It is a common method to try and resist a bad habit. To try to not think about it. Trying to “push” it away, to block it out when its temptation arrives. But in most cases it is clear that the more we try to NOT think about something, the more we end up thinking about it–and that mentality leads to the habit winning, for THOUGHTS naturally translate into ACTION.

This is called “Ironic Process Theory,” stating that trying to change bad habits by resisting them will inevitably fail. Thought suppression has counterproductive effects on behavior. As Carl Jun said:

“What you resist not only persists but will grow in size.”

Instead, when the urge comes, don’t resist it. Instead, REPLACE it. How? As simple as drinking a sip of water. Recognize the urge–and then do something else. When you catch yourself feeling the impulse to eat this or click on that or check what so and so is doing on Facebook or switch over to YouTube, instead pause, take a sip of water, take a deep breath, and keep focusing on what you were doing. Keep doing this, and over time the urge, replaced by the new habit, disappears.