Unhealthy Habits

Introduction:
Regarding definitions, it can describe as unhealthy habits are those actions that trigger undesirable changes in people’s physical and psychological conditions. These habits can be set during childhood, learned from others or are learnt as ways of coping with different situations. It is therefore important that one is able to recognize these habits for him or her to be able to sort out the ones that could lead to better and healthier living. In this article, the writer presents everyday unhealthy habits, their consequences and how one can avoid them.

1. Poor Diet
Poor eating habits whereby one takes a lot of processed foods, takes too much sugar and lacks all the nutrients is the most common unhealthy habit. Such a habit may cause different pathologies, ranging from fatness, diseases of cardiovascular system, diabetes, to malnutrition.

Effects:
• Obesity: The consumption of cookies with high calories and low nutrients increases body mass consequently other diseases.
• Heart Disease: Consumption of foods rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol raises the chances of getting heart disease.
• Diabetes: A considerable amount of sugar in the body can lead to the blockage of insulin receptors hence increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Malnutrition: Deficiency of vitamins and minerals might result in a compromised immune system as well as reduced functionality of the organism.

Overcoming Poor Diet:
• Balanced Diet: Eat low salt, low cholesterol, high fiber and calcium, complicated carbohydrates, and lean meats, poultry, fish, egg.
• Limit Processed Foods: Limit consumption of such foods as the processed foods and foods high in sugar content.

• Meal Planning: It is advisable to have a planned schedule for the day before so that equal nutrients are taken accordingly.
• Hydration: Something as simple as drinking enough water, and not taking many sweets and sodas, can also help.

2. Sedentary Lifestyle
Another unhealthy behavior that the people and nations of the world have adopted is the lack of exercise through long hours of sited living. This is especially common now due, for example, to sedentary work in offices and passive forms of leisure with the help of computer and television.
Effects:

• Weight Gain: Sedentary lifestyle is a major cause of weight gain especially obesity.
• Cardiovascular Problems: Stating further, those people who are prone to spending most of their time sitting are at a higher risk of developing heart disease and developing a stroke.
• Musculoskeletal Issues: Sedentary working in a chair for long hours can cause slouching and directly affect the back’s health as well led to loss of muscle tone.

• Mental Health: Lack of regular exercise causes depression and anxiety more often.

Overcoming Sedentary Lifestyle:
• Regular Exercise: Perform at least five days per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or three days per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week to accumulate at least 1500 metabolic equivalents of the body weight per week.

• Incorporate Movement: Adapt activities and trip to include the use of active commuting like cycling or walking rather than the use of car.
• Fitness Goals: It is essential to set the right fitness objectives that are easily achievable but yet challenging to keep the clients engaged.

3. Smoking
Tobacco is an exceptional habit to acquire due to the severities that are associated with it such as the deadly effects of smoking. The prevalence of smoking is well known today though people get aware of the fatal effects which it causes and this continues because of the addiction and also due to Social Situations.

Effects:
• Respiratory Diseases: It is a known fact that smoking is hazardous to human health and it reduces lung capacity causing diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis and emphysema.
• Cancer: Tobacco is one of the largest types of cancers such as lung, throat and mouth.
• Cardiovascular Disease: With it, the chance of a heart attack, strokes, and peripheral artery disease are improved.
• Reduced Lifespan: Stating that smokers have lower life expectancy compared to non-smokers, it can be said that.

Overcoming Smoking:
• Seek Support: Go to smoking cessation programs or are advised to seek help from health care practitioners.
• Nicotine Replacement Therapy: They can control the withdrawal mouth symptoms using patches, gum or lozenges.

• Avoid Triggers: One should go through a process of finding out what situation make one have a feeling of craving for a cigarette.

• Healthy Alternatives: Smoking should be replaced with healthy activities for instance exercise or other activities that the individual enjoys doing.

4. Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Although research shows that light to moderate drinking is somewhat beneficial, heavy and regular drinking is a vice to health. Heavy current drinking and alcohol dependency can cause severe health complications to the body and to the mind.

Effects:
• Liver Damage: Alcohol consumption has the potential of damaging the liver where some of the complications include fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
• Mental Health: It can be concluded that alcohol consumption causes depression, anxiety, and other disorders associated with mental health.

• Addiction: Furthermore, continuous consumption of large volumes of alcohol weakens the tolerance level and results in alcohol addiction.

• Accidents: They also cause poor decision making as well as coordination thus resulting to increased cases of accidents and causalities.

Overcoming Excessive Alcohol Consumption:
• Set Limits: Set and adhere to drink quantity norms of the individual for specified periods.

• Seek Help: Go for self-help groups such as, Alcohol anonymous or even get a counselor who will help you through the process.

• Social Support: Develop good company that complement your determination to embrace the new lifestyle of abstinence.

5. Poor Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is described as having behaviors that are detrimental to the quality and quantity being attained. Such behaviors include, taking a lot of fluids prior to sleeping, spending a lot of time in front of the computer, television or a book before sleeping and even taking coffee or liquor in the evening.

