Whether we intend for it to happen at the time or not, some of us use those rude four-letter words a little too often. Soon, it becomes a habit. However, this habit isn’t appropriate when you have young children or can’t manage to stop cursing- even at work.
Before you know it, it’s harder to quit than cigarettes. If you’re ready to put an end to your potty mouth, it will require a lot of effort on your part. However, there are ways to make it easier.
Here Are 13 Effective Tips to Help You Stop Cursing
1 – Pay Up! Use a Swear Jar
The swear jar is a classic method that you might remember hearing about. The premise is that you acquire a pot and place a quarter or a dollar in it every time you swear. The more you swear, the more you put into the jar. This one is effective since it hits you in the pocket. Every time you cuss, you are out the money.
The money mustn’t go right back into your wallet, or there’s no consequence. At the end of your adventure, you should take the money and do something for the people who inspired you not to swear anymore.
2 – Flick Ribber Band Against Your Wrist
Wear a rubber band around your wrist every single day. When you catch yourself cussing, you should pull the rubber band back and let it smack your skin. The pain is a mild reminder that should also act as a deterrent. Soon, you will associate cursing with the pain and stop yourself. This trick works best for people who don’t swear all of the time. The snaps can start to take a toll on your skin after a while.
3 – Use Innocuous Replacements for Curse Words
You don’t necessarily need to use swear words when you want to curse. There are many silly words that you can use to replace cussing. Some of the different words you can use instead of cursing include:
- Holy Cow!
- Judas Priest!
- Leapin’ Lizards!
- Phooey!
- Drat!
- Zoinks!
It might take you some time to train yourself to use these words instead of swearing words. However, with time and effort, you will start to use your preferred alternatives instead. The only problem with this method is that you can sound pretty ridiculous, shouting out these words in certain environments.
4 – Team Up with a Buddy
A 2019 NIH article suggests that you are more apt to make long-term changes if you challenge a buddy to try it, too.
That’s right. It will be easier to accomplish your goal if you drag someone into it with you. Get your significant other or someone at work to join in on your mission to stop cursing. You will be able to help hold each other accountable if you catch each other swearing. You will also be able to bounce ideas off of each other and talk about which things did and did not work for you. You may learn a new method that you haven’t thought of. Plus, misery loves company. If you can’t swear, why should your spouse get to?
5 – Expand Your Vocabulary
Many people believe that people who swear only swear since they don’t have the correct words to express themselves. Using curse words is vulgar and shows the person grasping from their most basic selves. Finding a more mature way to talk about a situation shows intelligence and maturity.
Start improving your vocabulary by getting a word-a-day calendar. Use each day’s word at least three times throughout the day. You can even incorporate the term from the day before to help you retain the information. You can also expand your vocabulary by reading more. When you read, you will come across words that you’ve never seen before, forcing you to look them up. Even if you don’t look them up, you start to learn them through context.
When you increase your vocabulary, you need to incorporate it into the moments when you usually swear. Instead of cussing about the person driving slowly in front of you, you can grimace about the dullard accelerating nonchalantly.
6 – Limit Exposure to Movies and Music with Mature Language
Today, both movies and songs contain a lot of cursing. It’s not even that noticeable until you make an effort to stop yourself. You don’t realize how much you hear this stuff throughout the day. The constant bombardment of cursing can put it in your head subconsciously. Don’t let that happen to you. Minimize your exposure to mature material by making wise choices about the movies you watch and music you listen to. You can always look for edited versions of your favorite albums.
What you see on tv makes an impact on your mind.
7 – Learn Triggers and Avoid Them
Everyone has specific triggers that will cause them to engage in a particular behavior. In your case, you might swear. You may get triggered by traffic, rude people, or homework/work. When in these situations, you’ll almost always find yourself cursing. You can’t get rid of all of these things, but you can recognize that they are things that trigger you to swear. This awareness will help put you on alert at these times. Since you are thinking about it, you can put in the effort to catch yourself and stop it before it happens. You can also minimize how often you put yourself in your trigger situations.
8 – Change Your Mentality About Swearing
Many people who swear always don’t think that it’s a bad thing. First, you need to recognize that cursing is a negative thing. When you swear, you aren’t showing yourself at your most intellectual. You also aren’t showing a great sense of self-control. You may swear in front of somebody you shouldn’t. You could end up offending someone. This behavior could be especially bad if you are at work. You may even swear in front of a child and make them think it’s okay for them to swear, too.
9 – Understand Mistakes Happen
Releasing any bad habit takes weeks of commitment to change, according to research. Undoubtedly, not cursing is an arduous task. You probably won’t be perfect, especially when you first try to stop. You must be able to forgive yourself when you make a mistake. You need to control yourself better in the future. Notice the circumstances when you slip up to avoid those same circumstances. The goal here isn’t to be perfect. I doubt there are very many people in this world who can go for the rest of their lives without cursing once. The goal here is to do the best you can and put in a significant amount of effort.
10 – Try a Little Positive Reinforcement
So you gave up, robbed your swear jar, and went back to your former habits? Give yourself the gift of positive reinforcement.
Instead of punishing yourself by paying to a swear jar or snapping a rubber band against your wrist, you should reward yourself when you do well. Use positive reinforcement by giving yourself a treat if you don’t swear once throughout the day. The gift can be something like an extra-long shower, an hour of television before bed, or a glass of wine with dinner. Only accept your reward if you succeed. You have to make a promise to yourself not to cheat and stick to that promise.
Learn ten comebacks for coping with the bad behavior of others.
11 – Understand You and Your Family Will Still Encounter Cursing
No matter how successful you are at not swearing yourself, the rest of the world may not put as much effort into it. You need to know, going into this transformation, that you and your family will still hear the obscene language. With this understood, you need to plan on how to handle the situation with your children. You need to teach your children what to do and why cursing is terrible. It’s better to talk to them about it than trying to protect them from it forever since that is impossible.
12 – Pretend Your Grandparent or Priest is Sitting Next to You
No decent person could possibly swear in front of their grandparents or their priest, would they? Tell yourself that these people are with you at all times, listening to your every word. This mentality will help deter you. If it helps you to visualize, you can put a picture of your grandma in your desk at work or in your wallet.
13 – Practice Self Control in Other Areas Too
If you learn self-control in one area, your improved self-control will apply to other areas as well. Work on becoming more disciplined in general by eating well and going to the gym. Granted, this might make you want to swear even more for at least a moment, but you will develop the mindset you need to create new routines. You can also improve self-regulation by making your bed every morning, following your nighttime beauty regiment, and keeping your house spotless.
Final Thoughts: Stop Cursing by Trying These Tips
Make yourself look intelligent and mature by eliminating swear words from your vocabulary. You can do this by using positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. You can also try changing your overall mentality about cussing and recognizing your triggers. Even after all of the effort, you will put into it. Sometimes you might make a mistake and drop a four-letter word. Just use them wisely.
