Guilty pleasures are the things you do that make you feel good. These habits bring positive emotions, relieve stress, and improve your overall well-being. However, they also bring some sort of guilt and make you feel a little bad about doing it — hence why it is called a guilty pleasure. We all have at least one thing that we enjoy doing, but we feel somehow guilty just for doing it.
The things that could be considered a guilty pleasure could be anything, even something as simple as indulging in a few slices of chocolate cake or binge-watching your favorite shows on Netflix. These aren’t necessarily harmful in and of themselves — your guilt could just stem from self-consciousness about the kinds of things you like. They can become a problem if it starts negatively affecting your life, though. Eating one slice of cake every now and again isn’t going to ruin your health, but eating a slice or multiple slices every day could. Thus, it leads to the question: how do you get rid of your guilty pleasures?
Letting go of a guilty pleasure is a difficult and long process. You can’t just expect yourself just to stop doing something you’ve been doing for years. The main hindrance in getting rid of a guilty pleasure lies in the fact that it benefits you because it helps you relax, be comfortable, and have one thing that works for you. However, if you have a guilty pleasure that you want to overcome, it is not impossible—especially if you are really serious about getting rid of it.
1. Don’t Give In to Your Guilty Pleasures Instantly
If your guilty pleasure has something to do with food, here’s one thing you should know: when you think you’re hungry, it does not always mean you really are. You probably only feel that way because you make it a habit that you instantly go to the fridge or have food delivered once you feel any sign of hunger. While it is reinvigorating to eat your favorite food whenever you want it, there are good reasons why you should get rid of this habit, particularly for health concerns. To get rid of this guilty pleasure, what you must do is not to give in to it—at least right away. Of course, this applies to other guilty pleasures as well. Whenever you get the urge to indulge, remember that you don’t need to indulge, and you have the full power to say no to it.
To make this easy for you, you can make a list of different activities or chores you can do at home. It can be as simple as walking around the house, singing a song, calling a friend, or mopping the floors. Put each activity on a strip of paper and store them in a jar or any container. Whenever your urges get the best of you, pick one strip from the jar and do whatever activity you got. Most of the time, you’ll find that distracting yourself for a bit makes the urge disappear for a time.
2. Get Rid of the Things That Trigger Your Guilty Pleasures
Compulsive buying is also one of the common guilty pleasures people now have. Thanks to the popularity of e-commerce, more and more online shopping apps have now become accessible. While they make things more convenient for us, they also make it easier for us to buy stuff that we often feel guilty about afterward. There’s nothing wrong about treating yourself with stuff you want like shoes, bags, or clothes. After all, you’ve worked for it and earned it. However, there’s a fine line between a healthy and unhealthy spending habit and if you often find yourself consistently spending beyond your budget, then it is time to put a stop to it.
You can overcome guilty pleasure of shopping in a number of ways. The most extreme is by deleting the shopping apps on your phone. Seeing those online shopping apps readily available on your device is one of the primary reasons why you use them and ultimately make a purchase. You won’t be easily triggered into using them by uninstalling them, as it will take you extra steps just to reinstall the app. Another thing you can do is write down all the pros and cons of an item before making a decision. This will allow you to see whether an item is really necessary. Also, instead of buying an item the same day, wait for at least seven more days before making a decision. Chances are you won’t like that item as much—preventing you from purchasing something you’ll regret after.
3. Understand the Consequences of Your Guilty Pleasures
Some guilty pleasures seem harmless, like spending all weekend in pajamas or watching your favorite animated movies as an adult. However, some of them may cause us unnecessary stress or are just not healthy habits to have—such as eating greasy fast food, going to bed late at night, and procrastinating.
To get rid of such unhealthy guilty pleasures, you must understand their consequences and how they impact your well-being. Let’s take procrastination as an example. It’s one of those things that you can say you don’t like or are proud of but still do it regardless. It can either be because you just don’t want to do a task right away or for a completely different reason. However, fully understanding the consequences of this guilty pleasure will motivate you to get rid of it. For any guilty pleasure you have, figure out and understand all their possible consequences. Are those consequences worth it? If not, make that your motivation to get rid of whatever guilty pleasure you have.
Getting rid of guilty pleasures may not be an easy thing to do, but it is possible. As long as you are dedicated to overcoming an unwanted habit, you can do it and live your life better. Just remember to not give in to your guilty pleasure easily, eliminate things that can trigger them, and understand their consequences so you can easily and effectively get rid of them.