We all have bad habits. Some are really affecting our lifestyle and overall health, while some are just indulgences.
Some of the habits I’ll talk/write about are probably obvious, but I think they’re worth mentioning since they can do so much harm. They will look harmless, but on long-term, they can affect your health quite a lot. Let’s dig in!
1. Smoking
This is probably the most obvious one. I am 100% against smoking. I smoke – as any curious teenager – but I never could understand why people actually do it.
I lost a couple of dear people to lung cancer and my dad is a smoker as well. Smoking kills 1 in 5 US citizen according to statistics. This bad habit is notorious for causing:
- lung cancer
- significant increase of heart disease probability
- higher possibility of stroke
So try not to take up smoking or try to get rid of cigarettes. If you think you can’t because it’s already in addiction, think if your loved ones deserve to see you slowly dying of a terrible disease.
2. Not going to sleep at the same hour
There’s nothing wrong to have a party night every now and then.
Going to sleep at the same hour will give you a nice night of peaceful sleep and stress-free mornings. Our bodies love routine and getting the right amount of sleep each night is important.
Related: How To Wake Up Full of Energy
3. Drinking too much alcohol
There are recommended amounts of alcohol our body can absorb without much damage.
Doctors recommend 2-3 units for women and 3-4 units for men daily. An unit represents about 10 ml of pure alcohol. So a beer or a glass of wine. Men can have some extra alcohol since their body is larger and stores more water, which helps to dilute the alcohol faster. You can read more about alcohol consumption here.
4. Not moving around
I’m not talking about working out since it starts to turn into a cliche.
The 10k steps that are on each and every app, they mean something. Of course, it’s highly recommended to workout on a regular basis, but if you can’t do it, at least try to make up for it:
- try to walk more
- don’t sit in a chair for 8 hours, try to move around
- if you have a desk job, try to stand every once in a while
- do some light stretching in the morning
Related: 5 Ways To Trick Yourself Into Working Out
5. Staring at a screen
Our day-to-day cycle is influenced and guided by light. Based on the amount of light we’re getting, out mood can change.
It’s widely known that blue light inhibits melatonin secretion. Blue light is emitted by electronics, while melatonin is also known as sleep hormone. So watching the TV – like I do sometimes – right before falling asleep will affect the quality of your sleep.
Also, we tend to “forget” to blink while we stare at a screen. Not blinking enough is drying our eyes, which on long term can damage the eyesight. What my ophthalmologist recommended me – besides trying to blink regularly – was to stare at an invisible spot away from the screen a few times a day.
Related: Why You Should Start a Digital Detox and How To Do It
6. Scrolling
It’s sooo easy to start scrolling through any social media wall. The moment you start realizing what you’re doing, an entire hour has passed.
My point here is that we are so addicted to social media, that we don’t realize how’s affecting us. Maybe you’d say it’s nothing wrong with spending “some time catching up with friends”. But 30 minutes now, 30 later… will pile up. People are getting anxiety when they picture losing their phone of having their social media accounts hacked. Not to mention it can severely damage your productivity.
So less scrolling, more happiness.
7. Not saying no
It’s so difficult to say no to someone, especially when it’s your boss or a close friend or relative. We feel guilty, horrible and useless when we think of saying no. We are afraid of conflict or we’re trying to protect ourselves in case we might need someone’s help at a certain time. If you’re saying ‘yes’ now, they’ll have to say ‘yes’ to you when your turn comes, right?
It’s true that some people really don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, but there are some things you can try:
- explain why you can’t help right now
- offer your help for a future need – “I can do this now, but how about we do this…”
- tell them all you have to do and let them choose if their need is more important – works with the boss
Related: How To Get Over Stressful Periods of Time
You might feel well when you say ‘yes’, but when things pile up and you’re stressed AF, unable to eat and sleep well, you’ll probably regret not saying ‘no’ when you had to.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to realise now what will harm you in the future. All the habits listed above, we consider them “light”. There’s nothing wrong of staying up late tonight, and the next one and the next one and so on.
