If you’re not careful, bad habits can sneak up on you and quickly derail your best intentions for leading a thriving life. Here are five of the most common bad habits that can stand in your way of success, happiness, and well-being – and how to overcome them.
You aren’t prioritizing your health.
We all tend to put our health on the back burner, convincing ourselves that we’ll take better care of ourselves “next week” or “once this project is done.” However, not prioritizing our health – no matter how busy we are – can have serious consequences.
When we don’t manage stress properly, it affects our mental and physical health. Leading a sedentary lifestyle or eating an unhealthy diet can lead to weight gain, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. And not getting enough sleep can leave us tired and run down, impairing our ability to function at our best.
The bottom line is that if we want to thrive in life, we need to stop allowing our health to fall by the wayside. Luckily, we can take a few simple steps to get started. We can make sure to schedule time for relaxation and exercise, cook more meals at home using fresh ingredients, and establish a bedtime routine that includes winding down for 30 minutes before going to sleep.
You are constantly comparing yourself to others.
One of the worst mental habits that can prevent you from thriving in life is comparing yourself to others.
Turning your attention to what others have may seem harmless until the spotlight returns to your life, bringing more awareness to everything you don’t. The lack, envy, resentment, and insecurity that follow contribute to a general sense of unhappiness.
Additionally, comparing yourself to others can take up a lot of energy that could be better spent on more productive thoughts and activities.
If you compare yourself to others often, it is important to remind yourself that everyone is on their unique journey in life, so comparison is moot. It would help if you also considered a consistent gratitude practice, which, unlike comparison, contributes to myriad feelings that give rise to happiness.
You ruminate and dwell on your past mistakes.
We all have moments in our lives we wish we could go back and change. Dwelling on these moments and mistakes is natural – it’s a defense mechanism where our brains try to convince us that if we just think it over once more, we might find some loophole or solution. Or maybe if we beat ourselves up enough, we might finally deserve forgiveness.
However, dwelling on the past is counterproductive – there is no use in ruminating over what could have been. Instead of fixating on what could have gone differently or better, we must focus on what we can do now. We need to forgive ourselves and learn from our mistakes. Ask yourself, what can I do differently next time? What did I learn about myself?
Focus on living your best life and achieving your goals, using your experiences and newfound insight to improve your life and make your best choices. Only once you do this can you loosen the grip you have on your past. After all, the past cannot be changed, but the future is full of possibilities.
Your inner voice is critical.
No one is perfect. We all have our own set of flaws, insecurities, and doubts. However, dwelling on these negative aspects of ourselves can prevent us from thriving in life. This is because negative self-talk creates a self-fulfilling prophecy – if we believe that we’re not good enough, we’ll start to act in ways that confirm this belief.
Over time, this can lead to anxiety, depression, and a whole host of other mental health problems. It also keeps us from taking risks and trying new things, which are essential for finding fulfillment.
So, how can we break this cycle of negative self-talk? First, it’s important to become aware of your thoughts. One effective way to achieve this is through mindfulness practices such as meditation or journaling.
Once you’re aware of your thoughts, you can start to challenge them. For example, if you’re thinking, “I’m not good enough,” or “I can’t do this,” ask yourself, “Why?” and “What evidence do I have to support this?” Answering these questions can help to reframe your thinking and give you a more positive outlook on life.
Your life lacks balance and presence.
If you feel like you’re chasing happiness, it’s probably because your life is out of balance. You’re likely overextended, overscheduled, and overwhelmed. When work takes up all our time, we neglect the things that bring us joy. We need to remember how to play and pause. But instead, we become bogged down in the mundane and the routine, leaving us feeling disconnected from ourselves and our surroundings.
The good news is that balance and presence go hand in hand. When we make room for balance in our lives, we can practice being present. And the more present we are, the easier it is to maintain balance. Being present means being attuned to our internal cues and knowing what feels right for us – rather than doing for the sake of doing. This can be challenging when we’re used to numbing ourselves or avoiding what matters with busyness or overexertion.
Many people go through life without knowing what it’s like to be present. But when we try better to do so, we can more effectively set boundaries, say no, and take time for ourselves without feeling guilty. We can also be more patient, compassionate, and understanding with others.
So if you’re looking for happiness, start by creating more balance in your life. Make time for play and pauses, and see how that changes your ability to be present. Become the observer and begin to thrive.