Technology is like salt.

We all have our own little vices. Problem is when these vices compile and become destructive patterns. If you ask me why it is that a person does something destructive, it's often very simple, at one level. They have access to it... And its fun (or comforting). Combine this with insufficient self-restraint and we have a problem. This is why I don’t linger near the dark chocolate in Aldi.

Of course there are other levels to self-sabotaging or destructive behaviour, and more can always be said. But here are 3 simple angles to take when considering how to stop doing self-sabotaging (stupid) things.

1. Delete
   Simply put, if you never had access to a behaviour/thing, you'd use it less. Or never. One of the smartest marketing techniques of fast food is… that it’s fast. It’s more accessible than 2 minute noodles! There are a number of creative ways to ‘delete’ accessibility to harmful things in life. We can downgrade to a call-and-text only phone. We can make a blanket rule against any food that is ‘fast’. We can cut up that credit card. To take this to an extreme, children don't normally have a gambling addiction... except in places where they can access it. So what’s your poison? Don’t trust yourself. Delete it. If it’s a necessity, find another way.

2. Go play outside
   That is - do something else! This applies to both video games, and other kinds of compulsion. Finding a more healthy action to get hooked into is almost non-negotiable when stopping destructive behaviour. I was recently in the habit of buying sushi every time I went past a 7/11 ($5 by the way, totally worth it). Not good. The thing I’m doing instead now is simple... just bring lunch. If I didn’t replace this habit, I’d get to midday and get hungry. Hungry people with cash are gonna eat aren’t they? The habit would continue. Find a (healthy) alternative that you really enjoy, and that satiates the need for comfort or fun. Let that become a new ‘vice’ so to speak.

3. Know your limits
   Our world isn’t set up to discourage compulsive-destructive behavior. Long gone are the days when wine was made only by the sweat of your brow - and was a reward for that effort. It’s now $3 from Aldi. And not a bad drop really. Again, I don’t linger there when shopping. There’s also a dangerous combination in internet culture of a comforting/fun interaction without much risk that’s entirely accessible. It’s no wonder that many people experience problems because of this medium. In realizing our susceptibility to any sort of vice, we’re freer to live without denial, and quicker to follow points 1 & 2.

Fundamentally, we (you) are worth treating well. You’re worth being a participant in a lifestyle without self-sabotage. If comfort is needed, by all means find it. But find it in nourishing ways, not self-sabotaging ones.