In my struggle, I thought to myself, “maybe I should start taking coke once every month, it wouldn’t hurt”. And that same minute, I thought again, “or maybe twice every month?”
And just as this thought came, I heard in my spirit, “that’s how you slowly get back into doing what you had said you would do no more”.
Then it dawned on me, this is exactly why staying away from an old habit can be quite hard.
We say we’d only do very little, and from very little to a bit more than little, until we are back doing what we used to —only that this time, even much deeper.
Have you noticed? Most of the time when people try to stay away from something they used to do a lot, like in the case of an addiction of any kind, they keep enduring and trying hard to resist doing that thing. Then one day, they just give in to the voices in their heads telling them little won’t hurt —mind you, these voices would have been just whispers for a while.
When they eventually do that one thing they’ve stayed away from for a while, they somehow do more than they normally would. It seems to look like they try to make up for lost times. Lol.
When we find ourselves in this kind of situation, we’re suddenly wondering, “how did I get here? What’s happened, I’ve stayed away for a while, why am I back at it?” We even cry to God for help out of confusion, not because we’re exactly ready to be saved.
We fail to realize on time that we started feeding our flesh with the things it so desired until we couldn’t stop feeding it. And it only keeps wanting more.
So we ask, “what happened?”
Most of the time, it’s simply lack of self-discipline.
Self-discipline helps us to stay on course, it regulates how we live, our behaviors, emotions and decisions we make in achieving a set goal.
In this case, if self-discipline is lacking, we struggle with commitment and follow-through, we struggle to resist temptations and cravings, and we sometimes try to find a way to satisfy these cravings —searching desperately for a satisfying alternative. We try to rationalize and justify the tempting voices in our heads, and often times, we lack emotional control.
Is letting go of a thing easy? Absolutely not.
But is it possible? Of course.
When I made the decision to stop taking Coca-Cola, it was because I saw a video online where someone mentioned that she noticed she stopped having acne breakouts when she stopped taking coke. So, in that moment, I said I was going to do just that. I was breaking out constantly for a while and I couldn’t tell why, and I was going to try anything healthy just to make it stop happening.
Like me, some of us make decisions without thinking them through. We set unrealistic goals and expectations —irrationally.
For others, they set realistic goals, but they’re not self-motivated, they fail to take self care seriously and they end up giving in to impulsive behaviors.
As someone who loves coke a lot, I realized I needed more than just deciding to stop taking it, I saw the need to develop self-discipline toward this. I became more self aware, and I embraced the fact that it was hard to do, although not impossible to do. And of course, I celebrated my small wins.Now that I have pointed out some reasons people may fall back into an old habit or addiction, I’ll mention how it can be managed too. What’s the point of stating out a problem if you don’t have a possible way forward right?
Let’s get into it.
The first thing I think is important to do is to identify the habit you wish to drop, and understand why you want to drop it.
Then, it makes sense for you to go on to draw out clear goals. Other things you can do to ensure that these goals are achievable is to;
Get rid of triggers or limit them,
Establish a routine you can work with, one that includes healthy habits and activities,
Track your progress —it helps you to stay motivated,
Develop a growth mindset, and
Celebrate your small wins.
You see, building self-discipline is a journey and it’s just okay to take it one step at a time. And the lack of it is not a moral failing, but rather an aspect for development and improvement.
Many have gone through this phase and they won. I can too, and so can you.