This flowchart visualizes the cycle of bad habits, highlighting the relationship between environmental cues, cravings, behavior, and subsequent feelings. Breaking the cycle involves reducing exposure to cues.

graph LR
    A[Environmental Cues] --> B{Trigger Bad Habit?}
    B -- Yes --> C[Compulsive Craving]
    C --> D[Bad Habit]
    D --> E[Negative Feelings]
    E --> A
    B -- No --> F[No Habit Triggered]
    F --> G[Maintain Status Quo]

This flowchart illustrates the difference between relying on self-control (short-term) and optimizing the environment (long-term) for breaking bad habits. Optimizing the environment by reducing cues is presented as a more effective long-term strategy.

graph LR
    A[Desire to Change Behavior] --> B{Rely on Self-Control?}
    B -- Yes --> C[Short-Term Resistance]
    C --> D[Potential Willpower Exhaustion]
    D --> E[Relapse to Bad Habit]
    B -- No --> F[Optimize Environment]
    F --> G[Reduce Exposure to Cues]
    G --> H[Long-Term Habit Change]
    H --> I[Increased Self-Control]