safe speed in many situations.
Texting or otherwise using your phone while talking to someone in person.
Avoid paying bills on time.
Right now you're lucky as hell if you can even pay them late let alone on time.
Being a know-it-all.
Yep. If you don't know what you're talking about keep your mouth shut. The smart ones no when to speak and when to stay silent.
Being unwilling to accept constructive feedback from others.
Picking your teeth when other people are around.
Arguing in public.
AKA “airing your dirty laundry in public”. No one wants to hear you argue. The few outliers who get a kick out of it are immature losers who have no respect for others, and no lives of their own to pay attention to.
Loaning money to people you know will never pay you back.
The quickest way to get someone out of your life is to loan them money. You'll never have to worry about seeing them ever again.
Eating too many processed foods.
Preparing food without tying back long hair.
This is nasty. I'd see them girls at fast food places with their long ponytails flinging about and find hairs in my food. Hmmm... wonder where that came from? You're supposed to put it up in a hair net.
Behaving passive-aggressive.
YES! If you need something just ask for it! No ‘oh man it would be so awesome if someone got me a glass of water, not that you should…’
Eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.
Fine, quit having conversations at a volume where the listener would still be able to hear across a football field.
Leaving your keys and wallet in random places.
🤣😂🤣😂 when you are ADHD, Aspergers & Dyslexic this will be damn near impossible to change...47 & still battle to keep focus most of the time! ✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻
Biting fingernails.
I stopped biting my nails after slicing my gums and teeth slipping causing some cracks and chips. Nails are make of keratin. Keratin is pretty hard. It's like eating corn kernels.
Failing to go to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.
Drinking too many high-sugar beverages.
Not properly disinfecting or cleaning contact lenses.
As an optician, I can't tell you the number of times people would almost brag about how long they would wear their contacts without taking them out or cleaning them. It's not a game! It's not a gimmick to sell more contacts to you when you are told to throw away your contacts on the proper schedule! Take them out and don't sleep in them! No doctor wants you to sleep in your contacts. The only exception is for "bandage" contacts or "cornea shaping" ones that are meant to be slept in and removed upon waking. Dirty contacts don't let enough O² through to your corneas. If you keep them in for extended periods, the cells can start to DIE. Amoeba in your shower water, if caught between your eye and a contact can literally munch on the tissue, which can lead to blindness. Just because you haven't gone blind isn't a reason to risk it. If you need contacts to see, you NEED eyeglasses. Rub the contact between your palm and finger on both sides and rinse. Store overnight in disinfecting solution.
Putting things off until the last minute.
Taking on more than you can handle.
Frequently ppl are unsure what they can handle and should move forward. The US is built on the innovation of ppl who tried without being sure of what they could handle.
Too much multitasking.
Yes. Had a houseguest... tv on. Cell phone playing their music station. And playing games on their iPad in my living room. For 7 days. Could. You. Not. When she left she said she didn't feel 'welcome'. You're not welcome to do that in my house!
Wearing the wrong shoes.
Wrong meaning mismatched? Wrong meaning inappropriate for the purpose/situation - e.g. flats with poor grip & support instead of hiking shoes, trainers instead of steel toe capped/soles shoes on a work site etc? Or wrong meaning doesn't match the clothes but you are going to be comfortable?
Buying too many lottery tickets.
Excessively checking your hair/eyebrows/makeup/nails.
This is so subjective and a razor thin line for women in particular. I say this as a woman who suffers repercussions from having the opposite "problem". I don't check enough and therefore "don't take care of myself" even though I know I'm doing more than men who are considered adequate. Double standards both ways, too. Men shouldn't care "too much", and that's a low bar. Make yourself happy and take care of yourself how you see fit.
Saving broken things to fix… someday.
Throwing away things that should be fixed is the basis of the US’s t throw away culture. Think recycle, up cycle, repupore to avoid increasing your carbon footprint.
Emotional shopping.
Spending too much time online.
Using a worn out toothbrush.
Putting your faith in people who are known to be unreliable.
Overly affectionate public displays of affection.
Watching random videos that scroll across your feed about someone’s child or cat.
Spacing out and not paying attention to what people say during conversations.
Not warming up before exercise.
Negative self-talk/self-criticism.
