You can either rope in a friend who also has a swearing problem and work towards cutting out the bad language together, or you can ask a clean-mouthed comrade to monitor your language and give you a gentle reminder whenever you slip up. Either way, having someone to hold you accountable for your swearing slip-ups will force you to stick to your guns and kick this bad habit once and for all.
Remove yourself from any situations which cause negative emotions to rise and you’ll be better able to control what comes out of your mouth.
It’s a punishment because you have to say goodbye to a dollar every time you slip up. But it’s also a reward, because once the jar is full (or you’ve successfully stopped swearing - whichever comes first) you get to spend the money on whatever you like - whether you want to buy yourself some new threads, or donate the money to charity. Keeping the swear jar in your office is a good idea if you have roped several people into giving up swearing. Everyone will hold each other accountable and make sure that nobody tries to sneakily avoid sacrificing their dollar. Once the jar is full, you can celebrate by buying a new coffee machine for your entire floor.
The thinking behind this is that your brain will come to associate swearing with pain and, over time, will cause you to mentally shy away from using bad words. If you’re really serious about this method, you could give permission to a friend (preferably one prone to a little schadenfreude) to snap the band for you. Just try to remember that you agreed to it.
Whenever you swear, visualize them standing beside you with a shocked or horrified expression on their face. That should help deter you.
Your swearing habit may have developed as a child, if you were exposed to bad language in your family home. Or it might have started as a teenager, when you used curse words to look cool in front of your friends. Whatever the reason, there’s no point in looking back and blaming people. The most important thing is that you recognize that you have a problem and commit to working through it.
For example, ask yourself “does it really matter if I’m a few minutes late for my meeting?” or “does it really matter if I can’t find the remote control and have to switch the channels on the television set instead?” Putting a situation into the right perspective can help you to calm down and overcome negative emotions. In addition, you will need to think positively about your ability to stop swearing. If you have a negative outlook and have doubts about your ability to succeed, you are setting yourself up for failure from the get-go. Remind yourself that if people can give up smoking or lose hundreds of pounds of weight through dieting, you will definitely be able to give up swearing!
Really think about why you want to stop swearing. Maybe you’re afraid of giving off the wrong impression at a new job or you don’t want to set a bad example for your kids. Use this as motivation to keep trying. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Exercise your self-control and remind yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to!
Once you begin paying attention to your swearing habits, you may be shocked by how much you rely on swearing to express yourself. Don’t be too dismayed by it though, recognizing how often you curse is the first step towards fixing the problem. Once you start paying attention to your own cursing habits, you will start to pick up on other people’s, without even realizing it. This is also a good thing, as you will realize how unpleasant swearing sounds and what a negative impression it gives off.
For example, try replacing “sh**” with “sugar”, “turd”, “shoot” or “sheep” or “f***” with “duck”, or “fudge”. You’ll feel silly saying these words at first, but you’ll get used to it after a while. Using such meaningless words may even eliminate your need to express yourself negatively at all. Even if you slip up and say the forbidden curse word, follow it immediately with your chosen alternative. Over time, your brain will come to associate the two and you will be able to actively choose one over the other.
Make a list of your favorite swear words, then use a dictionary or thesaurus to come up with a range of alternative options. For example, instead of using the word “B. S. " morning, noon and night, try replacing it with infinitely more descriptive and humorous words such as balderdash, hogwash, drivel and baloney. You can also expand your vocabulary by reading more books and newspapers. Jot down any descriptive words that tickle your fancy and make an effort to use them in a sentence. Also make an effort to really listen to other people and make a mental note of the words and phrases that they use to express themselves, rather than resorting to swearing.
