If you are not satisfied with your life, change can seem overwhelming, but changing your life for the better can be quite easy using behavioral modification techniques to break those bad habits that reduce your self-esteem and to increase positive behaviors that you want to increase.
The first step in any program of change is always to identify the problem. Explicitly define what behavior you want to change and decide what you want the end result to be. Studies have shown that the attempt to cease practicing a particular behavior is not as effective a motivator as a setting sights on the ultimate goal: for example, rather than trying to stop biting your nails, decide that you want to keep a careful manicure.
Next, define how you can observe and measure your progress. It 'important to set the check-in points, like when you wash your hands before every meal, when you will be actively known whether or not you are participating in the plan for change. In addition, there must be observable degrees of progress (as many nails unbitten or how long each nail is, for example) so that the difference from one day to another can be traced.
Record basic data-how often and when you bite your nails without changing your behavior for a week. After all, you can not see the progress if you do not know where to start! Take note of signs that precede the behavior, such as hunger, watching television, nervousness, and so on. Sometimes bringing awareness of the circumstances that require you to practice your bad habit can help to avoid the stimuli, anticipating what might trigger them.
Now is the time to formulate a plan to increase or decrease the "target behavior", in specific terms. As your starting point and progress monitoring, the results should be quantified to ensure that your goal is achievable, and that you will recognize when you've accomplished. Commit to adding an hour to exercise your day, or maintenance of nails an eighth of an inch beyond the end of the nail bed.
Choose an activity that has to strengthen themselves when making positive changes. Prizes can be as simple as dessert treat yourself if you can keep your nails intact, or buy a new pair of shoes after a month of 60 minutes of exercise five days a week. Almost any thing or activity you like can be used as positive reinforcement. The key is to set incremental goals inside the lens larger, and rewards them as steps in the right direction. (In psychological research into behavior modification, awarding these "successive approximations" of the target behavior has proven the most effective way to reach the ultimate goal.)
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