Break a bad habit I keep falling back into
A plan to stop an unwanted habit by mapping its triggers, swapping in a replacement, and handling slip-ups without quitting.
The prompt
Help me break a habit I want to stop.
The habit: [e.g. "scrolling my phone in bed", "snacking at night", "biting my nails"]
When and where it usually happens: [TIMES, PLACES, PEOPLE, MOODS]
What it gives me in the moment: [e.g. "relief from boredom", "a break", "comfort after a stressful day"]
What I've tried before and why it didn't last: [DETAILS]
Why I want to stop now: [MY REASON]
Work through it in this order:
1. Habit loop: name the likely cue, the routine, and the reward, based on what I shared. Ask me one question if something is unclear.
2. Make it harder: 3 ways to add friction to the old habit (distance, extra steps, removing the trigger).
3. Replacement: 2-3 substitute behaviors that give a similar reward, matched to my real situation.
4. If-then plans: 3 specific "If [cue], then I will [action]" statements.
5. Slip-up plan: what to do the day after a lapse so one slip doesn't become a relapse.
6. Tracking: a simple 4-week tracker (table: Week | Urges noticed | Times I used my replacement | What helped).
Keep the tone practical and non-judgmental. If the habit involves alcohol, drugs, gambling, self-harm, or disordered eating, say kindly that a doctor or specialist service can help in ways a plan can't, and suggest where to start (in the US, the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357). If I mention thoughts of harming myself, tell me to call or text 988 or contact emergency services now.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Personal Life & Wellbeing prompts
What to fill in
- TIMES, PLACES, PEOPLE, MOODS
- DETAILS
- MY REASON
- cue
- action
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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