7 Self-Destructive Habits to Quit for a More Fulfilling and Accomplished Life
While we are creatures of habit, some of our daily activities could actually slow us down and prevent us from living our best lives. Let’s look at a few changes in our habits that could make a lot of difference in our life.
Life is a succession of habits. Good habits will help you grow, while bad ones prevent you from living your best life. Sometimes, you may feel heavily yoked to certain behaviors, and breaking free is a mirage.
The good news is that just as you learned the habit, you can unlearn it — no matter how long it takes. All you need is a strong will, focus, and a clear vision of the end goal. Oh, and a strong support system at times.
This piece won’t focus on the usual bad habits such as smoking and drinking.
Rather, let’s unravel some silent killers in your life and how dropping these habits will help you soar.
7 Bad Habits to Break to Help You Live Your Best Life
When we think of unhealthy habits, some of the first to come to mind include not exercising, smoking, drinking too much, having a poor diet, or any addiction. Other bad habits people often say they want to quit include nail biting, cursing, spending too much money, staying up too late, binge eating or skipping meals, not drinking enough water, etc.
You get the point…
While these are all bad habits worth breaking, let’s be honest. You don’t need anyone to tell you that you would be better off if you didn’t do them.
Instead, we will talk about some habits you may have that you may not even realize are self-destructive.
Here are 7 unhealthy habits that will hold you back from living your life to the fullest.
Procrastination
One of the biggest contributors to a clogged-up life is procrastination. Always postponing what needs to be done is the reason behind so much stress and stagnation that you could be facing.
How many times have you said that you’ll start gym on Monday? Or I’ll take that vacation in December? Well, I’m guilty of this, and I can attest that it leads to constantly feeling overwhelmed and making little progress in various aspects of life.
However, once you master the power of now, things begin to move.
You’ll agree that you’re always postponing certain things because of time — it’s never enough! But no matter how hectic your life is, learning to manage time can kill the spirit of procrastination.
Create a realistic to-do list and be deliberate about ticking as many things off as possible. You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve by dedicating a small amount of time consistently to a specific goal rather than always postponing getting started.
Overthinking
If you find yourself always worrying too much about situations (especially those not in your control), then you need to drop that habit. Rarely will overthinking solve the problem.
For instance, if you are employed, you go to work constantly, fearing that your contract might be terminated anytime. While it could happen, such thoughts will only eat into your efficiency and productivity, which, in turn, will reflect negatively when it’s time for that appraisal needed to renew the contract.
An underestimated solution to overthinking is living a day at a time.
Sounds simple, but it works. Tomorrow isn’t in your control. Always strive to live for the day and cautiously make the most of it. Habitually having a negative train of thought is draining and counterproductive.
Stop worrying and embrace positivity — it works magic!
Toxicity
Have you ever been stuck with someone constantly draining your energy? Or do you work in an environment saturated with negative vibes?
Toxicity is a slow killer. Surrounding yourself with a toxic environment is detrimental to your soul. It eats into your self-esteem and can mold you into a harsh, defensive human being lacking in joy and happiness.
You deserve to thrive.
Choose to deliberately cut off toxic people in your life. You don’t need someone who’s always seeing the negative in you. This might be easier said than done since some of these people may be family members or co-workers. However, it will be good to maintain a polite distance from them.
You may be left with a small circle of uplifting buddies, but they are much better than a multitude of toxic and damaged so-called friends.
Complaining
Always whining about life is a bad habit. Yes, you will occasionally encounter a bad day at work, or a person you trust may mess you up big time.
While it’s okay to vent for some time, constantly complaining about it isn’t good for anyone. When you complain, it leaves you in a bad mood which may also take a toll on family and friends, who’ll eventually keep a distance due to the negativity.
Habitual complaining prevents you from seeing the good things happening in your life.
Next time you feel like complaining, choose to pick something good you are grateful for. Replacing complaining with positive affirmations will help you flourish and summon good energy into your days.
YOLO Mentality
We live in a generation where the mantra of “You Only Live Once (YOLO)” is the order of the day. Unfortunately, this mentality has led many people to make bad decisions whose impact lasts for years.
Are you a person who bases their decision-making on YOLO? For example, blowing up your money on extravagances because of YOLO? Or justifying bad decisions with the YOLO mantra?
While it’s important to make the best of each day, you must be cautious of your decisions.
Don’t make YOLO a habit. Cumulatively choosing to live carelessly because you only have one life leads to overindulgence, which eventually leads to a poor life — in all aspects.
Prolonged Screen Time
Sadly, gadgets have taken over our lives. According to research, an adult in the United States spends an average of almost seven and a half hours in front of a screen daily (the global average is just under 7 hours).
Some of these hours could be factored into the time we spend in front of computers working. However, there are those that have the habit of spending countless hours scrolling through their phones.
Are you a person who can’t sleep without watching hours of videos on social media? Or always reach for the phone the moment you wake up to scroll through Facebook and other social networks?
You’ll agree that the habit is highly addictive and barely constructive.
It eats into your hours of sleep, slows you down, and makes you less productive. How about you replace that habit with reading a book or meditating first thing in the morning?
Not Delegating
Are you in the habit of always doing everything yourself? This could be due to the fear that things will not be done perfectly if you let others handle them.
Well, such an approach to life often leaves you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. It could also lead to burnout and elevated stress levels.
Once you learn the power of delegation, you’ll realize how much better your life will get. That way, you’ll have more time to concentrate on what cannot be easily delegated.
You Have the Power to Break Bad Habits Within You
All in all, choose to be deliberate and intentional about quitting the above habits or any other that you believe could negatively affect your life. Remember, it’s a process.
The first step is to decide that you want to make a change.
Willpower is vital to breaking bad habits. But it’s not enough; otherwise, you would have done it already. “Just say no,” doesn’t work.
When you want to break an unhealthy, destructive habit, replacing it with a good, healthy one is essential. Two techniques that can help you create new patterns are SMART Goal Setting and Habit Stacking.
Water the good habits, and for sure, your life will flourish.
Author Bio
Mary Kihoro holds a bachelor of arts degree in counseling psychology with a minor in sociology from Kenyatta University. She is all about positive and purposeful living for a happy and fulfilling life. As a passionate believer in manifesting, Mary always strives to encourage those around her to project and work towards the best version of themselves.
Mary is an ardent writer who believes that there’s power in words and uses her skills to craft pieces that can be fruitful resources for those looking to improve their lives. Other than writing, Mary is a dedicated mother of two, a healthy eater, a passionate reader, and a lover of the good vibes tribe!
