How to Stop a Lying Habit

Lying has been a normal habit for years. The bitter truth is that everyone lies from time to time. Most people tell lies to avoid hurting other people's feelings, to spare sharing excessive information and also to avoid being judged.

Liars are often viewed as irresponsible and untrustworthy people. They tend to miss important opportunities, deals, and relationships. This is because no one wants to do business with someone who is not truthful or be in a romantic relationship with someone whose yes means the opposite.

However, lying has a serious negative effect or impact. It weakens relationships and creates havoc. It causes mistrust and destroys relationships. It's a habit that takes intentional effort to get rid of. It may take time and conscious effort, but it is easy to overcome this habit.

Lying is a habit that needs to be dropped and worked on. If you notice that lying has become a constant habit that you can't easily get rid of, you need to look at a few things that trigger this habit and how to deal with it.

1. Determine the triggers

Understanding why you lie helps you to stop your habit of lying. Triggers can be pressure or certain situations. The company or friends you are moving with may also be the reason why you give false answers or misrepresentations during conversations.

Lack of proper emotional management could also be a trigger. People often lie to people or others because they don't understand how they feel.

2. Be accountable to someone

Being responsible to others helps you kick this habit. This keeps you on track and also helps you progress. You can go so far as to seek professional help to avoid sinking further into this habit. You can be accountable to your religious leaders or mentors whose lives are exemplary to follow or imitate.

3. Be sincere in your dealings with people

In order to achieve your goal of overcoming your habit of lying, you must be intentional and real when dealing with people. Try as much as possible to think about your statement or response before blurting it out. Ask yourself questions. Am I about to lie? Is this statement the truth?

4. Consider the consequences

You should keep in mind that relationships are strong no matter how long they have been built.

5. Find alternatives

To stop the habit of lying, it is better to find an alternative. Saying no instead of yes all the time is another way to stop lying.

People-pleasing people tend to tell lies all the time, especially when trying to win people over to favor them.

Above all, it is better to be silent than to lie most of the time. It's better for your friends or family to get mad at you for not answering them than to tell lies to tarnish your reputation or your relationship with your boss or co-workers. No one wants to identify with or be friends with a liar.

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