Effects:
• Sleep Disorders: There are various negative effects of sleep and one of them is Sleep hygiene which results in insomnia and other related disorders.

• Cognitive Impairment: This is very dangerous since one is not in a position to make any sound decision, not focused, and may even fail to remember important details.

• Mood Disturbances: Lack of sleep leads to; agitation, anxiety and development of depression among individuals.

• Weakened Immune System: Well, the effects of lack of sleep include frailness of the immune system, thus making the body prone to diseases.

Overcoming Poor Sleep Hygiene:
• Consistent Schedule: Stay consistent with your schedule for sleeping and waking up, meaning you do not alter the usual routine even on the weekends.

• Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment: In particular, your bedroom should be dark, quiet, and cool, as was mentioned earlier.

• Limit Screen Time: It is recommended that you avoid using screen at least an hour to bedtime.
• Relaxation Techniques: Hear this, the respiratory process should be enhanced twenty-four hours to a time of sleep using breathing exercises or meditation.

6. Chronic Stress
Stress indicators in today’s society are highly persistent such as the stress caused by work environment, money matters, or interpersonal interactions. Stress if sustained over time will impact the body both physically and mentally.

Effects:
• Cardiovascular Problems: Stress that is prolonged daily hassles to the average worker can lead to hypertension, heart attack, and strokes.
• Mental Health Issues: Chronic stress is associated with anxiety and depression and different types of burnout.
• Immune System Suppression: Stress leads to a decline in immunity thus making the body prone to illnesses and other diseases.

• Digestive Issues: One chronic mental health condition that is commonly linked stress is IBS and stress is also believed to cause ulcers.
Overcoming Chronic Stress:
• Identify Stressors: Stress is a major factor that leads to poor health and should thus be avoided or managed accordingly; Identify and deal with the stress factors in your life.

• Healthy Lifestyle: Exercise for a healthy heart and body, take balanced diet and ensure you get enough sleep.
• Relaxation Techniques: Relax your mind through the use of other alternative methods like yoga, meditation, or perhaps deep breathing processes.

• Seek Support: In the case of DD, consult with friends and families; it is also advisable to seek professional psychological help.

7. Procrastination
Generally, putting off a task means that it is postponed and therefore results in stress, low work output, and chances missed. It is usually caused by the fear of failure, excessive rigidity or merely, lack of motivation.

Effects:
• Increased Stress: Stress is high during the last minutes of the day or the last days before their working shift since first thing that people do is run through their to-do lists.
• Reduced Productivity: Procrastination affects efficiency and productivity in that people are unable to complete tasks as and when they should.

• Missed Opportunities: Neglect leads to failure in delivering projects within the specified time and definitely, would make one miss out on so many opportunities.
• Poor Performance: This is due to the fact that, work usually done in a rush is normally of a lower quality and standard compared to when work is done in a normal manner.

Overcoming Procrastination:
• Set Goals: Divide a task into sub-tasks and assign it time frames.
• Prioritize Tasks: Organize work in accordance with the degree of their relevance: the higher this degree, the sooner the work is done.
• Eliminate Distractions: Remove things that could cause a distraction and stop the student from focusing on the study material.

• Stay Accountable: Let someone know about your goals on the same so that you can be held responsible for what you evaluated.

8. Negative Thinking
Cognitive distortions including pessimism, self-attacking thoughts, and magnification of harm often have a detrimental effect concerning the emotional state of an individual. Such patterns commonly lead to the child or the sufferer acquiring low self-esteem and ultimately, they end up being unhappy.

Effects:
• Mental Health Issues: This negative thought process has a causal link with depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders.
• Low Self-Esteem: There is more to criticize oneself all the time which breaks pride and esteem.
• Reduced Quality of Life: Negative thinking impairs relationship, work output and general well-being.
• Physical Health: The negative thinking will also put the person under a lot of stress and this will reach some point that the person develops complications like headaches and other digestive complications.

Overcoming Negative Thinking:
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Practice CBT to modify, ‘self- talk’ Push for more optimistic, healthier ways of thinking, Alkalize your mind.
• Positive Affirmations: Some individuals engage in self-love and tell themselves positive things to build confidence and expect positive things to happen.
• Mindfulness: Sometimes people get lost in thinking and need to learn when you should be thinking and when you can just let your mind wander.

• Gratitude: Develop a gratitude journal in order to maintain an optimistic perspective of life’s aspects.

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/275602/

Conclusion
It is understandable because unhealthy habits are capable of causing significant changes to physical and psychological health. These are some of the behaviors that one should identify and try to change in order to improve his/her quality of life.

A Path Forward
Self-Awareness: The first thing one needs to do when seeking to break the cycle of unhealthy habits is to admit that one has the problem. What is vital is understanding that a habit is undesirable or frankly toxic to your health. Think of your everyday patterns, actions, and factors that provoke such behaviors in the case of the identified bad habits.