Today, we will learn about eleven mindless habits that give you anxiety. Now, let’s begin. Do you struggle with daily anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of worry or stress, often associated with an uncertain outcome or high-pressure event. For example, you might experience anxiety about an upcoming job interview. You may imagine all the different ways your interview might go wrong, leading to excessive uneasiness, nervousness, and apprehension.
When your thoughts spiral out of control, it’s hard not to feel like something is wrong with you. You may lose faith in yourself. You may become impulsive or indecisive. You may feel like the world is out to get to you. No matter how bad it gets, remember this. Anxiety is natural and commonplace.
Many people buy into polarizing stereotypes about anxiety, which causes gross misunderstandings about this very human experience. If you have anxiety, there is nothing wrong with you or your brain. Though anxiety disorders do exist, most of the time, experiencing anxiety doesn’t mean you’re sick or mentally ill.
It does, however, mean that you could be making better choices and practicing healthier habits. Often, the most significant sources of anxiety in our lives are none other than our own bad decisions. We create opportunities for anxiety by reinforcing negative habits, abandoning healthy routines, and embracing toxic narratives.
The vast majority of the time, we do these things without thinking. We mindlessly practice habits that persistently create worry and stress in our lives. Instead of using our decisions to find clarity and peace of mind, we passively drive ourselves into vortexes of anxious uncertainty.
Luckily, there is always time to change your relationship with stress and anxiety. Because it is a normal human experience, anxiety is something anyone can learn to moderate over time. In other words, you have the power to overcome your anxiety, no matter how heavily they are weighing down on your life.
Of course, those feelings will not go away on their own. To set yourself free from anxiety, you need to overhaul your habits and routines, and that process begins by identifying mindless habits in your life. Because these habits… are making you more anxious than you realize.
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1. Unconscious Sedentary Behavior
How many hours do you spend sitting every day? Most of us aren’t aware of how sedentary our lives are. You spend up to 8 hours sitting at work, only to come home, lie on the couch, and spend the rest of the evening off your feet. Even though you’re doing different things in different places, your body is hardly ever active, leading to anxiety and mental fog.
On the other hand, physical activity releases positive hormones in your brain, rewarding this dynamic behavior with energy and happiness. It can also provide clarity, motivation, and confidence, all of which are associated with lower anxiety levels. So, be conscious of your sedentary habits. If you’ve been sitting for a long time, take a walk. Move your body. Get your muscles moving. Even if you don’t break a sweat, simple active routines can improve your mood and state of mind.
2. Endless Scrolling
Have you ever caught yourself scrolling through your phone for hours without realizing it? This is another mindless habit that creates anxiety and destroys motivation. We allow ourselves to turn off our brains and waste hours of time scrolling through social media.
In the moment, you’re distracted by images, games, and videos, but feelings of anxiety are brewing in the back of your mind. The more time you waste scrolling, the more worried and anxious you become. You may also experience a strong sense of shame about your lack of productivity or perhaps a sense of envy or frustration about the life you’re living. While it seems harmless to scroll through social media, this mindless habit does more damage than you think.
3. Doing What Matters Most
Are you avoiding your most significant responsibilities? There is something important you need to do, but instead of doing it, you mindlessly pack your schedule with unnecessary chores and commitments. For example, instead of making an important phone call, you might run to the grocery store, take out the trash, or spend hours playing games with friends.
It seems like you’re getting things done, but the truth is… you’re avoiding the thing that matters most. If there’s something you need to do, do it right away, even if it sounds complicated. You might think of a hundred other things you could do instead, but if you want to eliminate your anxiety, you need to take your priorities seriously.
4. The Second Cup
When we enjoy something, we have a hard time stopping. For example, if you like coffee, you might pour a second cup when one is all you need. If you want ice cream, you might eat the whole container instead of stopping after a few bites.
In other words, we have a hard time controlling our impulses and curbing our desires. When we take things to the extreme, the things we love, like coffee or ice cream, start to negatively influence our lives. Overdo anything, and it may come back to bite you. On the other hand, if you practice moderation, you’ll find more enjoyment in the things you love and experience less stress as a result.
5. Erratic Eating Habits
Do you often skip meals? Few people pay attention to the regularity of their eating habits. Most of us eat meals erratically and unpredictably, contributing to stress, anxiety, and a negative state of mind. For example, skipping a meal leaves you low on energy. Without energy, your mood and productivity steadily decline, making you more stressed than you need to be. To remedy this common problem, find an eating schedule that works for you and stick to it. Whether you’re eating three big meals or six small ones, eating at regular intervals keeps your energy levels high and your stress under control.
6. Giving Away Time
Many people have a hard time saying no. When someone asks for a favor, you can’t stand the idea of turning them down. You may not realize how much anxiety this bad habit creates in your life. When you’re constantly worrying about other people’s needs, you neglect things that would make you happy. So, don’t be afraid to say no. No matter who’s asking, you always have the right to claim your time as your own. Sure, it’s good to be caring and generous, but you should never forget to concentrate on yourself.
7. Unknown Symptoms
How much water do you drink every day? Chances are it’s not enough. The vast majority of people in the world do not drink enough water, leaving many people struggling with symptoms of dehydration. These symptoms include mental fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and even physical symptoms like head and muscle aches. All these things create stress in your life, stealing your energy, clouding your mind, and decreasing your motivation. So, drink more water throughout the day because this simple habit can transform your life more than you think.
8. Late Night Sabotage
Sleep is another lifestyle habit that significantly influences stress and anxiety. When you’re not getting enough sleep, your brain cannot rest and recharge. When your brain is unrested, you lose energy, struggle to perform, and become lost in a mental fog. So, if you want to be less anxious, try improving your sleep schedule. For starters, stop staying up later than you need to.
It may be tempting to watch that last episode or browse one more page, but these mindless habits are ruining your sleep cycle, leaving you in a bad mood for hours after you wake up. Something as simple as a good night’s sleep can change your entire mindset, turning an anxious day into a great one.
9. Brainless Multitasking
Many of us regularly do more than one thing at a time. We mindlessly juggle multiple tasks, switching back and forth between work, hobbies, and chores. We do all these things, assuming we’re being extra productive when in reality, we’re making our lives more stressful than they need to be.
Here’s a piece of advice that will make you more productive and relieve your daily stress and anxiety. Stop trying to do everything at once. Instead, focus on one thing at a time. It helps to think about your busy life as a series of singular tasks. All you need to do at any given time is concentrate on one thing. Be intentional and single-minded in your work, and your responsibilities will never overwhelm you again.
10. Always Running Behind
Are you always running a few minutes behind? People who are consistently late may experience greater levels of anxiety. Think about it. You’re constantly racing against the clock. You never have a few free minutes to spare. You can’t afford to make mistakes, and you’re always apologizing for your lateness. If that doesn’t make you anxious, I don’t know what will. From now on, make a goal to show up 5 to 10 minutes early to everything you do. Five minutes may not sound like much, but a little extra time can change the pace of your life and significantly improve your mood.
11. Pursuing the Impossible
Nothing in life is perfect, so why do you waste so much mental energy pursuing perfection? You, like many people, may expect yourself to be flawless at every opportunity. When you inevitably fail to live up to your impossible expectations, you may criticize yourself and lose faith in your abilities, becoming trapped in a toxic, self-fulfilling prophecy. If you want to escape this anxiety-inducing narrative, practice letting go of perfection. Allow yourself to make mistakes and be happy with your best. No one can ever be perfect, so do yourself a favor… and stop expecting the impossible.
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