Our day is filled with a repetition set of actions that eventually form our habits. Habit is wired so deeply in our brain that it can perform it automatically.
Habit will form character, and character is what define us. So having a self-destructive habit will create a less good version of you.
Here is 5 self-destructive habit that you might unknowingly embed in your daily life. Once you have identified the bad habits, it is much easier to replace them with more positive behavior or habits.
Let’s jump right in.
Whatever time you have decided to wake up, set your alarm and wake up.
Sleeping is one of the key components to good health and body. and snoozing is the opposite of getting a night of good sleep.
Snoozing 5-10 more minutes won’t make you feel more rested. It will make you feel foggier and harder for you to wake up.
Why it is bad?
The extra 5-10 minutes of sleep is not enough to have a good restorative & restful sleep. We need at least 90 minutes to reach stage 3 sleep which is required for that fresh feeling when we wake up.
The feeling of grogginess will be more than the first time you wake up to snooze the alarm. Worse, the grogginess stays throughout the day. It will affect your mood, which will affect your work. This vicious cycle is the perfect recipe for self-destruction. So, might as well just wake up at the first time, right?
I have the same issue. I set both my phone alarm and the manual alarm clock. I snooze both. And it is sure does affect my morning mood and mental clarity.
The first thing is to find the reason why we snooze in the first place.
For me, it’s because of the unrealistic expectation of waking up too early in the morning. At 4:30 am.
By knowing the root cause, we can eliminate or minimize the problem.
Understand that we need around 7-8 hours of sleep per day and set the alarm appropriately. Be realistic. The moment you heard the alarm clock in the morning, you know you get enough sleep and are ready to wake up.
Tip: Use a manual alarm clock and place it on the table outside the bedroom. The act of walking will naturally help to wake you up.
2. Checking phone or social media first thing in the morning
This is the number one day ruining habit that you need to stop. The main reason is that it’s priming your brain for distraction. Once you get distracted your day will easily become less productive.
I often heard people say, “But I need to check the work messages and email”.
Well, very much agree. But checking those bulk of emails first thing in the morning can put you in stress mode and self-induced anxiety. The work request is endless. Your morning should be for you.
Worst, if the first thing you do is scroll to social media. You will start comparing your life with other people and it makes you feel bad about yourself.
Tip:
- Set ‘No Disturb’ mode on your phone from the night before until 8-9 am. This will block any notifications and apps in the morning.
- Place your phone away from your sight. In the bag or the next room. Out of sight, out of mind.
- You are what you consumed. In terms of both what we eat and what we read.
3. Scrolling phone while walking
Another form of habit is due to constant stimulation from the phone. I realized this as I was walking back to my car the other day. I noticed that almost 60-70% of people walking in front of me with their heads fixed to the phone.
I am guilty as charged. I used my phone to avoid any eye contact and small talk, so I will keep scrolling even there is nothing to see.
We are constantly distracted with a phone that we don’t even notice the leaves colour has changed, the newly open bakery down the road, or the blooming flowers at your neighbour’s house.
Compare this to when we go on a road trip or any vacation. Can we feel the excitement? All the places that we see seem better, we feel the sky is prettier, the air is nicer.. we are able to appreciate it because we are aware of our surroundings. We don’t get distracted by the phone.
Stop this madness and put the phone away. And probably we can feel the excitement in daily life.
4. Listening to only entertainment during a long commute
The other day I did the math of how many hours I spend commuting to my workplace. In a day I will spend commuting roughly 80-120 minutes to and from the office (depends on the traffic), which translates to almost 10 hours per week! Freaking 10 hours just in my car driving!
My adult life is spent commuting. It’s sad, I know. That’s why I feel what you consumed during this long hour drive is crucial.
Take this time to be your me-time. When we are completely alone with ourselves and our thought. We can use this time to listen to podcasts, audible, or just be completely silent or do some deep breathing exercise. I’m not lying, the moment I start practising this (deep breathing) I get a sense of mental clarity, and easier for me to be in productive mode once I reach the office.
I still listen to music. I do. But don’t spend the whole commute time just for entertainment. Start with replacing 10 minutes with a podcast or any book of your choice from audible. Then you can add more time. Slowly you are replacing the content you consume with something beneficial for your future self.
5. Read way too much news
Don’t get me wrong, reading the news is important. It is essential if you are into stock trading or in a business that requires you to know about a current event.
The problem is when you just keep reading the political news and get frustrated with it (well, who doesn’t?) and it affect your mood entirely. Then you will scroll again in the next 1-2 hours just to see if the news change (It don’t).
This mind-numbing habit is quite similar to the constant social media scrolling. It sorts of replacing the social media with the news outlet. You feel like it’s okay, this is not Instagram and you just keep scrolling.
Yes, news helps us be informed and updated but too much of it can also lead to feelings like worry and anxiety. That’s what I feel exactly during the Covid-19 pandemic. I will stay keep scrolling to get the latest number of cases and feel restless more than ever.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the news we consume today isn’t so much reporting as it is a way of keeping people addicted to the news cycle.” Consuming too much of this kind of news, whether actively or passively, can be very toxic, and what you hear has an impact on your mood.”
-Licensed Psychologist Logan Jones, PsyD.
The goal is to find the balance between getting informed while not being overwhelmed by it. This article shares in great detail how news impacts mental health.
Tip:
- Be more mindful and intentional when reading the news.
- Set time on how long you allowing yourself to do this.
There you go 5 self-destructive habits that maybe we unknowingly did every day.
What are your self-destructive habits from the list?
Share with us your thoughts and I will make the second part of this article include your idea and suggestion.
