7 unhealthy habits I cut from my life

“We are the sum of our actions, and therefore our habits make all the difference” Aristotle

These blogs are aimed at helping readers through their personal development journey by expanding their comfort zones and positively improve quality of life through a growth mindset. Blog topics may include travel and adventure, mindset and mentality, or physical development.

Foreword

7 unhealthy habits I cut from my life is a blog about personal development. In 2021 I set out to create healthier habits to continually improve my lifestyle. I believe that forming good habits is a key to living a more fulfilling life. This list is completely objective in nature and subject to my own experiences.

So, what did I cut out?

1. Over-caffeinating

I realised caffeine was having a negative effect on my sleep and making me less productive. I am hyper-sensitive to caffeine so one coffee in the morning would mean that by 11pm my mind was still active, this interrupted my quality of sleep. When I had consumed caffeine I also found that I was more restless and actually less focused at completing tasks, as I would hop from one-thing-to-the-next. Over-caffeinating is a habit I’m pleased to have cut from my life.

2. Drinking alcohol

On September 12^th, 2021 I stopped drinking alcohol completely. I did not have the intention to quit for an entire year but originally for just 2 months. However once my journey into life without alcohol began it was hard to go back. Without drinking I saved more money, gained more time on weekends and weekdays, I found I had more energy and better control over my emotional and spiritual states. I didn’t wake with hangovers or regrets or feel bad for spending money which I had worked hard to save. When sober your fitness gains increase and your respiratory and cardiovascular health improve within weeks.

I was never an alcoholic nor did I have a ‘problem’ with drinking. Regardless, I realised my relationship with alcohol was one built on escapism and I had not yet fully come to respect alcohol. Once I quit drinking I was better able to evaluate the smaller ways in which alcohol effected my life and I was pleased at giving it up.

For a more comprehensive run down of my 470 days sober and counting check out my blog ‘One year sober in my 20’s’

Drinking is one habit I am happy to have cut from my life in 2021.

3. Limiting social media

In 2021 I deleted social media for 7 months, this too was an experiment in which I had no end date or objective. I simply wanted to analyse how my life changed for better, or worse, without social media. In honesty, it changed very little.

I recommend anyone to try and limit their social media use, and it is one habit am glad I cut from my life.

I realised that if we spend just 1 hour a day, of the 16 waking hours we get each day on social media; then we are spending 1/16^th of our lives on social media. Put in other terms that’s 5 years of an 80 yearlong life. 5 whole years, gone.

My time away from social media made me have a new-found respect for it. Now I limit myself to 15-30 minutes of social media use per day, that’s it.

I understand if people use social media to promote their brands or businesses that it is different, but if you are mindlessly scrolling, ask yourself; is this is best use of my time?

I redownloaded my social media because I value being able to stay in contact with friends, its an incredible tool! Staying connected to friends and family can bring great joy in life and I’m for that! But I am now more conscious of the fact that social media can incur jealousy, negative thoughts or time wasting, so I use socials wisely.

4. Using my phone while walking

A simple but effective thing to do. Looking down at my phone while walking, even though as rare as it was, made me realise I am missing things. I would hate for the good things in life to pass me by. The old adage ‘wake up and smell the roses’ can be jovially and metaphorically applied here! I enjoy noticing where I am, how it looks, how it smells, how it feels or what things pique my interest. Phoning-while-walking is a habit I cut from my life and you can too. My phone takes enough of my time, so walking, is for walking!

5. Staying up late:

Some people may think that not-staying up late means you lose some of your quality of life, as you are missing out on evenings. But if you reframe your thinking those same people are missing out on quality of life by missing out on morning.

I prefer early mornings, with their solitude and the peace and productivity that comes from being awake before others. Late nights for the sake of late nights are a habit I cut from my life.

6. Listening to the negativity of others

Negativity spreads like wildfire, so don’t get burnt! You can either watch it from a distance or try and put out the flame.

I take everything with a grain of salt. If someone goes on a hike in the rain they may tell me it absolutely sucked, by I may have had an awesome day getting wet and muddy on that same hike. See the difference? If someone tells me “this person, or that person is no good…” then I ask myself, why? Why is that? Or, have they even met that person?

Do not let the interpretations of others be your truths, do not let others project onto you their negative beliefs of the world. If you watched the News every night you might believe the world is in chaos, but a quick walk outside would remind you that 99% of human interactions go along without any harm done.

We live longer than any previous generation. We have the highest standards of living. These things we consider minor inconveniences weren’t even considered as a part of life just 5, 10 or 15 years ago and we all lived happily without them. Come to your own conclusions when you have weighed up all the evidence, and try take things with a grain of salt.

7. Feeling obligated to respond to texts, online messages or emails

My good friends and family would laugh at this one! Because my good friends and family know-me-well and expect no less from me. Yes, I am a lousy phone user! But that’s ok, it’s part of who I am. I will still make every effort to reply or contact important close friends and family during important moments or at regular intervals, but responding to small talk, back and forth chit-chat, mindless emails or roundabout conversations is no longer of interest to me. Time is precious! You are not rude for prioritising your daily passions over responding to streams of texts and emails, it’s one unhealthy habit I cut from my life and you can too!

I hope this blog helped you in some way.

It is not intended to be negative or portray the everyday life we live as a constant struggle for purist optimisation or an endless striving for perfection. Some silly habits bring meaning to our life. Jane Goodall was said to have had a shot of whiskey before bed! Its more important to me, to identify the habits which serve us well and don’t serve us well. Changes don’t need to be big and dramatic, they can just be simple but joy-bringing (Eg. no looking at phone while walking..)

So, is there anything unhealthy you want to cut from your life?

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These blogs are aimed at helping readers through their personal development journey by expanding their comfort zones and positively improve quality of life through a growth mindset. Blog topics may include travel and adventure, mindset and mentality, or physical development.