Breaking The Cycle: Replacing Negative Behaviors With Healthier Ones

Cycles are patterns that humans find comfort in, sometimes at the expense of their health, safety, or relationships. And whether it's a pattern of bad relationships, poor time management, or a bad habit—breaking a cycle is hard. Sometimes it's even hard to recognize the patterns that have a negative effect on your health or your life. 

We're talking about the habits that hold you back from living the life you want to live. In most cases, the consequences of bad habits have a huge impact on your physical health, mental health, social life, career, and relationships. Understanding how cycles form and how to break them are the first steps toward healing and creating new cycles that serve a better purpose for you.

How do negative cycles start?

There are a few reasons why negative habits are so easy to form, yet so difficult to break. Many cycles begin at an early age, through learned behavior from our parents. These cycles are formed from repeated exposure and are often passed down from one generation to the next. Some examples are:

Some negative cycles, however, can develop without any influence from family or friends. In this case, people often develop these patterns as a way of coping with stress or boredom. Some examples of this are:

How to break a cycle

During times of stress, familiar patterns are comforting. This is what makes breaking a cycle such a difficult - though not impossible - process. In most cases, breaking a cycle requires a lot of commitment and conscious effort. There is no easy way to do it, and there is no single solution that will work for everyone. However, there are several things that you can do to increase your chance of breaking a negative cycle and replacing it with a positive one.

Getting professional help


Breaking free of a bad cycle isn't easy, but with the right tools and support, it is possible! Working with a therapist is one extremely effective way to get the support you need. Therapists not only help you identify cycles you may not even be aware of, but they can also help you understand the triggers that are causing the cycle to continue. Your therapist will help you find healthy replacements for the habits that do not serve you and help keep you accountable. They can also provide the tools and resources you need to stay on track.

If you or someone you know is struggling to break a cycle, Medens Health is accepting new patients in California and Nevada. Reach out to us by phone or text at (833) 624-5400, or by filling out our online contact form.