The Year I Quit Bad Habits

First, I am NOT a "New Years Resolutioner." I don't sit there at the end of the year and make my list of things I want to change in the next year. My resolution is and always will be to survive the year. This way, if I make it to the end of the year, it's a success. And if I don't? I'm dead and I won't know any better.

In short, I don't live with the Resolution Regret at the end of the year when I didn't drop those few pounds.

However, this year, I do have plans to stop all of my bad habits, there are really on two that I have, biting my nails and drinking way too much diet Dr. Pepper, two vices that keep me sane.

It all started before Christmas, my sister and I had painted our nails for the holidays and I noticed when they were painted, I didn't bite my nails, something I have done almost my entire almost 30 years of life. I have always wanted to have nails, but it's like a smoker, once you get addicted, it's really hard to stop. Some days, I didn't even realize I was biting my nails. It was bad.

It's been about a month and I think I finally have most of my urges, cravings if you will, to bite my nails somewhat under control. I will catch myself putting my nail in my mouth but I don't bite, I've been able to stop myself.

I am pretty pleased with myself. I have had several people ask me how I did it, did I use a special nail biting polish? The answer is no. This was pure willpower. I have tried to stop biting many times before and it lasts just long enough to have a little bit of a nail appear before I'm ripping it off. I don't really know why this time has been different compared to the other times I tried to quit, why my willpower is stronger, but it is.

And because of that, I have the start of actual nails growing for the first time in my life. This photo above is my most recent, I left my nails clear so I could admire my accomplishments and see just how strong my willpower is.

It's been a few days since this picture and I haven't bitten them, they're all still in tact. I will say, having them clear, I can see all the gunk that gets down in there (two dirty kids!) and I spend about as much time cleaning them as I did biting them, but at least I have succeeded!

My next bad habit, drinking too much soda, is going to be a hard one. I have tried to quit this habit more than my nail biting but it comes back to the caffeine that is in it. I don't drink coffee, I think it is one of the grosses things ever invented. I have tried to sugar it up (which totally defeats the purpose of me quitting soda to lower my sugar intake), and it just doesn't work for me. But I have to have caffeine otherwise, I'm dying with a massive headache and hour after I wake up.

I have researched and reached out on Twitter to find alternatives and I received some great advice that I think I will try. Mat and I have tried really hard to watch what we eat, and in the short two months that he was home last year, I lost 20lbs. The back and forth of life recently, I know I have put a few back on, but this is something I want. I want to lose this weight I gained in Germany and I want to be healthier. I want to be able to go upstairs, put my kids to bed, come downstairs and not want to crash on the couch because I'm out of breath.

So, fingers crossed, this is the year that I quit my bad habits and become a healthier and happier me. I feel confident that my nail biting is over, and that makes me feel confident that if I can find the right balance of healthier options that have caffeine in them, my days of drinking diet soda are limited.

*Fingers crossed*