BREAKING BAD HABITS

Whether it's a habit hazardous to your health like smoking or simply annoying to others like popping your knuckles, stopping these repeated behaviors can be extremely difficult.

"Habits are hard to break because they are comfortable and automatic. You don't even think about doing them," said Barb McKeon, employee counselor at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "When you try to stop, you experience discomfort and no one likes discomfort."

Bad habits develop as a quick and easy way to deal with stress in the short term, said Claire Lafoon, director of education at the Community Counseling Center.

The problem is, Lafoon said, that in the long run, these habits may pose health risks, such as smoking or overeating; cause embarrassment, such as overspending, hair twirling or nail biting; or be annoying to others, such as knuckle cracking.

So once you decide you want to break a bad habit, how do you overcome the discomfort and stick with your resolve?

McKeon and Lafoon offered these suggestions:

* Commit to the long haul. If you've had the habit for five, 10, 20 years, don't expect to change it in one day, McKeon said. Chances are you will give in to temptation, but don't look at that as failure and give up altogether, she said.

"When you were learning to ride a bike, you didn't give up the first time you fell. You kept going despite bloody knees and scraped elbows," McKeon said. "Realize kicking a habit takes work and effort."

* Analyze the behaviors involved in the habit, including the situations and circumstances where you are most likely to fall back on those behaviors. Then do what you can to modify those situations, Lafoon said.

"If you overeat at night because you skip lunch and are famished by the time you get home, stop skipping lunch. Then you won't set yourself up for failure later in the day," she said.

* Set up reminders for yourself. "Find ways to remind yourself about why you want to make the change," McKeon said.

One idea is wearing a rubber band around your wrist, she said. When you find yourself tempted to go back to your bad habit, snap the rubber band.

"That smarts and makes you realize your commitment," McKeon said.

Another idea is to come up with a list of your own personal reasons for breaking a habit, she said.

McKeon said her husband has a frayed, creased list he began carrying with him when he quit smoking 15 years ago. On the list are his own reasons for quitting smoking, which in addition to health concerns also included burn holes in ties, yellow fingertips and his children wanting him to stop.

* Substitute a healthier behavior for the habit you are trying to break. Many people find they are more successful at breaking a bad habit if they substitute a behavior that is healthier or doesn't carry negative consequences, Lafoon said.

For example, she said, people who stop smoking often say they need something to do with their hands besides holding a cigarette. Such people might carry about a pen to keep their hands busy.

* Find a cheerleader. It helps to have a supportive person who will help you through breaking a habit, McKeon said.

"This is someone who will say, You can do it. Next week will be better." It's someone who will tell you how thin you look even when you've only lost two pounds," she said.

Such a person can also help talk through failures and find the loopholes that may have led to those failures, McKeon said.

* Reward yourself. It can help to set short-term goals and reward yourself at certain milestones, McKeon said.