We all have habits we aren’t proud of and know aren’t necessarily very good for us. But there are a few habits that are even worse than we may realize. These “normal” daily habits can be sneaky as they subtly take a toll on our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
Curious to know if you have any of these unhealthy habits? Keep reading!
Unhealthy Habits that Cost More Than You Realize
Thinking About Past Stressful Events
How much time do you spend thinking about past stressful events? Maybe that one time you bombed your presentation or a time you embarrassed yourself.
Whatever the event, and however long back, rethinking about a past stressful event can lead to depressive symptoms, and even depression. So rather than rehashing the things that went wrong in your life, shift your focus to how you can grow and improve in the present and the future. Enjoy the moment and live your now to the fullest!
Venting About Problems
When you have a bad day, do you tend to call up your friends and vent about it?
Sharing our struggles, frustrations, and challenges with loved ones is a very common coping method to feel better. However, studies show that it can actually have the opposite effect if done in excess. Spending a majority of your time talking about your problems with other people makes you relive the struggle repeatedly. This increases stress levels and keeps you in a bad mood, rather than reducing stress.
Mindlessly Scrolling Through Social Media
Do you find yourself picking up your phone and scrolling through social media without even realizing it? We are so used to keeping ourselves busy that it feels normal to be on our phones all the time, whether it’s while we wait in line at the grocery store, eating lunch, or even while we are out with friends.
However, social media can be detrimental to your mental health, and is linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression, in addition to loneliness and low self-worth. Constantly being bombarded by people’s best selfies, edited pictures, fancy vacations, and happiest moments can lead to incessant comparison and feelings of unworthiness. I say this all the time: what is reflected on social media is someone’s curated content and highlight reel. I think we tend to lose sight of that when we spend too much time looking at it.
Staying Up Late
With our busy schedules, our sleep is often the first thing that is sacrificed to make more time for tackling our to-do list or relaxing. We think we can catch up on our sleep the next morning, or if nothing else, on the weekend.
However, sacrificing your sleep can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health. In addition, it also affects your cognitive abilities.
Studies also show that when you sleep is as important as how much you sleep. So if you think you will be fine as long as you get your 8 hours of sleep, even if it means sleeping till the afternoon, you’re more likely to make poor health choices the next day.
Watching Too Much TV
We all know watching TV isn’t the healthiest habit, and definitely not good for your waistline, but is it really that unhealthy?
It might surprise you to know that watching TV can have an effect on your brain health. Studies have found that people who watched more TV on a daily basis performed worse on cognitive tests as compared to people who watched less TV.
So rather than watching TV after a long day to relax, sprinkle in going for a walk, meeting up with friends, or doing something creative!
Eating When You’re Not Hungry
No matter how healthy we are, we’re all guilty of indulging in a few treats occasionally. However, emotional eating, nighttime eating, or just snacking when you aren’t hungry can cause you to become overweight, leading to many health issues such as:
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease and strokes
- Sleep apnea
- Certain types of cancers
- Type 2 diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Kidney disease
Try to think of food as fuel for your body and eat only when you are hungry.
Remember, humans are creatures of habit, and we all have habits we follow on a daily basis. While some habits are healthier than others, there are many daily habits that we have that subtly take a toll on our wellbeing, costing a lot more than we realize.
Do you recognize any habits in this list? Make note of them and start to swap them out for healthier habits!
