5 Bad habits you need to kick right now!

Negativity comes in many forms. Do these five things and you'll already be on a better track.


Everyone has bad habits. Nobody is perfect. That’s just a fact of life. And bad habits can be small things like chewing your nails or biting your lips.

But there are bigger bad habits out there that can negatively affect your life in a serious way. These are the habits you need to take time to consider and then decide to quit them.

If you’re unsure of whether your habits are that bad, and are wondering if it’s really worth ditching them, have a look at the list below (and the reasons why you should stop right now):

Shopping for the sake of shopping

Retail therapy is often mentioned in movies and TV series as if it’s a good thing. Many people see it simply as a way to make themselves feel better by treating themselves to something special. And that’s fine if it only happens once in a while.

But if you frequently find yourself drawn to shopping malls and your favourite stores, that’s not a good thing. You’re spending unnecessarily just to make yourself feel better.

And if you find yourself constantly making excuses as to why you deserve to buy something nice, you have a problem. You don’t want to be staring at a purchase two days later wondering why you even own it and thinking about whether you can return it according to the store’s policy and the Consumer Protection Act regulations.

Binge eating

Sometimes it feels great to just pick up a whole bunch of your favourite foods (or cook them yourself) and continuously snack while watching movies all day. But doing this on a regular basis may be an issue.

You see, binge eating may be an emotional thing. Many people who binge eat do so to avoid dealing with uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, boredom and depression. They do this to avoid facing the real problems in their lives.

It can also easily turn into a health issue if you’re not eating the foods that your body needs. If you feel you have an eating disorder, you should visit a doctor and get some advice before it gets any worse.

Eating junk food in general

Junk food is fine if you only eat it once in a while. But in the busy world we live in today, cooking nutritious meals every night and packing healthy lunches every day can be difficult. That’s why many of us resort to picking up takeaways on the way home and popping out to the shop during the day.

You don’t realise how often you do this until you go through your bank statements and see how much money you’re wasting. But it’s not only about money, it’s about keeping your body healthy and giving it the fuel it needs to operate at its best.

Speaking negatively about yourself to others

This bad habit happens to many people without them even knowing it. It all starts with a self-deprecating joke that gets a few laughs. Then you start to feel like it makes people like you a little more because they can relate to you. So, you make more jokes at your own expense.

The problem is that while other people may simply see these as jokes, you could easily start to believe these things.

It doesn’t always start with jokes. You may just be trying to make excuses when you feel like (or know) you’re not doing a good enough job or you’re not cool enough to hang out with the people you admire. You don’t want to come across as over-confident, so instead, you do the opposite and insult yourself in public. Then you go home feeling horrible about yourself.

Speaking negatively about other people

There will be people in your life with whom you simply don’t get along. It happens to everyone. Perhaps it’s a colleague that you simply can’t deal with or a member of your friendship circle who you just can’t stand being around.

But that doesn’t mean you should speak badly about them behind their back. At least not to other people in their life. If you truly have to complain, speak to a friend or family member who is not likely to meet or interact with this person.

The reason you shouldn’t say mean things about a person behind their back is not that you may be found out. It’s because it will leave you feeling irritated and negative after the conversation, even though you may enjoy it at the time. These people aren’t worth causing you to be in a bad mood.

Brought to you by All4Women

Read more on these topics

Health

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.