7 Toxic Habits To Quit For a Better Life
List of Toxic Habits
This is all about toxic habits to quit.
And for some reason, I can’t stop singing that dang Britney Spears song. You know the one. Or maybe you don’t.
Either way, this is not about a song. So…
Let me stop rocking out to old-school Britney and get back on track.
Habits.
We are going to look at the habits that could be holding us back a little. Habits that are not serving us well. Habits that are…
TOXIC.
Now, does that mean after reading this that those not-so-great habits will be a thing of the past?
Not a chance. OK, maybe a tiny chance but life changes don’t just happen in a snap like that.
There is no way to change a handful of things in your life by next Thursday. Especially not if you have been doing these things for a decent amount of time.
Often we make the mistake of going big.
We can associate big and drastic changes with big and drastic results. But going big is very difficult to maintain.
Slow and steady is the way to go. Starting small is the way to go.
Change is hard. (understatement of the century, right?)
But it really is hard. If it was easy, then there would not be such a sea of information out there on habits to improve or change and how best to do it.
These habits we are going to look at might not all seem like “big deal” habits. But think of holes in a raft. Even small holes are still holes.
And a slowly deflating raft is still not my idea of a good time.
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Here Are 7 Toxic Habits To Quit For a Better Life
1) Putting Things off
I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything but putting things off is my specialty.
OK, that is obviously not a good thing but hot dang that really is my area of expertise.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say you can relate to that.
Initially, it can feel good to put things off. It provides us with some quick relief.
But that relief is short-lived.
Putting things off continuously is like always having a very tiny piece of food in your teeth. You don’t always notice it but it’s always there.
If you find yourself putting something off, ask yourself why. Talk it out with yourself.
Really evaluate how putting this certain thing off is hurting or helping your life. More often than not you will come to the conclusion that putting this certain thing off is not helping your life in the long haul.
And you know what else you might realize after a little exploration? That whatever thing you were putting off was not as big, bad, scary, or powerful as you once thought.
2) Putting Everything on the Same Importance Level
Prioritizing is such an important part of life. And it is also a part that can be tricky.
Either we ignore the idea altogether or we can often organize instead of actually prioritize.
Organizing is great. However, organizing and prioritizing are not the same thing.
Prioritizing requires a lot from us. It is not always easy. And it is not always fun.
This means taking a long, hard look at all these different moving parts in your life. And then really evaluating and ranking them.
For me, things like doing the dishes and taking a shower used to be on the same level.
But thankfully, I now consider myself more important than a sink full of dishes.
We have to make a sort of priority totem pole. This can really help us categorize things and hopefully work toward accepting that every single thing can not be in the “must get done” section.
3) Grading Your Life Based on The Internet
UGH. The internet. I would have to say my relationship with it is definitely a love/hate one.
Some days more love. Some days more hate.
The internet is not real life. We can hear this a million times and still not be completely immune to the comparison bug.
I highly recommend doing a social media detox every now and then. Or if you want to take it one step further, start putting your phone away at a certain time every night. Or better yet, practice not checking your phone first thing in the morning.
If the thought of this sounds amazing and a little scary at the same time, you are not alone. And while it may feel daunting at first, I guarantee you will not regret spending more time present in your actual life.
4) Having No Boundaries
Do you say yes to things you don’t want to say yes to?
Does it feel almost impossible to speak up or stand up for yourself?
It can be so embedded in us to be kind to others that often we neglect to be kind to ourselves. We neglect to even consider putting our wants and needs first. Honoring our feelings doesn’t even seem like an option.
It will most likely feel very awkward or foreign at first but we can all hold boundaries and still be kind.
Setting or holding a boundary does not mean we instantly turn into the wicked witch.
Being respectful while setting or holding a firm boundary is very possible. We might not like how the other person reacts to our boundary but that other person’s reaction is not our responsibility.
This book dives DEEP into everything related to boundaries. I would truly consider this a must-read for everyone.
5) Underestimating the Small Stuff
Now, if we are talking about a plate of nachos.. then I am all for the idea that bigger is better.
But when we are talking about improving ourselves or any aspect of our lives, I am a big fan of the small stuff.
Small things pave the way to the big things.
Have you ever read or heard some kind of advice and almost immediately brushed it off? You didn’t give it much thought. You just made a super duper-quick assumption and moved on.
I know I have done this.
Bigger and flashier ideas grab us and hook us in.
Ideas that come across as more practical or not very exciting may not always have the same impact.
I read The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins a few months ago and it very quickly became one of my very favorite books.
It is all about the powerful and positive ripple effect that one small habit can have on your life. Get your hands on this book!
6) Just Thinking About Change
Changes can be fun to daydream about. But that fun can come to a sort of halt when we have to take some real action.
Action is a very crucial part of the change equation.
Habits are not going to form themselves.
Grab a journal and write down something you want to work on. A habit you want to tweak a little bit. Or maybe a habit you want to start up.
Writing things down is a great way to hold yourself accountable.
7) Having Unrealistic Expectations of Yourself
Here is your reminder that you are a human being. A flawed human being.
(I’m guessing you are also super cool and intelligent and funny and all kinds of other awesome things)
The only thing we will never be is perfect.
We do ourselves a disservice when we have expectations that are not in the realm of reality. We completely set ourselves up for failure.
Expecting perfection is and always will be a recipe for disaster.
Most things in life are not linear so strive to give yourself some grace.
And remind yourself constantly that realistic goals are key. Heck, write it on a post-it note and stick it somewhere you’ll see it daily.
Our habits hold a good amount of weight in our lives. They deserve some time and attention.
They really do matter.
Let’s treat them as such.
What would you add to this list of toxic habits to quit for a better life?
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