An Honest effort towards Transforming Unhealthy Habits

When trying to break unhealthy habits, the first thing is to identify the bad habit, once it has been identified it can be really challenging, because now we understand what it is that needs to change, but the ways in how to get there look to be really unclear, scary, or even time consuming. Our unhealthy habit(s), whether it be something that we eat, a type of conversation, negative thoughts, or even the things that we decide not to do, is a type of repetitive energy and way of being that wants to continue to exist subconsciously and unconsciously. And when that energy is challenged because of conscious awareness in the need for change, it doesn’t want to transform easily.

How to Consciously Transform unhealthy Habits

Identify the unhealthy habit. Normally identifying unhealthy habits are not a major problem, however with the unconscious ones it may take a little longer.
Figure out the trigger. This is a must because understanding when and why the habit started will help you avoid falling into the same situation later in life.
Replace the unhealthy habit by first establishing a conscious awareness of the conditions in which the particular unhealthy habit forms or flourishes, changing the people, place, or thing into an environment that supports you.
Find the right motivation to continue your way forward. Understand what matters to you and see how getting rid of a particular unhealthy habit will help you become healthier & happier for yourself and those around you.

A Continuous Journey Toward Growth

When working towards change, we can find ourselves taking two steps forward, and then one step back, making our effort towards transforming unhealthy habits a lot more challenging. Even from one day to the next, we may feel inspired in our new journey towards a more grounded life, and then become completely distracted, losing all barring on what we were even trying to do, creating more importance in fitting in, convenience, contractual obligations, or the feeling of comfort in the life that we already know. This seesaw of our emotions, ideas, thoughts, and desires are continuous, and normal to an extent, but when we are grounded, stability, confidence, energy, and strength sets in, and that is when the impossible becomes possible.

That is when we develop an honest effort towards transforming unhealthy habits with positive thinking, leaving jealousy and anger behind. Our actions & dedication begin to be consistent, because they are now coming from a grounded & sincere place, giving us positive results in the things that we want to change. No matter what happens, you know you are trying your best, and that it will be a continuous journey leading you towards growth, and never-ending surprises. Honest effort is a huge part in cultivating the life that you desire, and will be that very thing that keeps you anchored when you jump off the track. It will be that very reason why you can pick yourself up again, and say, “I tried with honest effort, I’m not going to let this defeat me, let me pick my self back up and continue to be strong.”

So how do we cultivate this honest effort from a place of stability, confidence, and strength?

There are so many ways in which you can work with your mind, body, and emotions, but from a holistic perspective, some of the tools are: yoga, yoga philosophy, meditation, nutrition, energy work, body work, breath work, the list can go on and on, but I would like to talk about the importance in having a steady yoga & meditation practice, where enthusiastic determination, discipline, dedication & consistency in working with the physical body is at the root of personal transformation. One of the most famous quotes, “Do your Practice, and All is Coming’ from K. Pattabhi Jois is a reminder of how important it is to be open to the unknown, even when the honest effort of “doing” might not be showing us immediate results. To trust the process, is a way in which you start to live from an energetically rooted place, guiding you into cultivating stability, confidence, and strength towards the things you cannot change, and the things that you can.

So how long does it take to reprogram your subconscious mind?

There are some schools of thought that say, 22 - 66 days, but it could take longer. The answer will depend on how deeply ingrained the behavior is that you want to change, as well as your own limiting beliefs.