--- title: 3 Steps to Breaking a Bad Habit description: Bad habits tend to have triggers (like stress) that prompt you to engage in them. canonical: https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-02T12:00:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:15:46.483Z article:section: Health og:title: How to Break a Bad Habit in 3 Steps og:description: Try mindfulness og:url: https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfaa7ad255926b04e/6988a4090b72e310946ead09/3-steps-breaking-bad-habits.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Midsection Of Man Smoking Cigarette og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Break a Bad Habit in 3 Steps twitter:description: Try mindfulness twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfaa7ad255926b04e/6988a4090b72e310946ead09/3-steps-breaking-bad-habits.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Break a Bad Habit in 3 Steps by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Sep 2, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Sep 2, 2016 12:00 PM UTC You’re a [nail biter](http://news.health.com/2015/09/19/kicking-the-nail-biting-habit/). Spend too much time on the couch watching TV. A chip fiend and chronic late-night snacker. But here’s some good news if you have a weakness you just can’t seem to shake: Research is shedding light on the most effective ways to break a habit for good. Here, three simple tactics to help you quit once and for all. **Tune in to the urge** One study of [smokers](http://www.health.com/smoking) found that mindfulness training was twice as effective at helping people quit as a more standard, behavior-based cessation program. The researchers believe mindfulness can work for any type of pattern you’re trying to fix. Plugging into the feelings associated with a craving helps you become less in thrall to it, so you can learn to let it go. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_Women Feel Better About Their Bodies Than They Used To_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/women-body-image-obesity/?xid=time) **Change your environment** Your surroundings can encourage a bad habit or facilitate a good one. Practical pointers: To stave off autopilot snacking on sweets, for example, swap the cookie jar with a fruit bowl. Or, if you need to stop checking your phone at red lights, move it from the cup holder to your zipped handbag. **Replace that habit with a healthier one** Bad habits tend to have triggers (like stress) that prompt you to engage in them. So come up with a plan ahead of time for how you will respond to those cues: If you, say, chew your nails when you get frazzled at work, start practicing deep breathing each time you feel overwhelmed. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/mind-body/breaking-bad-habits/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/"},"headline":"How to Break a Bad Habit in 3 Steps","datePublished":"2016-09-02T12:00:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:15:46.483Z","description":"Try mindfulness","url":"https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/","keywords":["Research","Addiction"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfaa7ad255926b04e/6988a4090b72e310946ead09/3-steps-breaking-bad-habits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":"Contributor","url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfaa7ad255926b04e/6988a4090b72e310946ead09/3-steps-breaking-bad-habits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Midsection Of Man Smoking Cigarette","caption":"Midsection Of Man Smoking Cigarette","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4470993/how-to-break-bad-habits/","name":"How to Break a Bad Habit in 3 Steps"}}]}] ```