Myjellybean.com

Dear Soap in mouth,

Cursing, or swearing, is a bad habit. Not because it's morally wrong, but because it makes a person seem ignorant. After all, smart people don't have to swear - they know real words!

It's great that you want to take control of your bad habit. It's not easy to stop cursing if you're used to doing it, but you can conquer it if your desire is strong enough. Here are some tips to help you make your language fair instead of foul:

Be Aware.

Swearing sounds dumb. It’s not cool or original. It just makes you sound uneducated. Besides, others may develop a false image of what you stand for if you use bad language.

Consciously Decide to Change.

Before you can change, you have to want to change. Nobody can do it for you - you must do it yourself. Face yourself in the mirror every morning and say to yourself, "I won't swear today." Come on, how hard is that really? You can control your own mouth, can't you? Of course you can!

Change Behavior.

Figure out when you usually swear. If anger triggers your cursing, work on controlling your temper. If bad friends, music, movies, etc. contribute to the problem, find new ones.

Come Up With New Language.

There are very common expressions that can show emotion and feeling just as strongly as curse words. Examples include: "Geez," "Oh no! and "I don't believe this." You could even come up with a silly new word to use that becomes your new catchphrase! Using a silly expression like "Dagnabit" or "For Pete's sake" can actually help a lot. It will sound silly to you and everyone around you so it gives everyone a good laugh. But it actually calms you down, and helps you maintain control. It will also lighten up the mood of the entire situation.

Make a Commitment.

Set a goal. Studies show if you can stop doing a bad habit for 3 weeks, you will be over it for good. So focus on getting through the next 21 days without swearing. That's not so long, really.

Get Support.

Tell people you trust - like your close friends and family - that you’re trying to change. Check in with them every so often to ask how you're doing and get support.

Be Persistent.

Change may not come overnight. But continued effort will lead to success.