7 Unconscious Habits That Could Be Damaging Your Mental Health

Have you ever felt like your mental state is holding you back from moving forward in life? Maybe these habits are to blame.

Over the years, I’ve realized one thing: a chaotic mind leads to a chaotic life. You’ll never achieve what you truly want without order and clarity in your mind.

Sure, we all know the usual culprits that harm our mental health—ultra-processed food, poor sleep, lack of exercise, too much sugar, and so on. But in this post, I want to highlight the small, unconscious habits that might affect your mental health.

Today, I’m speaking from the heart. These habits have personally affected me and delayed some of my goals. The last few years have been a struggle, leaving me feeling lost and as if my brain wasn’t functioning normally.

These seemingly minor habits have had a significant negative impact on my mental state, and I want to share them with you in this Wellness corner of CL10.

Unconscious Habits Ruining Your Mental Health:

Overloading yourself with too many interests and activities

Having too many things on your plate can overwhelm your mind and lead to burnout. It’s better to focus on one or two activities that you can fully dedicate your time and attention to.

Negative self-talk

Our internal dialogue is more important than we think. Often, we don’t realize we’re sabotaging ourselves with negative self-talk.

The words we say to ourselves can shape our self-perception for better or worse.

Consume horrifying TV shows and media content

If you have a nervous and impressionable mind, be careful about the content you consume. I used to binge-watch stressful news and True Crime shows, but they left me anxious, depressed, and, frankly, a little paranoid.

I have also noticed that my perspective on the world as a pleasant place to live has changed for the worse.

Judging yourself and others

Harsh self-judgment can hurt your self-esteem because you’re not accepting yourself as you are. Self-criticism damages your sense of self-worth and distances you from others.

Perfectionism

Feeling overwhelmed because you can’t do something perfectly? That’s perfectionism.

It keeps us stuck because we feel we’re never good enough, so we stick to the safe and familiar. Perfectionism can also lead to procrastination—a total drag.

Misusing your electronic devices

Checking your phone when you wake up in the middle of the night, or as the first thing you do when you wake up, can be one of the worst things you do to your brain.

This has to do with the alpha and beta waves of the brain. I highly recommend this article, which provides complete information about this matter. 

Likewise, spending too much uninterrupted time in front of screens is harmful to the brain and, therefore, the mind. We need screen-free time to connect with our bodies and emotions.

Lack of a consistent sleep schedule

Not having a routine can be extremely harmful to your mind, leading to a disordered and aimless life.

The sleep inconsistency can result in poor sleep quality, leaving you feeling groggy and unfocused.

Over time, the lack of proper rest can contribute to increased stress, anxiety, and even depression, making it challenging to maintain mental clarity and achieve your goals.

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I want to end on a positive note, so I created some beautiful mental health stickers as a gift for you. You can print or use them digitally in your Goodnotes or Notability journal. I hope these stickers serve as a reminder of how crucial it is to take care of your mind. Enjoy them!

Here’s the link for the free stickers download.

Always remember: Life is beautiful, and with a healthy and orderly mind, it’s even more so.