Dirty little habits
Remember when you were at school and there was always that boy who sat at the back of the classroom picking his nose and eating it or flicking bogies? Sometimes it was as if he was on automatic – not really conscious of what he was doing. Or what about the child who was always biting his nails down to the quick until they bled and he cried, but it didn’t stop him from doing it again the next day...
And how about the one who created the suffocating stenches but would laugh it off and blame someone else day after day?
As we get older those sort of childish habits should become a thing of the past – shouldn’t they?
But what if you get an immense feeling of control and sense of release by indulging in these secret habits? What if they are your way of coping with what’s going on in your life?
Some may be relatively harmless – it’s not life threatening if you bite your nails until they bleed or you pick your skin - but it could be quite painful, become infected and it doesn’t look very nice either…
Other habits, the ones which take place behind closed doors, are much more destructive, dangerous and difficult to manage.
Recognising that these habits are unhealthy and then feeling ready to ask for help can be a slow process, but having a strong support network would help and seeking the help of professionals should make a difference.
Alongside the support of trained medical professionals hypnotherapy may be a possible way forward. The hypnotherapist may work to get some insight in to the cause of the habit forming behaviour and seek to enable the client to make appropriate healthy choices.
The habit may be broken by distraction techniques and the creation of new, healthier habits. Creating a positive mindset or using relaxation and visualisation techniques to experience more positive outcomes are possible ways forward, as is the teaching of self-hypnosis.