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You might be practicing everyday habits without realizing they’re quietly harming your physical and mental health. From doom scrolling to sugar overload, recognizing your unhealthy habits is the first step to breaking them. Let’s take a closer look at seven common behaviors that slowly chip away at your well-being — and, more importantly, how you can finally break the cycle for good.
Here are 7 everyday habits that are bad for your health.
Too Much Screen Time
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Let’s all admit that we as a society spend wayyyy too much time staring into that harsh blue light. Whether it’s from our phones, laptops, or TVs, too much screen time is seriously bad for both our physical and mental well-being.
Take more time to go screen-free. Aim for at least one hour a day where you leave the screens behind in order to focus on what truly matters.
Sitting Around All Day
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Most Americans live an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Modern technology allows us to drive everywhere, and our workloads often require us to sit down all day long without movement. Then, when we’re finally finished with work, all we want to do is unwind by lying around and watching TV. While this is totally understandable, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Not even close. Fortunately, there are many solutions to this dilemma, so long as you prioritize your health by getting in at least 4,000 steps a day. You can do this by setting aside time to go on a walk, run, or even investing in a treadmill with a standing desk for work hours.
Social Media Scrolling
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Social media addiction has become a widespread epidemic amongst all generations. It’s no longer just a millennial/Gen-Z problem. In fact, I’d argue that my boomer parents are far more addicted to the socials than I am. However, I used to be so heavily addicted to Instagram and Reddit that it got in the way of my everyday life. These apps are literally designed to be addictive, which is why it’s so important for us not to lose focus on what truly matters in life.
A month ago, I downloaded the Freedom app, which blocks you from social media for a set amount of time. It’s truly been life-changing for me, since I’m now able to live my life again without all the mindless scrolling.Too Much Processed Foods
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Did you know that over 60 percent of the American diet is made up of processed foods? That’s a major problem in our society, since we’re not getting the nutrients we desperately need in order to function.
With this in mind, be sure to take the time to invest in home-cooked meals, where you can store the proper nutrition that’ll make you feel a thousand times better. Believe me.Foods With Refined Sugars
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One of the leading culprits of poor mental and physical health is our overconsumption of refined sugars. While natural sugars that come from fruits and veggies are healthy, the added sugars found in abundance in our American diet are slowly leading to decay.
When buying groceries, try to limit anything with added sugar as much as possible. I’ve been replacing my sweet tooth with daily fruit smoothies, using frozen fruit with zero added sugars or ingredients (make sure your milk base has no added sugar either). These smoothies are way more refreshing and tasty than anything you’d find in the junk food aisle, and they’ll leave you feeling hopeful and energized rather than depressed and sluggish.
Skipping Brushing Your Teeth
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I’ve learned this the hard way after struggling with a depression that made me skip some nights of brushing. I know it’s sort of embarrassing to admit, but this is actually a common symptom with individuals suffering from depression, according to The Depression Project. But unfortunately, as a result of this unhealthy habit, I’ve been dealing with bleeding gums. While I’m on a journey to fix this problem, it’s led to even more issues on top of everything else. Take my word for it: prioritize your oral health every day, twice a day.
Too Much TV/Gaming
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I know how high in quality the latest TV shows/video games are, so I don’t want to knock these sources of valid entertainment. And while some shows and video games can stimulate your brain to some degree, they will never reach the same mental depths and stimulus that activities such as reading will do. In fact, reading the most crappy/poor-quality book will likely stimulate your brain more so than the highest quality TV series/video game, since it requires active participation on your end, as opposed to television viewing/gaming, which is a passive activity. Reading requires you to use your imagination, and it activates parts of your brain that gaming and TV viewing never will, no matter how advanced it comes across.
Which of these unhealthy habits are you hoping to change this year?
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