Our minds are sensitive to the world around us. The mind responds to the changes hence affecting our moods. The death of a loved one, job loss, or financial problems may create depression. Simple everyday decisions may affect your mood more than you know. Your social media habits, fitness regimen, and walking style may be ruining your day. These behaviors are changeable. Learn these twelve ways you may be sabotaging your happiness and what you can do about it.
1. You Slump
According to the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry research, how we feel might alter how we walk. When individuals walk with slumped shoulders, hunched backs, and little arm movements, their emotions are worse than when they move with more enthusiasm.
2. You Take Too Many Pictures
Everything in social media is not real. According to Psychological Science research, spontaneous photography may affect how you recall events. Participants toured a museum and photographed artifacts. It turns out they had greater trouble recalling objects they photographed than later inspected.
3. You Tolerate Bullying
After high school, bullying continues. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 35% of American employees have been harassed. Erin K. Leonard, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Emotional Terrorism, says 70% of individuals have witnessed a workplace bully. Regularly having your pride and self-esteem attacked can be distressing and make it hard to get out of bed and go to work.
4. You’re lazy
JAMA Psychiatry found that exercising three times a week reduced depression risk by 19%. University College London researchers found a link between physical exercise and depression after monitoring over 11,000 persons born from 1958 to 50. Depressed individuals are less active, whereas energetic ones are less depressed. Every hour of activity reduced their chance of depression by 6%.
5. Procrastination
We can’t help if you’re bored or don’t want to do it. Procrastination makes work more unpleasant if you ignore it because you’re uncomfortable or fearful of failure.
6. You’re in an Unhealthy Relationship
Dr. Erin K. Leonard, Ph.D. says many of his customers stress and despair without identifying an unhealthy relationship. It lowers self-esteem. Their spouses think they’re incompetent or self-centered. People may not understand for years that their broken relationships are causing them unhappiness and concern.
7. You Overthink Everything
You cringe in embarrassment after tripping over a crack on the sidewalk. If this describes you, then it’s time that you shrug it off and laugh more. “Laughing promotes our health, particularly mental wellness,” explains Leonard. Laughter relieves melancholy and anxiety.
8. You Rarely Get Enough Sleep
Bastyr University’s Diedra L. Clay, PsyD, says sleep affects everything. Emotional, cognitive, and bodily functions are compromised. Without sleep, our bodies would fail.
9. You Are Always Occupied and Lack Time For Yourself
You can’t find a minute to yourself between kids, job, marriage, and other responsibilities (hiding in the toilet doesn’t count). Taking an hour or even 10 minutes in a day for yourself is recommended. The melancholy and concern result from a lack of self-care.
10. You’re Always On Your Phone
If you solely connect with friends through text, Facebook (Meta), or other social media, you’re not experiencing meaningful contact. These talks don’t help us comprehend people, but rather dilute sensations and experiences. San Diego coach Michael Mantell, Ph.D., agrees. Cellphones affect attention, momentary pleasure, and the illusion that a single button click will result in an instant connection. We favor online over face-to-face meetings. This affects our capacity and desire to conduct face-to-face conversations.
11. You Are Addicted to Electronics
When was your last electronics-free day? “All these technologies overstimulate us,” Clay says. “If we’re always on, we can’t relax and recharge.” This can result in future pain or concern.
12. You Multitask
You eat at your desks, check Facebook (Meta) or watch TV, and text incessantly. According to a study, multitasking makes us uneasy, ignorant of our surroundings, and unable to interact.
Conclusion
We get anxious and raise our risk of developing more serious mental health difficulties when our habits and our work-life balance are incorrect. Think about your values and priorities, and make sure your schedule reflects them. Make time for family, friends, and hobbies, just as you would for a business meeting. It may seem unusual to schedule time for pleasure or relaxation, but it is really important.