Clearing My Life of Unhealthy {Bad} Habits

I am challenging myself to improve my life.  I am working towards a consistent happiness level and creating a positive environment for myself.  Part of this challenge is to work on my Seven Personal Virtues and focus on loving me - all of me.


One of my challenges involves removing bad habits from my life.  I don't like the term "bad habit" because the bad girl inside me feels like she needs to hang onto something "bad".  But the reality is, these bad habits are unhealthy for me - so I renamed them unhealthy habits!  Which hopefully makes it easier for me to banish them from my life.

My major unhealthy habits are:

• Smoking
• Sugar / Refined Foods
• Caffeine

SMOKING:  I quit smoking on 8/1/14 and haven't cheated since!  This is one of the easier things for me to tackle on my list.  I was mostly a "social smoker" and rarely smoked more than a few cigarettes a day.  But I quit - and that's huge.  =D  My biggest obstacle so far is the social aspect.  I want to go hang outside for 5 minutes at work, socialize, and take a break from my desk.  I don't get to take "breaks" at work - so this felt like my little chance to squeak them in.  Now I don't have that.  I have considered what other things I can do instead.  I could go walk up our 5 flights of stairs and back, that would give me a few minutes to decompress away from my desk.  I could walk around the building, that would give me the fresh air I need.  I could go visit a colleague on another floor for a few minutes, that would give me the socializing aspect.  Some things for me to consider, but I am happy to not smoke anymore.  And that's really the most important thing.

SUGAR: The same day I quit smoking I started to be more conscious of what I eat. I have stopped eating goodies at work which is nearly impossible.  Everyday there is something... cupcakes, cookies, brownies, sandwiches, etc.  Our office is the dumping ground for other departments' leftovers too; It's a never ending buffet!   But I have successfully said, "No, thank you." to all of the lovely treats that are no good for me - so far.  Everyday is struggle, especially if I didn't bring enough to graze on.  Today, for instance, there is a giant sheet cake taunting me... and my belly growls as a salad and side of asparagus hang out in the fridge waiting for me.  My stomach is growling and all I can think about is that cake!  It is so hard to keep focused on the big picture - on my health.  I've got a good streak going so far at work though and I'm stubborn.  So hopefully this rides me through for awhile.  At home is another story.  It's too easy for me to sit on the couch and eat mindlessly in front of the TV.  Once I feel comfortable with my work goal, I will start on the home goal.  Baby steps.

CAFFEINE:  Oh Caffeine!  How I depend on thee!  I quit caffeine two summers ago.  I had a week of staycation in which my husband and I painted the bedrooms in our old apartment.  During my staycation I also went cold turkey on my roughly 7 cups of coffee a day habit.  It was brutal.  And if you ask my husband, he will tell you the same.  I had painful headaches, nasty mood swings, and felt mildly narcoleptic when I would fall asleep at all times of the day.  My caffeine-free lifestyle lasted several months, and then my work schedule changed.  Or rather, I went from having an actual schedule to working a relief shift - any and all shifts including overnights.  Thus, my caffeine habit began to slowly return.  I would have a cup of half caf/half decaf, then I started having full caffeinated cups of coffee, and now I have 3-4 caffeine beverages a day.  Not as bad as I was - but not good.  Starting this October I will finally have a regular schedule at work again and will, once again, attack the caffeine addict in me and ween myself off the glorious java bean.


What are your unhealthy, bad habits and how are you managing them?