Before now, I’m sure we’ve learned that whether good or bad, habits make up a person. Habits take a while to be formed, the very same way they take a while to be unlearned. Today’s blog post consists of six self care habits that are actually self destructive. Habits we have gotten so used to in the name of self-care but are low-key detrimental to our health.
I’ll begin the list with something we are all fond of, including myself actually, which is none other than:
1. Drinking caffeine.
Caffeine is good, great even, from the burst of activity you feel straight down to the dopamine coursing through your veins. It feels like heaven. I’d agree actually, in that moment, it feels positively overwhelming, but in the long-run, it is absolutely terrible for your body. Especially for people with anxiety, Caffeine acts as an anxiety amplifier, resulting in crippling amounts of anxiety hours after intake, sometimes making you fail to realize the connection between those two things.
2. Alcohol consumption
From a girl’s/guy’s night out to any minuscule win, Alcohol has always prided itself in being one of the go-to drinks of celebration. And why not? Alcohol has been known to be a common source of Endorphins (the happy hormone). But what we don’t realize is that alcohol has detrimental effects to the body and mind. Short term effects which include violence, injuries, still birth, risky sexual behaviors while long term effects include high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease and even Cancer. Reducing the intake of alcohol reduces these risk factors by a large amount.
3. Perfectionism
Just because you like ensuring whatever task you indulge in is neat and/or done with maximum efficiency, I’ve got news for you. You’re just like the rest of us who like to ensure we do our best.
A very rare amount of people actually achieve a 100% accuracy on their first attempt at something. Even people with a certain skill set have to constantly work to improve themselves. In today’s media, comments like ‘I’m a perfectionist’ are thrown around very loosely. But I guarantee you, Perfectionism is very usually tied to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a mental health issue. The dangers of Perfectionism include decreased productivity, anxiety, depression and increased vulnerability.
It is absolutely okay for you to want to do your best, even if your best is not perfect. But to want a constant perfect all the time is pernicious, especially to your mental health.
4. Habit of Over-rewarding oneself
Rewarding yourself with a great meal (that is within budget) at the end of a strenuous week is an accurate balance of the work-reward system. But Sharon, you do not deserve a new bag after every single task you accomplish, minuscule or not. It is appraised as self-care but if the consequence of that habit is the inability to accomplish anything if there isn’t a recompense afterwards, it is self-destructive!
5. Social Media
Surfing through the internet for a few hours a day is alright. But when you’re far too engrossed with going through your phone that it alters your regular daily activities, then it is deemed an addiction. I cannot begin to list all the risks of constantly being on social media. Anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, withdrawal and deception are just a few of the dangers of social media.
6. Habit of overspending/ Constantly being in debt
There are many secrets to success, and I can tell you a few of them. But what I’d rather tell you is no-one has ever gotten successful by blowing off all his income or by being in debt. NO ONE. Going over your budget is one thing, I mean we all do it, but the minute it becomes a continuous habit, you’d begin to find yourself derailing from the path of financial success. It is by far one of the most self-destructive habits. What you can do to stop it is by first admitting you have a spending problem, then seek out ways to restrain yourself from continuing on that path.
END NOTE: I’m fully aware that we are humans and we tend to pick up certain habits then and there. But isn’t it better to pick up habits that help us to grow physically and mentally rather than habits that tend to derail us and limit our capabilities. The above list encompasses habits that we pick up that May seem harmless initially but could be very detrimental to our mental healths.
Don’t forget to check out my other blog posts.
~xx