We all have bad habits and unhealthy attachments in life. Don’t try and deny it; we’re all human. These unhealthy attachments aren’t always dire, which causes some people to believe they don’t have one, but usually they still do. These obsessions are often the reaction to negative or unpleasant experiences. They’re our coping mechanisms.
Bad day at work? Maybe you go shopping instead of drinking a bottle of whisky, but they’re not that different in the end.
Bad habits can sneak their way into your life and quickly become a crutch and a weakness. Soon, these behaviours become consuming and toxic with no end in sight. In addition, you know there’s something mildly wrong or unhealthy about what you’re doing. We see many people battling addiction struggle to understand the difference between addiction vs. a bad habit.
Even if your bad habits aren’t signs of addiction, they could still be holding you back significantly in life. While some bad habits are harder to quit than others, it doesn’t change the fact that you need to get rid of them to improve your health. Here are a few tips that can help you break bad habits that are holding you back in life.
1. Set Healthy Boundaries
Saying ‘yes’ to everything never helped anyone, no matter what the movies or your mind tell you. When we are presented with a choice to take on something new, such as a work project or an invite to dinner, it’s easy to feel cramming one more thing into our calendars is the solution to making everyone happy. But, by “everyone” we forget to include ourselves.
Always saying ‘yes’ to others does not give them a chance to learn what you will and won’t do – to learn how to respect you. Set healthy boundaries and avoid ending up feeling overwhelmed by acting according to your best interest.
2. Make Restorative Sleep Part Of Your Daily Routine
If you’ve been wondering why your days aren’t as productive or positive as you wish they were and you are getting less than seven hours of sleep each night, then you might have found your answer. Your sleep impacts everything from your cognitive function to your mood, and you need to get between seven to nine hours of sleep to experience REM cycles and restore your mind and body.
3. Know Your Self-Worth
Social media influences how we see ourselves, and the continuous exposure to idealized lives or bodies causes us to question our own. For many of us, what we see that others have only calls attention to what we lack.
The problem with basing your self-worth on social media, whether it’s through comparing yourself to others or seeking validation from others through their comments, is that it contributes to negative body images, attitudes, and self-perceptions that contribute to unhealthy behaviors and mental and emotional states.
4. Let Go Of The Past
There is no sense in being unhappy, anxious, or dissatisfied over something that has already happened. Still, we do it because the things we missed out on or messed up become perceived opportunities in our minds. We love to relive our failures and wonder what would be different if we had responded another way, but dwelling doesn’t give us a chance to go back in time – it only interferes with our ability to move forward today. Learn from your failures and let go!
5. Set Goals That Make You Happy
The wrong goal could be one that is unrealistic or something that does not align with who you are or what you want. It can also mean there is a sort of misalignment between the goal and the intention. For example, if you catch yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when I lose 10 pounds this month”, you might want to reevaluate and clarify what it is that would make you happy. Is it the number on the scale, or is it experiencing a greater sense of freedom or confidence?
When setting goals, consider choosing the phrase “I’ll be happy while” rather than saying “I’ll be happy when.” Enjoy the process and be present with it – be present with your purpose.
