1. Quit using phone first thing in the morning
Do you just stay in bed even after waking up and use your phone first thing in the morning scrolling through social media and let all the information, news, and updates get to you before you even give time for your growth, self-care, and nurturing?
I used to do this too, but I have quit for many years now, and just quitting this small habit has been such a huge life changer for me.
I started logging off from social media and stopped using my phone in the morning keeping it in airplane mode.
Instead, I devoted that time to reading and that is how I cultivated my reading habit too.
How we begin our day is so important. Your mind is fresh and empty in the morning. Fill it with good positive thoughts and engage in activities for your growth
2. Quit negative self talk
This should probably have been the first on the list of toxic habits to give up. Negative self-talk is really the root cause of all unhealthy and toxic things in our life.
I was talking to my friend the other day and she was sharing that she feels stuck in life.
I asked her, “how do you treat and talk to yourself?”. When I asked her this, she finally said that I struck the right thing for her. Something she hadn’t brought attention to.
She realized and said she was kind to everyone else but so hard and unkind to her own self.
This is what happens. It happened to me too until I realized that I was being so unkind to myself and seeing myself in such a low and negative light.
We talk to ourselves so unconsciously that it just slips from our minds, but how you see and talk to yourself matters the most.
So what can you do here to change your negative self-talk?
Start by being aware of how you see yourself. Often we don’t realize how hard and negative we are to our own self, so be aware. Awareness is the first thing.
Once you bring awareness and realize how unkind and hard you have been on yourself or realize you are aware of your negative self-talk, see yourself with kindness and be kind.
Listen to Positive affirmations such as ‘I am Calm. I am compassionate. I am compassionate to myself. I free myself from unforgiveness’. You can write your own affirmations and start and end your day with these positive affirmations.
Forgive yourself for being unkind. Forgive yourself for not putting yourself first. Forgive yourself for all the bad habits you are currently engaging in. Only when you forgive yourself can you start to take charge.
If you find yourself unable to start a good habit or failing at something you want to change, just keep trying to make your life better, but don’t again speak negatively.
Self Improvement requires you to be kind and persistent.
3. Not drinking enough water
I never knew how much it affected my energy levels until I started drinking water more consciously. These are small habits but you need to be really aware of them. Most of us are so dehydrated and are constantly so engrossed in our phones. Even if we are thirsty, we feel lazy to get up.
Often all our body needs are water and all loss of energy, fatigue, and even anxiety can go away if we give our beautiful body enough water.
What you can do to make sure you drink enough water:
- Have your own personal water bottle. (I never had one earlier. It really makes a difference )
- Keep your water bottle full and fix a time to finish one full water. For example, when i wake up in the morning, I sit with my big water bottle full and finish it slowly when I do my morning rituals.
- Always keep your water bottle close to you and keep it filled with water.
- Lastly, don’t be lazy to drink water.
4. Quit the Perfectionism habit
We want to be perfect from the start. We are too ashamed to look like a beginner so we become too hard on ourselves and we don’t allow ourselves the chance to learn and grow as a beginner.
The majority of the world doesn’t even try out a new thing- things which they deeply want to do because they feel they will never be perfect.
But who is perfect from the start? You become perfect through practice.
It is this perfectionist tendency that causes us to not even try out a new thing and makes us fail at persisting.
What you can do:
- Constantly battle with this perfectionist tendency that your mind puts you in.
- Allow yourself to be a beginner and give yourself some time to learn. In that time allow yourself to make mistakes and learn and grow.
- Be kind to yourself in your journey.
- Have the heart of a child who loves to draw and paint even when he knows nothing about painting and drawing. They’re just so happy to draw.
Be like a child and keep improving. Progress is better than perfection.
5. The toxic habit of procrastination
We are always waiting for the right time and waiting, our lives go by and we never start. Quit this toxic habit of procrastination.
Quit waiting for the right time and start with whatever you have with you.
Nobody has all the right types of equipment, all the strength, all the knowledge, and all the energy before starting, but if you start and as you keep going you will slowly have it, slowly you will learn and you will be so glad you started.
What you can do
- Look at the big picture instead of the tiny details that stop you from starting.
- We only procrastinate the ‘showing up’. If we show up, we won’t procrastinate.
- Take it as a challenge to not procrastinate the little things that take 2 minutes of your time eg- filling up your water bottle which you’re lazy to get up
opening the book which you’re planning on reading (it takes less than 2 minutes to just open)
wearing your exercise clothes (it takes less than 2 minutes to wear your workout clothes) - Do this 2 minute rule for the habits you are procrastinating and move on from there.
6. Bad sleeping habits
So many of us in this modern world have problems related to sleep. I myself had major sleep issues.
