Five Bad Habits You Should Drop

Karissa Han

Almost everyone has some sort of idea in mind about what type of person they would like to be. While these ideals can sometimes seem too perfect to be true, the only things preventing your growth as a person are the bad habits you possess. Some common tendencies may be keeping you from progress and living your life to the fullest. Below is a compilation of five bad habits and tips on how to stop them.

Snacking for No Reason
Snacking even when you are not hungry is a habit that many people fall victim to. It is common to tend to snack when you are bored, stressed, or have the slightest feelings of hunger. However, this habit can lead to overeating and possible health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Eating too many snacks unconsciously can lead to complications and can also add some extra pounds that otherwise would not be there.

One way to break this habit is by replacing junk food with healthier snacks that will fulfill your hunger, such as fruits and veggies. Additionally, make an effort to snack only if you are actually hungry, not because you are stressed or bored. Reading, playing an instrument, drawing, or trying something new and engaging in a hobby can serve as good pastimes instead. Try to find a distraction or activity that will keep you from reaching for chips when you have down time, like going outside for a walk or drawing. Also try to plan how much you are going to eat in advance to restrain yourself from consuming too many unhealthy foods.

Watching Too Much TV
With easy access provided by Netflix and other streaming services, it’s easy to spend hours watching TV. However, having too much screen time can damage your eyes, cause headaches, and promote an unhealthy lifestyle. Binge watching has become almost an intuitive solution to our boredom because it keeps our minds off of other tasks and is the perfect mindless pastime for when our brains are idle and tired. But, after watching excessively, you tend to get sleepy and lazy, which can hinder your productivity. Plus, watching too much TV is considerably wasting the time you could spend with your friends or outside in the fresh air.

In order to keep yourself from doing this, have a limit of what you can watch, or try to decide on a target amount of screen time for each day. By tracking how much screen time you have in a day by utilizing apps, you will become more conscious of your behaviors. Having specific videos or shows in mind will keep you from being sucked into YouTube or Netflix.

Skipping Breakfast
One extremely ignored fact is that breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day. Most people forget about this because they are always in a rush or are late to their destination. Your body needs food in the morning in order for your metabolism to start and help re-boost your energy for the day. Eating breakfast causes stable blood sugar and more energy in the morning; it will keep you from worrying about being hungry later in the day.

If you are usually in a rush in the mornings, choose something portable and pre-made like yogurt, fruit, or a granola bar. Making breakfast the night before also helps in the morning. If you wake up feeling too full to eat breakfast, wait for an hour or two and then eat something light to get your energy going.

Checking your Phone at the Dinner Table
After a busy day, one of the few moments that can be spent talking to your family is at the dinner table. By checking your phone at the table, you are not living in the present and the opportunity of sharing moments with your family is being wasted. Everyone is so consumed by social media nowadays that they forget to live in the moment and rarely share real, face to face conversations.

To avoid this behavior, keep your phone on silent so you are not tempted to check your notifications. It can also be helpful to place it out of your sight so that you can be actively engaged in a conversation with your family. Once you start, you will begin realize and appreciate the moments with your family that your phone would otherwise have distracted you from.

Waiting Until the Last Minute
Procrastination is a habit that many students suffer from, and it isn’t good for efficiency. By waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment, you are creating unrequired stress and keeping yourself from doing other activities you enjoy. The end product of your work may end up less satisfactory than something you could have completed with more time. If you are delaying a group project, you are holding back your partners and creating a negative reputation of your work ethic.

A key to reducing procrastination is to always prioritize which tasks are the most important, and do those first. Having a planner or making a to-do list creates a positive sense of urgency that will make you more serious about completing your tasks. You can also ask a friend to check on you every couple hours to keep you on track. Starting your assignment in an area with minimal distractions is very conducive as well.

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