Is It Just a Habit or an Addiction? How to Recognize the Signs

Everyone has their own habits – wake up in the morning with a cup of coffee, scroll through social media, or even have a small bite after dinner. But when does it cross the boundary?

👉 Habit is a repetition without thinking on it’s part. It is part of the flow in one’s day, with little or no harm attached.

👉 An addiction is a pattern of behavior manifested which gets difficult to manage under all trials with detrimental effects-emotionally, physically, or socially.

🚨 Here are some signs that a habit may have become an addiction:

• You feel anxious or irritable whenever you cannot do it.
• You try to stop but end up returning to it anyway.
• It gets in the way of work, relationships, or health.
• You feel guilt or shame afterward.
• You depend on it to escape difficult emotions.

Recognizing these signs is the first and foremost step toward healing. Recognizing these patterns, as well as their driving thoughts, gives you back control over them.

✨ Mood tracking, cognitive restructuring, and breathing techniques are techniques you can use to start substituting these detriments with healthier approaches.

You are not the only one – and you’re changing this! 💙