What sort of habits do you have?
Well, you may have a child who sucks his thumb, bed wets, or picks at things, or a teenager who swears. You may know of someone who pulls their hair, grinds their teeth at night, snores, or does things compulsively, like shopping or checking things. The list of habits is endless.
Here are some little habit stories...Can you relate to these?
She had bitten her nails for as long as she could remember and she was 24 when she came to me to break her habit. It was not only the nails but the skin around them as well. They did look bad and she was very conscious of them, hiding them.
She literally had one session, one hypnotherapy session was enough to stop her habit of biting her nails for good. After three weeks her nails were getting long enough to file and when I caught up with her at the two month mark she was all smiles and so proud as she laid out her hands for me to see. Her mum was amazed that after all the years of talking and trying different concoctions she had at last succeeded in breaking the habit.
It started with just a glass after work, which then became two glasses and then it moved to, 'Well, the bottle is opened I may as well finish it'. She lived on her own and she didn't want to let this get out of hand.
With one session she took control, changed her evening routine slightly, three further sessions and she is now drinking sensibly with friends only. A nice bonus is that she is losing weight (wine is full of sugar). Naturally everyone is different and if you drink excessive alcohol our work will be tailored specifically to you.
Yes, Jack couldnt help himself. His habit was swearing. This was not good at work, nor was it helpful socially. He had trouble finding the right sort of girlfriends and naturally any relationships didn't last.
It wasnt until an argument developed where it was put really bluntly to him that if he didnt treat people with respect then he didn't deserve it himself. This was the catalyst to make him seek help and deal with the swearing. Stopping made a huge difference to his life, he became calmer and people started to treat him differently.
Beccy picked pimples on her face when she was watching TV. Her husband hated the habit and promised her all sorts of things if she would stop, but she didn't. She actually squeezed pimples she thought were coming.
She thought she would give hypnotherapy a try because she wanted her face clear for her holiday. After two hypnotherapy sessions she had stopped her habit for good. Her face had totally repaired by the holiday and she was so pleased, as was her husband.
It's called trichotillomania when you pull your hair out. Lee had a worsening bald patch when he came to see me. He was 30 and doing his thesis. Fiddling with his hair and pulling it out was an unconscious habit when he was studying or reading. Luckily it was fixable!
I've had others like him who pull their hair out, or their eyelashes, or their eyebrows. These are not uncommon habits.
Sue was one of those people that needed comfort and she got it from shopping. If she felt a bit down she perked herself up by buying something nice for herself. She felt she deserved nice things and her wardrobe expanded. She accumulated shoes and bags, jewellery and things for the house.
She knew she didnt need them all yet she kept doing it - like it was an almost unconscious process. However, this was not good for her bank account. She was always in debt. It was time to deal with this. We identified a lack of self esteem and soon had her refocused, positive, and confident with a new outlook on spending.
As with all my little stories names have been changed to protect confidentiality.
With a habit you are usually unaware you are actually doing it and when you realise it you cannot stop yourself. I make you become consciously aware of what you are about to do and stop the habit before it happens. It is well known that a new habit can be set in 21 days. It is more than likely your habit can be stopped overnight, or within that 21 day period.
If you have a habit that has been around for a while, or are developing one, take stock and address it. Do it now, you don't need it, habits are usually quite pointless. There are other more exciting things to do with your life.
Read some happy habit fixed comments here