{"id":131,"date":"2011-01-18T13:50:11","date_gmt":"2011-01-18T08:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mriyas.com\/wp\/?p=131"},"modified":"2011-01-28T14:32:16","modified_gmt":"2011-01-28T09:02:16","slug":"16-ways-to-kick-bad-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mriyas.com\/wp\/?p=131","title":{"rendered":"16 Ways to Kick Bad Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by: KING-slave of ALLAH<\/a> ! on: January 16, 2011<\/p>\n

Few things are more demanding than eliminating bad habits, since they are part of our daily routines and personality. It takes days of patience and practice to break old habits.<\/p>\n

However, the good news is, Ramadan offers a perfect and natural environment for moral training. Interestingly, researches from \u201cpositive psychology\u201d (scientific study of successful people) have repeatedly shown it takes 30 days to kick a bad habit and develop a new one.<\/p>\n

In addition to the physical discipline in the 30-day boot camp of Ramadan, the increased spiritual exercise and connection with Allah, can transform your habits for life.<\/p>\n

Try these proven techniques for a successful positive change in your habits (during Ramadan and beyond!):<\/p>\n

1. Acknowledge and identify your bad habits: First step is to admit you need to change. If you are in a state of denial, you won\u2019t recognize that you have a bad habit to change.<\/p>\n

2. Pick a habit for 30 days: Prioritize your bad habits and focus on one for 30 days. Take a 30-day trial to re-condition your habits. If you are committed to changing at least one habit, you will see remarkable results, God-willing.<\/p>\n

3. Realize that it\u2019s in us to change: Don\u2019t believe the old saying, \u201cYou can\u2019t teach an old dog new tricks.\u201d You can break a bad habit if you really want to. No one else can change your habits, if you don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n

4. Remember, Allah loves those who commit mistakes and repent: Prophet Muhammad said:<\/p>\n

\u201cBy Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.\u201d [Sahih Muslim]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. Intention & plan to change: \u201cIf you fail to plan, you plan to fail.\u201d A healthy process of change in character requires a gradual pace, which entails planning. Develop concrete milestones to measure your progress.<\/p>\n

6. Replace a bad habit with a good one: Completely eliminating a habit is more challenging than replacing it with a more productive habit. Moreover, it\u2019s crucial to replace the lost natural needs, such as the need to socialize and to be entertained with something healthy.<\/p>\n

For instance, it\u2019s easier to replace or balance your addiction to TV with a physical workout or reading, than to suddenly remove the TV from your life. Interestingly, Prophet Muhammad, the greatest \u2018psychologist\u2019 of humanity, illustrated this principle in these words:<\/p>\n

\u201cFear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people.\u201d [At-Tirmidhi]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

7. Change your environment: Resist the negative peer pressure by finding a better company of friends. Collective action to change is very powerful. Prophet Muhammad explained this peer pressure effect with this analogy:<\/p>\n

\u201cA good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.\u201d [Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

8. Exercise (physical and spiritual): A habit of regular physical exercise is obviously important for lasting weight loss. But you may not realize that exercise helps in eliminating a number of bad habits. For example, among smokers who become competitive runners, for example, over 80% give up smoking.<\/p>\n

Moreover, exercising your will power (struggle to fight temptations) for 30 days helps you kick all kinds of bad habits and form new good ones. Willpower is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the more you strengthen it.<\/p>\n

9. Think of yourself as a changed, different, new person: This simple psychological shift in your thinking about your own image can do wonders. Tell yourself, \u201cI can\u2019t continue this ill-behaviour. I am better than that. I am stronger. I am wiser.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. Reward success: The most fundamental law in all of psychology is the \u201claw of effect.\u201d It simply states that actions followed by rewards are strengthened and likely to recur. Unfortunately, studies show that people rarely use this technique when trying to change personal habits.<\/p>\n

Setting up formal or informal rewards for success greatly increases your chances of transforming bad habits into good ones, and is far more effective than punishing yourself for bad habits or setbacks. As Muslims we should also remember that the ultimate reward is Allah\u2019s Pleasure and Paradise in the Hereafter.<\/p>\n

11. Schedule \/ limit your bad habits: If you are really struggling to kick a bad habit, try limiting the habit to a specific time and place. Research and case studies confirm that this rather unconventional approach can be a useful first step in changing bad habits or learning new good ones.<\/p>\n

12. Tell someone about your effort to change if it helps: He or she may keep you on track.<\/p>\n

13. Resolve to continue on and follow up: Giving up bad habits or learning good habits requires regular maintenance and determination. It is a long, ongoing process, also known as \u201cTazkiyyah\u201d in Islamic terminology. It\u2019s more difficult than the first few steps of change. (\u201cHow many times have I dieted, for example, only to gain the weight back?\u201d)<\/p>\n

14. Remind yourself of death and hereafter often: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRemember often the terminator (or destroyer) of all the pleasures [i.e. death],\u201d the Prophet once stated. [At-Tirmidhi.]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

15. Develop a relapse strategy: How do you ensure not to return to your bad habit you are trying to change? Some people donate money to a good cause every time they return to sinning or a bad habit. This reminds them of the \u2018cost\u2019 of going back to old bad habits. Others try physically demanding acts to deter them from reverting to old ways.<\/p>\n

16. Ask Allah for help: Last but not least, make Asking for Allah\u2019s Help an integral part of the overall change process. Ask for Allah\u2019s Help before, during and after every attempt at kicking a bad habit. Do so sincerely, even begging and crying, like a child does when he or she really wants something. Allah is Ever-Willing to Help and to Respond to our needs, but it is us who must take the first step towards Him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whosoever is conscious of Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He (Allah) will make a way for him to get out (from) every (difficulty), and He will provide him from (sources) he could never imagine.\u201d [Quran 65:2-3]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted by: KING-slave of ALLAH ! on: January 16, 2011 Few things are more demanding than eliminating bad habits, since they are part of our daily routines and personality. It takes days of patience and practice to break old habits. However, the good news is, Ramadan offers a perfect and natural environment for moral training…. <\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-islamic-articles"],"yoast_head":"\n16 Ways to Kick Bad Habits | Humanity. Brotherhood. Peace.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mriyas.com\/wp\/?p=131\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"16 Ways to Kick Bad Habits | Humanity. Brotherhood. 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