Whoa whoa whoa. There's a difference between putting yourself down and self-criticism that is part of self-awareness. If we don't think of things we need to work on then we don't improve and grow.
Allowing yourself to get distracted from what you should be doing.
Emotional eating.
This sounds like one of those things you self-righteously condemn others for doing since you don't have a problem with it yourself... While sure, it's probably technically good advice, in practice telling this to others usually just makes them feel worse.
Having poor posture.
If I stood with the perfect posture I'd feel like I were leaning forward and be stiff. But I've been told I do have good posture, so maybe I'm thinking too hard about it.
Buying things you don’t need.
Leaving sheets on the bed too long without changing them.
Had a roommate that never put sheets on his bed. His room stank. He picked up one night and she actually stayed. So gross.
Spending too much money eating in restaurants.
Spending money on experiences and memories is the best use of it - money is just a tool - you can't take it with you.
Finishing a book you hate, just to get it done.
I did this with a gruelling long book. Took me 3 months to get through it. Once I was finished and read more about the story origins and author, I realized she just used historically real people who may or may not have lived in the same timeline, but in the same city, but may or may not have known of each other. She just woven their lives together in a fictional story and that left me a bit disturbed, annoyed and sorta glad at the same time.
Using incandescent bulbs rather than CFLs.
Idk why I was so reluctant to switch to LEDs and CFLs. I thought they were way too expensive and didn't believe the life span. Holy s**t was I ever wasting a lot of money on incandescent bulbs. I've saved well over $100 a month on my hydro bill and I don't have to replace these bulbs every month. Some of the bulbs I haven't replaced in a few years now.
Breaking promises to yourself.
Licking your fingers.
Sitting for long periods of time.
Assuming that a person can stand or walk. Disabled ppl don’t have an option.
Mumbling or muttering under your breath.
Mumbling/muttering can better than telling someone out loud what you really think of them though
Using slang inappropriately.
Trying to change another person’s opinions.
Hold on, you're not allowed to do that? If they are wrong they need to be corrected. Otherwise they will continue being wrong. Trying to convince someone to change is not disrespecting opinions, it is sharing you're views.
Skipping meals in an effort to lose weight.
For some, in a non-extreme way, missing a meal is the only way because nothing else is helping.
Snacking before bed.
Booooo. I'll have that cup of tea and biscuits for a bedtime snack. That is my freedom to do so.
Running errands in rush hour.
Oh, now this is just dictative and nitpicky. There are people who think parents of babies should not take the bus during business hours. You can't tell people to go about their lives around the schedule you think they should.
Leaving the cell phone plugged in, even when it is fully charged.
Today's smart phones stop charging when they hit 100%. Several years ago, they didn't. Now you can leave it plugged in without worry.
Unconscious pen clicking.
Belching in public.
If deliberately forced, I'd agree. But people who have acid indigestion can't help burping/belching.
Excessive throat clearing.
Cracking your knuckles.
Leaving the toilet seat up.
Not holding eye contact.
Some people can't help this. It can be difficult for people due to shyness, social anxiety, PTSD and autism, and I am sure there are other reasons I've not even thought to mention.
Picking the ends of your hair.
I used to do this all the time. It often led to more split ends. Just realized I haven't really done this as much in a years.
Watching TV right after work.
Staring into an open fridge (while all cold air goes out.)
Pay my bills and buy my groceries, then worry about what I do with my fridge.
Falling asleep with the television on.
Lack of social connection.
Buying holiday gifts at the last minute.
Carrying credit card debt.
The credit card companies could make it easier on people by lowering the interest rate.
Worrying about things that could go wrong.
Not brushing teeth after every meal.
Consuming caffeine during the evening hours.
Rushed speech.
There's a lady I work with who talks so fast I have to get her to repeat herself nearly every time so I can comprehend what she's going on about. It's a safety hazard and a productivity hindrance.
Humming to yourself.
This is full of broad statements making too many assumptions about its readers.
Not sure if this was listed but volunteering other people's time and effort. My mom use to do this and it drove me crazy. Don't volunteer me for stuff!
This is full of broad statements making too many assumptions about its readers.
Not sure if this was listed but volunteering other people's time and effort. My mom use to do this and it drove me crazy. Don't volunteer me for stuff!
