What are the top bad habits that I should stop immediately?

What are the top bad habits that I should stop immediately?

To determine the best way to achieve any goal you set for yourself, first start by defining what you should avoid. By identifying what you should not do, you will know what bad habits you have to change to achieve your purpose.

Let's divide our lives into the following 4 main areas, and take a look at where the biggest pitfalls to avoid are.

1. Health

With how busy our day-to-day is, how difficult it is to be able to take care of our health properly. First, because we left work late. And then, once we have arrived home, more tasks and obligations await us that we have to carry out. And if we also have children, we already have all our time occupied.

In addition to the time that we spend working, between commuting from work to home and doing household chores, we lose all our energy.

So many days we don't have time, desire, or energy to take care of our health properly.

Health is the foundation on which all the well-being we can have in life is based. Achieving any dream that we set out to do will be conditional on our being in good health. And it is that many times we only value what it is to have good health once we stop having it.

What things prevent us from having good health?

1.1 Not having a balanced diet

Our bodies need nutrients so that we can carry out our activities, stay in good physical condition, and be able to fight many diseases and infections. Actions that can unbalance our diet are:

Overeating, or eating in insufficient amounts

Do not eat vegetables, fruits or legumes

Eating foods high in saturated fat and sugar

Consuming alcohol in excess

If our diet is not balanced, this can cause:

diseases and infections

Overweight and obesity

Lack of healthy growth in the body

minor mental health

worst physical appearance

Health.  Change your bad habits.  Watch your diet.  Put down the junk food

1.2 Not sleeping enough hours

During sleep, our body recovers and recharges with energy. Also, although it may not seem like it a priori, while we sleep there is a great activity in our brain since hormones necessary to clean it and recharge it for the next day are released.

The healthy thing is to sleep between 7 and 9 hours a day, depending on each person. Never less than 6 (nor more than 11).

          

If we do not sleep the minimum number of hours necessary for a prolonged period, this can cause physical and mental disorders.

Restful sleep strengthens our immune system, which helps us to be more resistant to disease.

From a psychological point of view, lack of sleep can translate into a low mood and less 'endurance', since we will feel more nervous and irritated more easily.

It will also cost us more to maintain attention, and our ability to learn and retain information will be reduced.

1.3 Smoke

It is the leading cause of disease, disability and mortality in the world. Every year 5 million people die in the world as a result of the effects of smoking.

It is estimated that 50% of people who die from a disease resulting from tobacco use live 10-15 years less than a non-smoker. The data speaks for itself.

1.4 not exercising

It is the second most important risk factor for health, after smoking. A sedentary life causes the bones to weaken and we lose muscle mass. It also favours the appearance of overweight and cardiovascular disease.

1.5 abusing drugs

The consumption of medicines in large quantities can cause reactions that interfere with the interaction we have with our environment.

Excessive intake of medications can cause the weakening of the immune system and increase susceptibility to diseases, so taking medications achieves the exact opposite of the desired effect.

In addition, it supposes an over-exertion for our liver which has to work much more to process the chemicals that the medicines contain. This overexertion can damage our liver system.

It can also lead to psychological problems since drugs can alter the chemistry of our brains. This can affect our ability to make decisions and act normally, and can even lead to addiction to these medications.

1.6 concerns

" Pre-occupation " involves devoting time to something that has not yet happened. It implies that our body is put into tension and our mind is put to work.

The more we worry about something negative, the more our minds will get caught up in the emotions of fear, anger, or sadness that we are feeling. These thoughts tend to focus on the negative aspects of the situation instead of looking for solutions, creating a vicious circle.

1.7 Stress

It is a defence mechanism that our body uses to prepare for and deal with dangerous situations.

Our body secretes cortisol which increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure, which translates into an increased feeling of physical and emotional tension.

It is as if we were in a car with the engine at 4,000 revolutions, instead of the 2,000 revolutions of normal gear. If this situation continues, eventually the engine will end up being damaged.

Transferring it to our own body, in a dangerous situation stress is useful for survival.

What happens is that, in our day to day, our mind makes us believe that we are facing a dangerous situation, even though in reality there is no immediate risk to our survival.

So if the stress lasts a long time, the effects can be negative for our health.

2. Love

We are in this world to fill our lives with other people. We all like to love and feel loved.

What things prevent us from having love?

2.1 Not loving oneself

To love another person well, the fundamental thing is to love ourselves first. Self-love is ultimately feeling good about yourself, and accepting that each of us is the way we are, both because of our flaws and our virtues. If we feel good about our way of being, thinking and doing, we will value ourselves as human beings and we will be at peace with ourselves, and consequently with others.

2.2 be selfish

To some degree, we are all selfish. But in love, as in any relationship, being excessively selfish means that a relationship, which should be equal, ceases to be. 

Some characteristics of being selfish are:

Being unwilling to share

Try to get rewards from everyday     situations

Feeling offended or resentful when you don't get what you want

Make little effort, and when it is done it is for your own benefit

Not caring about others, only about yourself

Individuals who always put themselves before others and think "first me, and then me too" create toxic relationships with other people, whether as a couple, at work or in friendship.