There was a time when I used to wake up feeling tired already.
I used to feel that those who could fall straight away fall asleep are blessed. I wondered how they did that.
Having a bad sleep ruined my entire day the next day. But now I know it was all a result of bad sleeping habits and an unhealthy lifestyle.
As I gave up bad habits and became kind to myself, my anxiety and sleep issues slowly vanished away.
I now have a sound sleep and have no trouble falling asleep. I go to bed by 10:30 p.m and am asleep in 10 minutes.
Here is what you can do
- Try your best and be determined to start sleeping early.Your body knows the natural time, the right time you should be sleeping. When you don’t follow this natural sleep time, it causes disruption in everything.
- Sleep half hour early than your usual time for a week and your body with start adjusting.
- Have a warm water bath before going to bed
- Don’t use phone intensively scrolling or watching videos before you go to sleep. Keep your phone far away at least 1 hour before sleeping
- Read a book instead or write in a journal (Here are journal prompts for 21 days you can try)
- Have 7-8 hours of good sleep
- Pray for a good sleep and pray that even if you have all thoughts stopping you from sleeping, you won’t mind them and you will be strong (it works)
7. The toxic habit of overspending and Being okay with debt
There can be no success and happiness in a person’s life if one starts to become okay with debt and spending more than he or she earns.
If you’re uncomfortable with anything, be uncomfortable with debt and give your best determination to get rid of debt and work hard.
If you’re determined, a solution will appear.
Cut the toxic habit of spending money you haven’t earned just so you look rich in front of others.
What you can do
- Calculate exactly how much debt you have
- make a plan to repay the debt
- Set a goal of when you want to get rid of debt
- Always set aside 10% of your income for saving and investment
- Before buying anything, ask yourself, ‘Did I need this yesterday?’. If no, then you don’t need it today.
8. Habit of multitasking
Multi-tasking is similar to trying to be the jack of all trades at a particular moment. Contrary to what most people believe how multitasking is essential for productivity, the truth is exactly the opposite.
We are humans, not machines. We can never focus on more than one thing at a time and if we try to do it, far from increasing efficiency, it hampers our focus and the result.
What you can do
‘When walking walk, when eating eat’- Thich Nhat Hahn
This might seem like a simple thing but it is difficult. So start slowly and bring awareness to what you are doing now.
When you quit this habit of multitasking you will find yourself with more energy and less stress. Do one thing at a time.
Focus on one thing at a time and give it your heart.
9. Quit saying Yes to everything
If you want to grow, be productive, and happy in life then you ought to get rid of the habit of saying Yes to everything.
Be aware of your energy and your intention behind saying Yes. If your heart wants to say no then don’t say yes from your lips.
You don’t have to feel guilty for setting your boundaries and making your choices.
Once you learn how to do this you will feel much more strong and in charge of yourself.
Also at other times, you have to stop saying yes to things even when you want to say yes.
For example, if one of your friends wants you to go to a party and drink (something you have been wanting to avoid), in that case, even if you may have the temptation, you need to learn to say No.
As you start to say No, your confidence, your self-control will grow and you will feel that you finally have control over your life.
10. Quit the toxic habit of complaining
One can never be happy and find things to be grateful for while complaining.
Just as negative self-talk, get rid of complaints because they are really the toxins that stop us from seeing the good in life.
Complaining once it becomes a habit (which already has in so many of us) turns into a state of mind.
The more you complain the more you feel drained, irritated, and anxious without your knowing.
Why is there so much urge to have everything under our control?
What you can do
- Reqlinquish the need to control and see how your perspective changes.
- Take it as a challenge to go 24 hours without complain and be aware of the things you are complaining about.
- If you find yourself complaining, don’t be disheartned. They have become such strong habit in you, cutting them out will take time. Even if you are aware, that simply is progress.
- When you find yourself complaining, pause and don’t engage in it further
- Another main important thing, be aware of what kind of people you are surrounding yourself with.
Most often it so happens that when others complain we join them happily share our own complains which we didn’t even know we had just for the sake of keeping the conversation going.
Be aware of such people and make them aware too. - For every complain you find yourself making, find 2 things to be grateful for.
- Be grateful and keep a journal of your new found awareness. It helps.
So here were the 10 toxic habits that you must give up.
End note
If you’ve read this far, I bet you are ready for a change.
Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes. But don’t change with the notion that who you are now is bad or not enough.
You are already enough. You already are who you want to be. There is everything in you.
So change because you owe it to yourself to realize your full potential. Change because you want to bring out your best version which is already there inside you.
If you give up only these 10 bad habits I can promise that your life will begin to shift towards the better and you will feel so much peace and calm.
Have a wonderful day ahead
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