Have you given up smoking and then relapsed? Can lose weight but then struggle to keep it off? Have you tried everything to stop biting your nails but failed to do so permanently? Do you find the temptation to gamble irresistible, whether or not your finances allow for it? Have you experienced frequent episodes of binge-drinking or binge-eating? Do you constantly check your phone and/or feel anxious when you are unable to do so? Are you addicted to porn? Are a sex maniac? Are you so dependent on the internet and being online that being offline generates anxiety? Have you developed a dependence to an illegal substance?
If you are struggling with one or more of the above-described behaviours, this course is definitely for you! If you have any negative habits that you would like to get rid off, this course will provide you with effective tools and resources that will enable you to reach your specific goal. If your life is governed by impulsive behaviours and/or addiction, by taking this course you will be able to find freedom again. Equally, if you have have been struggling with obsessive compulsive behaviour this course will allow you to re-gain control over your mind.
Why is this course effective?
The traditional approach to fighting negative habits merely offers a shortcut to eliminating the unwanted behaviour. If you smoke, you replace cigarettes with nicotine patches or chewing gums. If you bite your nails, you use a bitter nail polish as a deterrent to nail biting. If you have an addiction to a substance, methadone is subscribed to reduce dependence and help detoxification. And so on. The consequence of using a shortcut is that people often relapse because the root cause of the behaviour has not been addressed. This is where the approach of this course differs.
The mechanisms underlying negative habits or dependency are directly addressed, from willpower to learning theories that explain how habits are formed. The issues that are often the root cause of a habit or dependency are stress and anxiety. For example, substance dependency might be developed in response to increased job demands (e.g drinking more alcohol to be able to relax at the end of a long working day) or longer working hour (e.g. drinking a lot of caffeine to maintain performance at a certain level). The best way to neutralise a source of stress or anxiety is to become aware of it. This is why this course includes a section on mindfulness as an increased awareness of the present moments increase one’s ability to detect the early signs of stress or anxiety.
This course covers specific behaviours in different sections:
- Impulsive behaviours are characterised by lack of forethought (e.g. gambling, kleptomania and unprotected sex);
- Compulsive behaviours are performed persistently and repetitively without leading to a reward (e.g. excessive nail biting, hoarding, overeating, shopping);
- Substance dependency is diagnosed when repetitive consumption increases tolerance to a substance and if the intake is reduced or stopped altogether, then withdrawal symptoms are experienced (e.g. alcohol and drugs);
- Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour (OCB) occurs when behaviours are performed compulsively in order to reduce stress and anxiety (e.g. checking, counting and contamination).
Are you dealing with any of these issues? So why not join this course and start fighting negative habits now? This course is a real eye-opener: it will provide you with the understanding and the tools you need to fight negative habits.
