Here is the thing about toxic habits, they’re pretty insidious and will slide right into our lives without us noticing.
Below you will find 7 common toxic habits that many of us struggle with. And ways to combat these so you can be the best possible version of yourself.
Toxic Habit #1 – Having a negative mindset
This can be the belief that the world is as it is. There’s nothing that can be done differently, so what’s the point. There are no opportunities, so there’s no need to better yourself or learn something new. Sounds pretty bleak.
A positive mindset can open you to possibilities and look for opportunities to grow and develop skills.
Perhaps it may even have you feeling excited, albeit a little anxious about new opportunities. All-in-all, though, with an open mindset, you feel encouraged and believe that you can do this, perhaps even, “I got this.”
To change your mindset, know what you are surrounding yourself with.
Are you surrounding yourself with the Eeyore’s of the world?
Do you listen to depressing songs or spending your time watching sad shows – that even includes the news nowadays.
Or are you spending time with people that tell you to go get it – that you got this?
Do you listen to music that gets you pumped up? Maybe it makes you feel like a badass and ready to tackle anything that the universe hands you?
Toxic Habit #2 – Comparing yourself to others
This can be pretty dangerous because guess what?
You’re nothing like them.
Just because your childhood didn’t look like the Brady bunch or The Partridge Family doesn’t mean your adulthood has to suck too.
Stop focusing on what you did not have and go after what you want to have.
Insidious Habit #3 – Self-sabotage
How many times have you looked at yourself and thought, “I can’t do that,” “I’m not good enough,” “not talented enough,” “not thin enough,” or any of the millions of other things that you might have told yourself? Here’s what happens when we tell ourselves these things.
Here is what we begin to do:
Procrastination
Sitting there and telling yourself that you don’t want to because it’s too hard or will take effort will not get you anywhere fast.
If it is the fear of what others might think that is holding you back, then you may want to check out:
Lack of Confidence
Instead of wallowing in self-driven pity, please find a few reasons to be grateful for it whenever something sucky happens.
You lose your job; this is now a great opportunity to do something you really want to do. Maybe a chance to pursue your dreams.
You get stuck in a traffic jam; this is an excellent time to chill out and listen to your music or that next podcast you wanted to hear.
Your partner breaks up with; perhaps this is a great time for you to do some personal work and figure out what you really want in a relationship.
Perfectionism
There is a misconception floating around the world that perfectionism is a desirable trait.
Here is the thing, when you decide to wait until you are perfect, you will never start.
The problem with perfectionism is that as soon as you get good at something, the perfectionism bar will move and will continue to move just out of reach.
Waiting until you are perfect is not about getting better at a skill; it is about avoiding failure and perhaps the harsh judgment you believe will come with it.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Toxic Habit #4 – Not doing self-care
Sometimes life gets overwhelming, and we forget to take care of ourselves.
Or worse yet, we get into a bad habit of telling ourselves that we’ll take care of ourselves after some other event occurs.
Perhaps it is after you get through a tough time, or finish studying for finals, or after you retire at 65 when you’re only 27.
When we do not do self-care, we get burned out. When we get burned out, we get negative. And sometimes, we start to engage in toxic habits that lead to a place where no one wants to be.
So how do you battle this? By doing self-care and prioritizing it. Perhaps self-care can be a new habit that you initiate that promotes you to grow.
Insidious Habit #5 – The glass is half-empty
Recognize it and call someone.
Let them know that you are in a mood and need to rant about what’s wrong for a few minutes and then be done with it.
I don’t know about you all but being negative takes effort. It can be tiring.
If you are someone that feels worn out after being pissy all day – then change it.
Maybe you should be putting your energy towards making things happen instead of griping about what things aren’t happening.
Toxic Habit #6 – Poking old wounds and refusing to move on
Sometimes when we continue to poke at old wounds, it is because we think we are owed something.
Perhaps we feel like we’re owed an apology or validation that we were right.
Honestly, if you are still poking at old wounds that happened years ago, it might be time to face the facts; the apology or validation may never come.
So, do the healthy thing and work on letting it go.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself, do I want to be right, or do I want to move past this and be happy with my life.
Toxic Habit # 7 – Unhealthy habits and routines
Unhealthy routines can be a killer in that they are draining and inefficient.
Do you find yourself deciding that it will be a bad day before your feet even hit the floor?
Do you find yourself staying up too late and then hitting the snooze button half a dozen times before you drag yourself across the bed?
Perhaps you have gotten yourself into the routine of saying “yes,” too frequently when you should be saying “NO.”
You can’t change your entire life overnight. But you can make huge changes by committing to make one change at a time.
And for some folks that change is reaching out for help when they need it. And I have a resource that I want to share with you and that is my discount code for Therapy-Online.com, and you can use my link to receive a 20% discount [affiliate link]. I believe that everyone should be able to have access to mental health resources, and if you feel that you would benefit from therapy, then I encourage you to give it a try.