From the food we eat to how we act around others, there are lots of things we do in our daily lives that are actually incredibly harmful. It gets even worse once these harmful behaviors become habitual, and we start treating them as ordinary (or not even thinking about them whatsoever). Let’s identify 10 harmful habits everyone should avoid.
EATING JUNK FOOD
We all know how addictive junk food can be. One second you’re munching on some delicious chips, and then suddenly you realize you’ve burned through 5 bags. Hitting the tread mill won’t reverse any of it.
Now, you don’t have to give up on french fries, hamburgers, pizza, cookies, ice cream, etc. altogether, but you probably should make sure that you don’t get addicted to them. In other words, if you develop a habit of eating junk food, you’re in a world of trouble.
I mean, there’s a reason it’s called junk food. Some of the most delicious snacks are high in fat, sugar, and sodium and low in vitamins, essential minerals, and other important nutritional elements. This can negatively affect our immune system and our general health, and we know just how important that is. There’s a reason diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are so prevalent among the US population. If you believe that you eat junk food more often than you should, consider changing your lifestyle as soon as possible. If you’re looking for substitutes for some of your favorite junk foods, check out this article on 6 substitutes that can fight sugar cravings.
LISTENING TO LOUD MUSIC
I hate to be a party pooper, but listening to excessive loud music can be very harmful, both for your neighbors and for yourself. Studies show that people who listen to loud music every day are more likely to suffer from premature hearing loss. What’s more, loud music can also affect how our brain functions. To be more precise, it can make us more aggressive, anxious, or scatter-brained.
This is especially true if you listen to loud music through headphones or earphones. It’s fine to do it occasionally, but if you do it every single day, you will probably regret it in the future. If you can’t imagine life without music, consider at the very least turning the volume down a tad. Trust me, it will make a huge difference.
BITING YOUR NAILS
This one’s more common than you think. Whether it’s due to stress or otherwise, lots of people all around the globe habitually bite their nails. This might seem benign at first, but it can actually be quite harmful to your health. After all, you’re putting your fingers into your mouth, meaning you’re increasing the risk of all kinds of infections (including COVID!) Furthermore, you also run the risk of damaging your nails or the skin surrounding your nails.
If you’re of the nail-biting kind, invest in nail scissors or clippers. They’ll do the job without jeopardizing your health.
OVERSPENDING
This one requires little introduction. We all know the dangers of overspending, and yet many of us continue to indulge in it. This is precisely because we have developed the habit of, say, going on Amazon and endlessly browsing through all the useless products available out there. Of course, you can (and probably should!) buy something for yourself from time to time. It starts being a problem once you go shopping simply out of boredom, just to initiate that fleeting dopamine boost that gets triggered once you click that “Pay” button.
The problem is obvious; if you start buying everything and anything that even remotely appeals to you, you will quickly run out of cash. What’s more, you might even run out of storage space for all your useless junk. In a way, once you develop the habit of overspending, you’re not actually interested in the stuff you’re buying. Instead, your brain gets addicted to the very act of buying new things. Take a step back for a second and ask yourself: “Do I need this?” “Why am I buying this?” This approach will help you avoid the harmful habit of overspending.
DRINKING AND SMOKING
This one’s a bit more than just an innocent habit. Excessive drinking and smoking can very quickly transform into a full-fledged addiction. It begins with an occasional drink or smoke, slowly develops into a regular habit, and finally consumes your life.
To stop this vicious cycle, you have to prevent yourself from developing habitual drinking or smoking. You have to constantly monitor if these addictive activities are getting the better of you. If you’re unsure, try going 2 weeks straight without drinking/smoking. If you start feeling angsty, you might be developing an extremely harmful habit or even addiction. Be careful!
PROCRASTINATING
Sometimes, you just want to take a break from everything. Your school assignments, work projects, and personal errands can wait, right? Well, not really. If these “breaks” are scarce, then maybe you can get away with it. Unfortunately, more often than not, we fall into the slippery slope of procrastination. Eventually, this will lead to you not doing anything at all. We don’t want that, do we?
Dealing with procrastination is not that easy either. It requires a genuine attitude shift and a lot of willpower. Still, procrastination is a serious problem, and addressing it is definitely worth a try.
CRACKING YOUR JOINTS
Some people love it; some people hate it. Either way, cracking one’s joints is a common habit all around the globe. For some people, the sound of their joints cracking is relieving. Others find it disturbing. Well, if you are one of those that adore cracking joints, you might be in for a rude awakening. Science says it’s harmful.
Of course, when you crack your joints, you’re not actually “cracking” anything. The all but familiar sound is caused by the release of air that resides between your joints. Sounds pretty innocuous, right? Well, not exactly. It can, under some circumstances, be harmful. For example, if you crack your knuckle joints too hard, you may even dislocate one of your fingers (believe me, you don’t want that). Frequent joint cracking may also lead to long-term damage to joint tissue. So, if cracking your joints isn’t a must for you, consider letting go of this pesky habit.