2.3not being social

Less sociable people are less open to relationships with other people. This may be a conscious choice. We may focus only on our lives, paying little attention to having a more social life.

But the cause is usually rooted in the shyness or insecurity you feel when relating to other people. That shyness or insecurity can originate from some bad social experience that we have had at some point in our lives.

Although everyone likes to feel loved, sometimes the fear of rejection is greater than the desire to obtain that love from others, which ultimately makes it difficult for us to fill our lives with love in the broadest sense of the word.

2.4 Not being nice or nice

When we interact with others, we feel more attracted to those people who make us feel good. When we are not nice or pleasant towards others, we convey a lack of interest and consideration for the other person, and the result will be that the other person does not feel affection for us either.

For any relationship to be lasting, there must be reciprocity of affection between both people. Not being likeable or affable prevents that affection both ways.

2.5 not to be trusted

Any lasting relationship between two people is based on mutual trust. If our actions do not correspond to our promises, we will make the other person feel that they cannot trust us or our word.

2.6 Stand idly by until love appears

Like everything in life, if we want to achieve something, we have to go out and look for it. It is not enough to say that we want to find friendship or love, and meanwhile stay at home with our arms crossed. Friendship and love are not going to come falling from the sky.

3. Money

We all know the saying that says that "money doesn't buy happiness". Of course, you can be happy with little money. Money does not bring happiness, but it helps.

Because it makes many things easier for us and allows us to do many of the things that make us feel good.

Let's be honest with ourselves. Let's think carefully about what money means for each one of us.

If it is important to you, or if you see that having (more) money helps you and is part of what you want to achieve;

What things prevent you from having wealth?

3.1 Spend a lot, save little 

Regardless of our income level, spending a lot on whims and things we don't really need, and saving little is a mindset that will keep us from achieving (greater) wealth.

3.2 Not having the plan to increase our income

To improve any aspect of our lives, the absence of an action plan with specific steps and deadlines will make it difficult to get out of the routine and increase our current income.

3.3 Not having enough knowledge to dedicate ourselves to what we would like

Giving a qualitative leap in the level of our income will imply making a drastic change in the way of generating income that we have had up to now.

It may require a type of work in which we do not have training or experience yet. Not having this knowledge will be an obstacle to achieving the change we seek.

3.4 Do not surround yourself with wealthy people

We are the result of the average of the 5 people with whom we spend the most time.

Because unconsciously we are copying, and it is 'sticking' to us, the way of doing things from others. We can see this very clearly in any group of adolescent friends.

If we looked closely, we would realize that they all dress in a very similar way, and as soon as one of them appears with something new (say, a garment from a certain brand) the rest will end up following that example to a greater or lesser extent.

If what we want to achieve is greater wealth, and we do not surround ourselves with people who are ahead of us on the road so that they consciously or unconsciously help us and teach us, we will hardly level up.

not trust yourself

Any achievement begins with determination and the conviction of wanting to achieve a goal. To overcome the initial fear of tackling a radical change in your life, we first need to trust ourselves and our potential.

3.5 Staying in our comfort zone and not taking action

All change requires action. Our daily routine gives us a sense of security since we perceive that we are in control of what is going to happen to us in our day-to-day, at work, at home and in the activities we do in the rest of our free time.

However, wanting to stay in our comfort zone will prevent us from taking the leap, overcoming initial laziness and taking action.

4. Happiness

What things do not help to be happy?

4.1 Not dedicating ourselves to things we like to do

During the time we spend on our hobbies and the things we like to do, we basically feel good.

The point is that with all our day-to-day obligations it is increasingly difficult to find free time to dedicate ourselves to those things and activities that we love. The less time we have to do things we enjoy, the more frustration we will feel.

4.2 Surround ourselves with negative people

If we look around us and look at the people we interact with on a day-to-day basis, isn't there always someone who is always ranting and criticizing everything and everyone?

Those toxic people who always complain about how bad everything is, who criticize other people, and who are against whatever, contaminates us with negativity and bad vibrations.

4.3 Not being persistent in pursuing what we really want

Achieving success requires a lot of effort and sacrifice. Let no one tell you otherwise. Easy success does not exist. If we are not persistent and do not fight every day to fulfil our dreams, it will be difficult for us to get closer to our goals.

4.4 not enjoying the moment

John Lennon said that “ life is what happens while you are making other plans ”. Happiness is not a destination to be reached, it is what happens in every moment of our lives.

4.5 not being thankful

Whatever our life is like, there are two ways to see it. The glass is half full or half empty. Not knowing how to see what you have and not being grateful is seeing the glass half empty.

For personal success, you have to have a balance between the 4 areas of your life, and also each area has to have an adequate level. You have to achieve a sufficient level in any of them to be able to feel full.

In life, we ​​encounter external factors that do not depend on us and that we cannot control. In any case, we each have to start by assuming our own responsibility and doing our part, replacing bad habits with good habits and being persistent in the effort required to achieve our goals.

Knowing how to identify and avoid everything that keeps us from our goals is the first thing we need to do to start our plan.