By being aware of any unhelpful habits, we can promote a better sense of well-being.
Growing up, you may have had a happy childhood. Maybe you loved elementary school, your friends, and your family. Everything seemed to be perfect until a certain point. After this point, everything changed, and life didn't look the same anymore. You felt alone, helpless, and scared.
Maybe you had to go to a new school, and at this new school, you were bullied relentlessly. Kids may have made fun of your appearance, your background, or your voice. For the first time in your life, you started struggling with your mental health. Nothing felt safe anymore—everything felt uncertain.
If you are truly going to help those who are struggling, you are going to need to speak up, educate others on mental health, share your own experiences, and discuss any habits that might have caused you to get where you are today. Unfortunately, many habits, even unbeknownst to you, can cause lasting problems, which worsen your overall well-being. If you are going to begin to work on your mental health, you need to be aware of a few sneaky habits and stay away from them.
1. Self-Isolation
While not all mental health issues are preventable, some are, such as anxiety, depression, or eating disorders. All of these illnesses thrive in self-isolation. Maybe when your mom took you out of public school for homeschooling, you started self-isolating. Due to the bullying you had endured at your former school, you felt embarrassed to be seen at all. You started to restrict your diet and over-exercise to the point of exhaustion. As you could imagine, this was the development of an eating disorder, which consumed a decade of your life. All of the pain, trauma, and hurt that you endured manifested in this mental illness that consumed you from the inside out.
If you had been more involved with other people rather than self-isolating, you probably would have done better. However, choosing to bottle up your emotions and pretending you were fine was the answer until it wasn't. You eventually had to step out of the box of self-isolation and talk with a doctor. By this time, your eating disorder had grown worse, and you were severely ill. You had to go through extensive treatment, therapy, and weight restoration prior to being able to function in the world again.
What you could have told yourself all those years ago, tell yourself now: don't isolate yourself. If you are struggling, don't shut your loved ones out. Open up the door, talk with them, and be honest with them. In the same way, talk with God about how you are feeling. Cast your cares on Him and allow Him to bring your heart comfort (1 Peter 5:7).
2. Lack of Exercise
Lacking exercise in our lives can slowly lead to mental health struggles because we will never be given time to unwind from the stressors of daily life. Rather than being able to get outside, stretch your legs, and breathe fresh air, you will be locked inside with your eyes behind a phone. You need to get outside, get active, and do your best to promote a healthy view of exercise in your life. Exercise isn't punishment; instead, it is something that will help you to feel good. By pumping endorphins, you will see your mental health begin to soar when you start exercising daily.
3. Unhealthy Eating
Maybe you have the sneaky habit of overeating when you are stressed. Over time, this will cause you physical problems as well as mental problems. Due to packing on more weight, you will begin to struggle with a negative self-view and possibly depression.
This is why you need to pay careful attention to what you are eating and not to go overboard. If you are not careful with what you are consuming, you can easily set yourself up for failure. Try to be more mindful of what you are eating and stay focused on progress over perfection.
4. Negative Self-Talk
You probably are no stranger to negative self-talk. Negative self-talk plays a constant dialogue in your head that you are not good enough, not smart enough, or not strong enough. Instead of engaging in this sneaky habit, you need to break the cycle. You can do this by combating the lies of negative self-talk with the Word of God. Rather than believing that you are not enough, not pretty enough, or not successful enough, you need to remember that you are enough because Christ is enough, you are made in God's image, and you have been given victory over the grave (Colossians 2:9-10; Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:57).
5. Giving Up Activities You Used to Love
Whenever you discover that you have given up activities you used to love, you need to know that you are setting yourself up for mental struggles. Giving up activities you used to love is a clear sign of depression. If you have noticed this in your own life, talk with God, loved ones, and your primary care physician. Between all of these resources, you will be able to stop any worse troubles from developing. Try to pick up the activities you used to enjoy at some point in the future and see if they bring the same sparkle of hope back into your heart.
There are many sneaky habits that can cause serious mental health problems, but thankfully, by being aware of them and knowing what to look for, you can overcome them. The best cure is prevention, therefore, you need to be mindful when any of these habits comes into your life and to reach out to medical professionals if you see them begin to hinder your life. God will help you as you face this trying time and He will help you break any sneaky habits that could be causing your downfall.
