At heart most of us are creatures of habit. These can be both good and bad. Habits are learned over time and are a product of our environment that can sometimes be harmful to our health. By changing our environment we unlock a way to break our bad habits and take control of our health.

Overeating or smoking are harmful habits most of us are aware of.  Sometimes these bad habits can lead to chronic conditions such as stress, heart disease, depression and anxiety.

It can be tempting to try to rationalise or overlook these harmful effects. How many of the habits below would you have thought about?

• Sleep deprivation

  – Skipping sleep so that you can work late or stay up all night partying disrupts your normal sleeping pattern. A lack of sleep can even contribute to obesity by causing cravings for higher calorie foods. When we’re tired we lack the energy to fight off diseases, our moods change and our heart can be put under extra strain. A lack of sleep can make your entire day harder. 

• Watching television or using the internet

  – Sitting for any excessive amount of time probably means you’re not getting enough exercise. Being hooked on the internet could mean you become fixated with social media sites. Other people’s online lives may appear ‘perfect’. The rose-tinted glasses of the internet can leave you feeling negative about yourself when comparing your life to everyone else’s.

• Procrastinating –

  -We all procrastinate from things we don’t want to do. This places barriers in the way of you getting rid of bad habits and can greatly affect your overall health. Avoiding things rather than simply facing up to the reality of them can affect your mental and physical health.

• Anger

  – As one of the 6 core emotions, we all get angry especially if all we want to do is crawl back into bed. Releasing anger in a positive way helps you open up and rid yourself of any suppressed feelings. But, if you develop a bad habit of anger or abuse it can harm you, as well as your partner, family and job and alarm clocks.

• Relationships

  – If a relationship has become a bad habit, then it might be better for you to end it and move on. Alternatively taking steps to salvage your relationship through counselling and working on communication can make a huge difference to your health and happiness.

By now you should have a rough idea of which habits you want to keep and maybe why. Finding out why you developed certain bad habits to begin with is important for success. If you need help figuring this out or overcoming your habit feels overwhelming Birmingham Counselling Services are here to help. Get in touch at: https://birminghamcounsellingservices.co.uk/

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