We all have or have had at least one unhealthy or bad habit that we really needed to let go of. Those bad habits are like a disease that won’t go away; a pest, and sometimes might even be your guilty pleasure. For me, my unhealthy habits are a nuisance; a problem that never seems to go away; something that if I partake in (sweets is a big one for me) I always regret or feel guilty afterwards. Some of your habits might be something you really enjoy but you know it’s not good for you, like me and sweets. It might be alcohol for you, or smoking, sugar sodas, social media. You get the idea.

So I thought I would list a few unhealthy habits and why they are unhealthy (in my opinion), and why you should do them sparingly and not frequently. Not to punish yourself, but to better your health for the long haul. I am speaking to myself as well, as I type this, because I am not perfect in these either, and want desperately to work on them and release some of the unhealthy habits that I have picked up.

The dreaded unhealthy habits

Quit biting your nails or picking your nails or cuticles. This is something I have dealt with my entire life. I have finally kicked the biting the nails habit, and I keep my nails painted at all times now to prevent me from biting them. But when I get stressed, I pick at my nails incessantly, or bite my cuticles until they bleed. Over the past year, I noticed that one of my nails was growing different from the rest. When I did some reading on it, it said if you keep your cuticles inflamed all the time, they never heal as they grow, thus causing problems as they grow. (I can’t remember where I found this article, but if I find it, I will link it here).
Switch to diet sodas instead of sugar sodas. Now this can be a controversial topic because of the sweetener topic, however, whatever you feel is best for you and what you believe is what you need to do. I switched to diet sodas because the sugar is more worse for me than the sweetener. I had some health issues last year, and did a huge overhaul of my eating and drinking, and switching to diet sodas was one of them. I didn’t want to give up sodas completely, because I love the carbonation, so this was the next best thing.
Ignoring or avoiding taking care of yourself, worry and stress, are some of the most unhealthy habits in the world that take many lives daily. Many times we just ignore or turn a blind eye to taking care of ourselves, hoping that nothing will happen and we will do better next time. All the while, we never change our ways. I speak to myself as I write this, taking care of your health, both physical and mental, is important and affects the longevity of your life. I try to tell myself that I am important to me and God. If you are struggling with depression, please seek some help of a doctor, counselor, or therapist. Or start journalling, and getting your thoughts on paper. But start believing in you. You matter. Even if you don’t think you do.

What are some unhealthy habits you are working on or have kicked to the curb?