We feel the social pressure of living ‘the perfect’ life, but honestly – you don’t have to eat only kale to be healthy and happy. Health and happiness come in many forms and that’s the good news.
I personally believe in balance – if there is a balance, you’re good. But if it turns into excess, karma will get you one day.
How many of the habits above do you have and how many have you tried to ditch? Let me know in the comments!
20 comments
I need to learn to say no more – it’s hard enough to get everything done for myself and my family!
AMEN to all of the above – we’re trying to encourage our brother in law to quit smoking, and it’s no easy feat. But so important!!
Phew! I’m feeling better after reading this haha the only problem I have is staring at screens. But in my defense, I’m an online graduate student and I’m self employed through my blog. Soooo there’s only so much I can do haha but I’m getting better. I always make it a priority to get out of the house every day to go for a jog and take my daughter to the park and whatnot. So that helps a lot 🙂 with everything else on this list, I’m doing good!
This was such an insightful post! I definitely need to move around more and learn to say “no” better. Those are both things I’m working on right now and this inspired me to keep going and stay motivated! I loved this post, thank you!
Thank you, glad you like it!
ugh. this one definitely hits close to home!! I feel like a zombie if I don’t go to sleep at a decent hour. I don’t even remember what life looks like after 9pm!! Great list. 🙂
Kendra B
http://www.helga-marie.com
I’m definitely guilty of not getting enough movement, and that’s one I’m working on right now! I’m trying to incorporate more walks and yoga into my week.
#3 is what I am currently working on. I love my glass of wine starting at 6PM. Then there goes the bottle. Thank you for sharing!
Guilty of a few of these, but aware of it and aiming to make changes. Most of the ones in your list are habits that are not easily changed, they have to be worked on after a commitment to change has been made. I found Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit” very insightful regarding the formation and change of habits.
Thanks for the book recommendation, I’ll add it on my wish list on my Kindle.
I never smoked, so I am lucky to be able to scratch that off my list! Saying no is hard for me. And I sit at my desk all day. I work from home three days per week, so on the days that I work from home I make sure I walk around the neighborhood a little bit or take a run. It makes a world of difference in my energy level!
Smoking is one of the hardest things to quit but it is possible. Saying No is another thing that is not easily learned to the point my parents bought me a no button in my early 20’s (yes they make a no button similar to the easy button). Great Post Great points as always!!
I would never smoke and gave up drinking pretty quickly after I became the legal drinking age, and I don’t miss it at all. I think they’re both such unnecessary things to do that have way more disadvantages than advantages. However, I do need to move around more! I’m quite happy sitting in the same place all day long ?
These are all really great suggestions! Most of these are easy to implement into your daily routine as well! I love the tip about going to bed at the same time because not many people realize that one!
Being an IT profession I cant help but sit all day at my desk and stare at laptop screen, Sometimes you’re soo stuck in your work and you dont even realize what your getting yourself in to, I have started to keep a remainder for every one hour I have to take a small walk for around 5 mins or so.
I totally get you, my job is the same. Sometimes I literally forget to blink until I realise my eyes are dry and itchy.
I found an extension from Chrome that will lock your screen for 5-10 mins every now and then – it’s super useful for me.
Oh boy did I need to read this post I feel like I’m a health nut but I have some of these bad habits like not going to sleep scrolling and having so much screen time! It’s definitely a central to take breaks and just be thank you so much for the reminder I really needed to read this post today!!!
Glad you found it inspirational, Laura!
I’m guilty of almost all of these. Whoops. The thing is, I KNOW they’re bad habits and yet, I still find myself doing them – especially scrolling through social media. Damn you, Instagram haha. I need to make a conscious effort to change my ways but you’re right, it’s all about balance. x
mine is totally not saying no ha. i found i was juggling too many things and not even excited about some of the things i said yes too! 🙂 thanks for these!