Habits That Damage Your Mental Health

Your mental health is so important and it is essential that you look after it well. It is however, very easy to develop unhealthy habits that may damage your mental health. It is vital that you are aware of these so that you can avoid them at all costs.

Comparing yourself to others

Comparing yourself to others greatly damages your mental health. Unfortunately, this is quite a common habit. With everyone displaying their ‘perfect’ lives on social media it is easier than ever to compare your own life to others. It is vital to remember that the majority of people do not post the difficult side of their lives. You rarely read about the obstacles they face each and every day. So comparing yourself to others is an unfair thing to do to yourself as you really do not know the whole story.

Being a people pleaser

Being a people pleaser can significantly impact your mental health and you may not even be aware that you are doing this. Saying ‘yes’ to everything and everyone just to make them happy, especially when your mental health is suffering as a result, is exhausting. Not everyone is going to like you and that is okay. It is vital to accept this and not blame yourself. There is no possible way to keep everyone happy all the time. Therefore, the most important of all is to keep yourself happy for the sake of your mental health.

A poor sleep schedule

You may have heard this a thousand times before, but a poor sleep schedule wreaks havoc on your mental health. After a long day, sleep gives you the strength and power to rejuvenate and face the next morning. Without adequate sleep your concentration becomes impaired and your mood is often negatively impacted. You owe it to yourself to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. Setting up a routine may help with this and after a few weeks it will become second nature and you will see your mental health begin to improve.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism can destroy your mental health if you let it. This leads to a constant over-analysis of everything which is very draining. There are imperfections in everything if you look hard enough. Try to view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual. Embrace your flaws rather than beat yourself up for them. They make up part of who you are. If you approach life with this mind-set, then your mental health is sure to flourish. Go out into the world and live your best life and most importantly keep a positive mind-set.

Procrastination

Procrastination causes a great amount of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Often when we do not want to make a start on something, we build up this fear in our heads and imagine it to be a far worse task than it is. It is only when we finally sit down and do it, we realise that it is not nearly half as bad as we thought. Other times we take a break for five minutes which turns into an hour and then shudder at the thought of going back to said task. Procrastination weighs down on our mental health and poses no positive benefits in the long-term.

Your mental health is one of the most precious things you have and therefore you must treat it as such. Avoiding negative habits will work wonders to ensure a positive mind-set. They may take a while to break but with persistence and determination you can do it!

Are you guilty of this habits that could damage your mental health?