When attempting to replace a bad habit for a good one, it’s important to know what kind of desire the current habit is fulfilling. Because habits are about more than just the things that we do, but also the motivations that drives these actions. Maybe it’s a desire for attention, or a sense of accomplishment, or feelings of pleasure—it could be any number of things.
The problem with a bad habit is that we take a normal or natural desire but pursue it in an unhealthy or destructive way. This often happens unconsciously, and may not even surface until we stop and ask ourselves why we’re doing what we’re doing. But once we identify the motivation behind the actions—the craving the habit is seeking to satisfy—we can begin to look for alternative actions that might also meet this desire.
Because it’s not enough just to stop doing one habit. We also need to put something in its place. But if the replacement routine doesn’t satisfy the deeper craving that was driving the original set of actions, it’s only a matter of time before we revert back to those things that brought the satisfaction we were looking for—even if they did so in less than ideal ways.