How to quit sugar or any habit you don’t want

July 14th, 2009 · No Comments · diet, inspiration, mindset, self care

When you want to change a habit (for example kicking sugar), one of the most important things you need to change is the way you think. Your beliefs are what drive your actions on a daily basis. Your beliefs influence the words you say, the things you tell yourself regularly, the self talk that you have that convinces you that eating another piece of candy or cookie or cake would be a good idea.

We carry beliefs around in us that come from many different sources – many are from people who influenced us at a young age. Some were picked up later in life, but a surprising number of beliefs are given to us from our parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers and authority figures. Because they took care of us and kept us safe and secure when we were young and vulnerable, many of these beliefs stick with us. We use them as principles to keep us safe and secure, the way we were when we were children.

The challenge is understanding your own beliefs and changing the ones that are not helping you into ones that will. So, how do you change your beliefs?

One of the best ways that I’ve found is to do a writing exercise to “hear” what I’m actually saying. The trouble with the inner self talk that goes on every day is that because it is inside and so ingrained in the subconscious, it’s difficult to recognize – it becomes almost a white noise that drones on, driving you in a pre-programmed direction.

Taking the example of kicking sugar, think about how you talk to yourself about eating sugar or sweets. You might say things like, “I am a chocoholic” or “I can’t drink coffee without a little sweet to go with it” or “I have a sweet tooth.” These are self-limiting beliefs that keep you from cutting sugar out of your diet. You may know that sugar can damage your healthy, but if you tell yourself that you’re powerless over it, naturally you’ll give up on quitting before you even try.

If you really want to quit sugar, start by rewriting your beliefs. Write them in the present as if they are already true. Instead of “I have a sweet tooth” think something like “I’m free of sugar cravings” or “I only eat healthy foods that nourish my body.” Write your own affirmations so that they ring true to you.

You can also create a belief board like Steve Pavlina talks about in this blog post. Having a belief board posted where you can see it every day will help you take your new beliefs and make them a part of your daily thinking. Once you’ve changed your beliefs around sugar – or anything else you want to change – you’ll find that change seems almost effortless.