Everyone has destructive habits that keep them from being their best. Whether it’s putting yourself down constantly or taking illegal drugs, there are all sorts of problems that you must overcome in life. Why do people engage in dangerous habits that can affect their mind and body?
Eight Destructive Habits You Must Stop
If you have habits hurting more than helping you, it’s time to quit. How does one stop “cold turkey” when they’ve developed a practice that’s lasted for months, years, or decades? You can only overcome things with the power of positivity and a drive to do and be your best.
Here are eight everyday destructive habits you need to stop right now, and there are a few tips on achieving these goals.
1. Using Negative Self-Talk
Quit talking down to yourself. So, you’ve made a few mistakes along the way; you must remember that you’re only human. There is no perfect person on this planet, and the mistakes give you plenty of opportunities to learn. It’s very derogatory to say things to yourself like:
- I look fat in this outfit.
- My hair is ugly because it’s so thin and wiry.
- I will never amount to anything.
- I’m a loser.
- I am unlucky in love and life.
- Why am I such a failure?
When you use such negative talk to speak to and about yourself, you’re beating yourself down a little at a time. Stop looking at yourself as a failure, and you won’t fail. It would help if you started using your words to pick yourself up and claim victory rather than defeat.
•How to Fix This:
Fixing this negative mindset isn’t going to happen overnight. You will need to practice. Start by rebutting all these negative thoughts that pop into your head. When you look at yourself in the mirror and think you look fat, try saying something like: “I may not be at my goal weight, but I am worth working on getting where I need to be.”
2. Surrounding Yourself with Negativity
You’re known by the company you keep, and how many times did your parents tell you that birds of the same feather always flock together? If you’re around people who are always negative and look at life as if the glass is half empty, then you will develop this negative mindset too.
•How to Fix This:
You can fix this by making new friends. Your friendships should enhance or add something to your life and not take away from it. Rather than living in a bubble with such pessimistic folks, it would be better to be surrounded by positivity.
No one wants to be friends with people who are melancholy all the time anyway. So be the kind of person that people love to be around.
3. You Limit Yourself
Why do you put limits on yourself and think that you can’t do something? Suppose you have a degree as well as anyone else in your office. A new position opens on the job board you’re qualified for, but you don’t think you can do it.
You have the qualifications and the training, so why do you put yourself down and act like you’re no better than the other folks? Your imagination is the only thing that limits you.
•How to Fix This:
Start validating the years of college and other work that you’ve done. You’ve been trained and have experience, so why can’t you go for that new job that will give you more money?
Start using the facts to combat the limitations that come to your mind. Anxiety will do nothing but keep you from being all you can be.
4. Caring Too Much What Other People Think
Why is it that society, in general, cares so much about what others are thinking? You love this shirt that you got on vacation, but you won’t wear it because of the vivid pattern. You’re so afraid of what others might say about it that you let it collect dust.
Who cares what other people think? If you love the shirt, if it fits and looks good on your body, then that’s all that matters. It would help if you never lived your life hoping to please someone else, as it will only make you miserable.
•How to Fix This:
Each time these thoughts come into your mind that tells you that someone won’t like this or make an individual mad, you need to combat it with a dose of truth. Tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what Tom, Joe, or Karen thinks about you, your family, clothes, or where you live. It’s your life to live, and if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.
5. Binge Eating
Are you a stress eater who loves to gorge when your nerves get the best of you? You can’t maintain a healthy weight and overall good health when you’re letting your stress level guide your gut. The obesity rate is out of control in this country, and according to the National Library of Medicine, more than 1.2 percent of the population has this problem.
•How to Fix This:
If you have binge eating troubles, then you need to get help. Counseling is an excellent place to start to learn practical coping skills for this common problem. Other methods can help you eat less, but developing new ways to deal with stress is the key to success.
6. Abusing Drugs or Alcohol
Many people self-medicate because they want the pain to go away. It’s effortless to find alcohol as it’s sold in every supermarket and convenience store nationwide. Illegal drugs, and even those prescribed, can also easily be abused.
Do you know how many people started out taking a little shot of whiskey to get them to fall asleep or turn off their minds? However, the song “The Whiskey Isn’t Working Anymore” comes from a place of truth. Once you indulge in this habit regularly, you will need more to get the same effect; this is how addiction is born.
Abusing any drug or alcohol can have serious consequences.
•How to Fix This:
You must seek help for any addiction. If you need alcohol or drugs to get to sleep or function during the day, you have a problem that needs to be addressed quickly. The longer you allow this addiction to go on, the more damage it can do to your body.
7. You Don’t Speak Up for Yourself
Do you let people walk all over you? Have you become a doormat with a sign on your head that says, “please step on me?” Why don’t you stand up for yourself and stop letting people take advantage of your kindness?
If you give some people an inch, they will take a mile. Your time and money are just as valuable as theirs, so don’t let these folks tread on you.
•How to Fix This:
It would help if you learned how to say no. People will use you as long as you allow them to. When you start telling people how you want to be treated, then it’s a game-changer. Healthy boundaries are good for you and others, per the National Institute of Medicine, and they’re essential in a professional setting.
8. Comparing Yourself with Others
Why do you constantly compare yourself to someone else? You compare your home, car, job, and income levels to those of other people. This kind of mindset will drive you mad. The neighbor down the street may have paid $300,000 for his home, but your home that cost $120,000 is just as good.
Maybe you don’t need all the bells and whistles in your life, and you can be happy with the simple things. Comparing yourself to others shows low self-esteem and a deflated self-worth, and it’s one of the worst destructive habits.
•How to Fix This:
Learning to be thankful for what you have is a great place to start. When you begin to feel jealousy over your neighbor’s big house, you need to remind yourself to be thankful that you have a home to live in.
The same goes for a car or job. Be grateful for what you do have so that the Universe will entrust you with more.
Final Thoughts on Stopping Self Destructive Habits
These are just eight of the everyday destructive habits that people engage in; however, there are many more. The key is to start taking accountability for your words and actions. Don’t beat yourself up all the time when you make a mistake.
Instead, look at these mistakes as ways to learn lessons that will help you grow and flourish. With age comes maturity, but it doesn’t mean bad habits go away as you age. What can you do today to get your self-destructive habits under control so that you can live a better life?
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