Is it a bad habit, or is it a choice?
Many of us have habits that don’t serve us well – procrastinating, drinking sodas/eating processed foods, eating right before bedtime, etc. But are these really bad habits? Wikipedia defines a habit as a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. The important part is “tends to occur subconsciously”. When we are conscious of what we are doing, we should not define that as a habit, we should define it as our choice.
Someone asked online “Why can’t I stop drinking soda?” The answer by Banner Health was “It could be habit – maybe it’s your go-to drink with lunch and dinner”. But since you need to be conscious to get up and go get a can of soda, open it and drink it, you don’t have a bad habit of drinking soda. You are making a choice to drink soda instead of water.
We tend to blame our habits for continuing to do the same thing. It is more comforting to say “I eat junk food, it’s my bad habit”, than to say “I eat junk food, it is my choice knowing I am potentially developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease or other health complications”. Sometimes we think there must be some special process to get rid of a bad habit because we have been doing it for so long it is part of us and, therefore, must be difficult to remove. But once you know it is there, it is no longer a habit, it becomes your choice. If you keep doing the same thing, it is not a product of habitual behavior, it is a product of you choosing it.
If you are struggling with similar “bad habits”, be honest with yourself. Is it really something you are doing subconsciously, or are you making a choice? If it is the latter, the next time you are hungry or thirsty, think about your choices. It can either be “I am choosing to support my health and be in a good shape”. Or it can be “I am choosing to develop health condition and deal with the consequences”. We often don’t think carefully about our food or drink choices because they don’t show an immediate negative health effect, but they do accumulate and will manifest over time. Your future health is the result of the choices you are making now.
