What Bad Habits Are Harming Your Emotional Health?
We are all creatures of habit. We get into patterns and we repeat behaviors all the time. Habits are not always a bad thing, by any means. Some of them, however, are harmful to our health. Some are harmful specifically (but not always exclusively) to our mental and emotional health. Here, we’re going to look at some of the habits that might be affecting your own emotional health, how they can affect you, and what you might be able to do about them.
Not talking about your problems
It’s a very common habit, one that we know we really shouldn’t do, but it can be difficult to do otherwise. Bottling your emotions and concerns up is not good for you, it leads to stress that just gets trapped in your head and you can start to lose focus and the ability to see solutions because that problem is constantly on your attention. Many of us have not learned how to share, however. If you cannot talk to any of your friends or family about a problem that is weighing you down, then online hotlines like https://www.7cups.com/ might be a good place to start.
Making personal comparisons
Humans are also social creatures and we typically make comparisons with those around us in an effort to gauge how successful we are. While this might have been useful in the days of hunting and gathering to make sure we were getting enough food for our family, it’s a thoroughly harmful habit in the modern age, where the markets of success are so nebulous (and never give a complete picture) that this habit gives us unreasonable expectations more than anything. As such, you should never compare yourself to anyone but your past self as a motivator to make changes.
Poor coping mechanisms
We all deal with stress and difficulty from time to time. How we cope with trouble and manage it can differ from person to person, but there are methods that are healthier and those that are unhealthier. Coping via meditation, exercise, and creative pursuits is healthy (in moderation.) If you find yourself turning to the bottle or other addictive substances and behaviors, however, then services like https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/texas/houston/ might be for you. Over-reliance on anything can be unhealthy, but any reliance on mind-altering substances is a very dangerous thing, leading to mental health spirals that can be difficult to climb out of alone.
Avoiding downtime
A lot of people take pride in being always being busy, always having goals to achieve or things that they want to do. Some people even use productivity as a coping mechanism. However, the simple truth is that without any kind of downtime to balance it out, it is going to lead to burnout, which can leave you mentally and physically exhausted. Finding your time for downtime when possible is crucial, even if you feel like you need to work overtime all the time to keep your finances out. It’s not going to help your situation if you find yourself unable to work or operate due to total exhaustion.
Social media overuse
It might sound like the ranting of someone too old to understand the internet but, unfortunately, the evidence is shaping up to show that overuse of social media can have disastrous impacts on mental health, such as causing anxiety and lowering self-esteem, leading to anger management issues, and even making people lonely or inadequate by comaprison to other people. Compulsive and obsessive use of anything can be unhealthy, and tools like https://www.reviewed.com/smartphones/features/10-apps-that-block-social-media-so-you-can-stay-focused-and-be-more-productive can help you avoid using social media more than you want to. However, you might want to genuinely consider what would really be the repercussions of simply unplugging from it entirely. It might be more doable than you think.
Isolating yourself
Sometimes, a little alone time can help us get over a hump. However, we are social beings and, as such, prolonged periods of little-to-no contact outside of our own home can be seriously detrimental to our mental health. It can also lead on to ongoing isolation as we can damage bonds with friends and family. This can be very serious, even having repercussions in potentially causing dementia.
If you believe that any of the habits above describe your behavior, then it’s time to make a change. You might be able to make that change yourself, but do not avoid seeking help if you need it. The sooner you replace these habits with better ones, the better it will be for you.
