Yes, we know it’s always better to simply quit your bad habits instead of replacing them with less harmful ones. Still, not everyone has the willpower or enough energy in their busy day to change big habits in their life. Sometimes taking incremental steps can be a smarter approach than trying to be the hero that drops a bad habit cold turkey.
We’re going to give you some alternatives for the most common bad habits in the 21st century so far and give you a healthier alternative to fill the void. It’s up to you to figure out if you just want to stick to that or go for a healthy lifestyle after a while. These alternatives will not always be a less harmful version of the original habit – some of these are quite legitimate solutions.
Reducing technology use
We use technology to a great extent these days. We use it for work, communication, entertainment, learning, and a whole lot more. Unfortunately, it’s easy to up your screen time so much that you look at screens longer than you look at reality. Tech is very useful; nobody denies this, but being exposed to it too much will lead to insomnia, exhaustion, and potentially even anxiety and depression.
Technology can trigger a dopamine response, and we can develop a dopamine addiction. We recommend you switch it up a bit with some exercise and/or outdoor activity. Hiking is a great option if you have the option within driving distance, but if you live in an urban area, the gym should be what you aim for. Not only is the gym healthy for your body, but it’s also healthy for your mind, and after a while, you start to crave exercise. Don’t overdo it; work up your body slowly and enjoy the benefits of a healthier, more energetic lifestyle.
Avoiding caffeine
Coffee is great until it isn’t. Our bodies really get a lot of benefits from coffee and caffeine, but with regular use, we develop a tolerance to it, which means that we need more and more to get the same results. On top of that, modern coffee shops basically turned coffee into candy, with caramel, whip cream, and who knows what else.
If you are looking for a way to get that energy boost but avoid caffeine, there are several healthier options you can go for. Golden milk, a great combo of spices and milk, which includes turmeric, cinnamon, and other healthy ingredients (depending on the recipe), is our best recommendation.
Alternatively, you can go for an energy-boosting smoothie in the morning, and there’s really a lot of variety here for this one too. Just google these two and find the recipes that you like best. Experiment a little; there’s quite a bit of freedom here. If you are not after the energy, and you just want the taste of coffee in your life, go for decaf.
Alternative for smoking
Unfortunately, there are very few addictions as strong and persistent as cigarettes. They are very harmful and can cause some serious diseases. They also smell very bad to non-smokers and are a habit that is tolerated in very few places. You can’t smoke at work, at most clubs, restaurants, bars, and so on. On top of that, there’s passive smoking which harms everyone in your environment, and the astronomical cigarette prices.
While vaping may not be entirely healthy, it does eliminate some of the biggest downsides of smoking. There is no combustion or inhaling smoke when you vape. The e-liquid in the vape device is evaporated, and that’s what you inhale. There is also no passive smoking, and you can choose what kind of juice you want. You can go for nicotine ones, CBD, and so on. Some people complain that cleaning a vape is too much work, but there are disposable vapes you can use, like HQD Cuvie Plus vape, which you can throw away once you are done with them. No charging and no cleaning, and the best part is that vaping is allowed in most places.
Ditch the junk food
Junk food tastes great, and there’s a specific hedonistic vibe to dropping your behind on the couch and simply gorging yourself on tasty and unhealthy food. Still, this tends to spiral out of control, with cheap deliveries being very available and food being so tasty. It’s very easy to go for an easy way out, and most people seem to think that eating healthier food means eating less tasty food.
Fruit offers variety, spices offer variety and are capable of making bland meals tasty, nuts are amazing snacks, and these are just some options. This one will require some effort to pull off as you will rarely find delivery food that tastes good, is healthy, and is affordable. We recommend doing some research and gradually transitioning from junk food.
Changing habits can be difficult, and a big part of the process is going through failure and gradual change. Don’t be too harsh on yourself when attempting to change habits that you’ve had for years. If you slip up, you slip up, but keep at it, and you don’t owe it to anybody to change these habits. You do it on your own accord and on your own time, so don’t let that feeling of guilt and inadequacy take you over.
Take the first step, make a small change, and enjoy it. If you can continue to live up to that new habit, great! If not, try again. Eventually, you will find new tricks to overcome willpower issues, start enjoying new habits and simply let go of the old obsessions.
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