If You Know It’s Hurting You, Why Do You Keep Doing It? By Sharif Colbert
- LifeCoachATL
- May 13
- 3 min read
You know the apps are distracting you.
You know the drinking makes you feel sluggish.
You know staying isolated is affecting your mental health.
You know doom scrolling at 1AM is wrecking your sleep.
You know avoiding the conversation is making the relationship worse.
So why do you keep doing it?
Because knowing something is hurting you and understanding why you need it are two different things.
Awareness Doesn’t Automatically Create Change
This is where a lot of capable people get frustrated with themselves.
They think:
“If I know better… why am I still doing it?”
Because awareness is only part of the equation.
People don’t just repeat behaviors because they lack discipline.
They repeat behaviors because those behaviors are doing something for them emotionally.
Even unhealthy habits often provide:
comfort
distraction
numbing
familiarity
certainty
temporary relief
That’s why simply “knowing” rarely fixes the pattern.
The Habit May Be Solving Something
This is the part most people skip.
Instead of asking:
“How do I stop?”
A better question is:
“What is this helping me avoid, escape, or feel?”
Because sometimes:
the drinking quiets stress
the apps distract from loneliness
the overworking avoids stillness
the procrastination protects you from pressure
the isolation prevents vulnerability
That doesn’t make the behavior healthy.
But it does make it understandable.
Some People Aren’t Addicted to the Habit
They’re attached to the relief.
That’s an important difference.
Because if you remove the habit without understanding the emotional need underneath it…
people usually replace it with something else.
Different behavior.
Same pattern.
That’s why many people “start over” repeatedly.
Why Capable Adults Stay Stuck Here
Capable people are often good at functioning.
They go to work.
Handle responsibilities.
Show up for other people.
So from the outside, life may look fine.
But internally?
There may be stress, loneliness, pressure, exhaustion, disappointment, or emotional avoidance running quietly underneath everything.
And certain habits become coping strategies.
Not solutions.
Coping strategies.
This Is Why Shame Usually Doesn’t Work
A lot of people already feel bad about the behavior.
They already know:
they should stop
they need to change
this isn’t helping long term
More shame usually doesn’t create transformation.
Understanding does.
Because once you understand what the behavior is emotionally connected to, you can finally address the real issue instead of only fighting the symptom.
The Hard Truth
Some habits stay alive because they work temporarily.
The apps do distract you.
The drinking does numb things for a little while.
Avoidance does reduce pressure in the moment.
That’s why people return to them.
The problem is the relief is temporary…
while the consequences slowly build.
Change Usually Starts Smaller Than People Think
Most people try to change their whole life overnight.
That rarely lasts.
Real change often starts with honesty.
Not punishment.
Not self-hate.
Honesty.
About:
what you’re feeling
what you’re avoiding
what the habit is doing for you
and what it’s costing you
That’s where movement begins.
Pops Prompt
Ask yourself:
What does this behavior help me avoid feeling temporarily?
Then ask:
What’s one healthier way I could meet that same emotional need this week?
Not perfectly.
Just honestly.
This Is the Work I Do
I work with capable people who are self-aware enough to know something isn’t working…
but still feel stuck in the pattern.
Not because they’re weak.
Because underneath the behavior is usually something deeper that hasn’t been addressed yet.
Once that gets understood, change becomes possible.
About the Author
Sharif Colbert is a certified life coach and founder of LifeCoachATL, where he helps driven, capable people break unhealthy patterns, build confidence, and follow through on what matters most.
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