How You Can Grow in 2024: 5 Bad Habits to Leave Behind for Self-Improvement
The best way to develop personal development is to cut your bad habits immediately.
You are a creature of habit and if you can take control of those habits, you can take control of your life.
It’s incredible how quickly you see improvements once you cut bad habits.
The problem you have though, is that you likely don’t know what bad habits you have. Especially because a lot of bad habits have a weird way of masking themselves as good habits.
Smoking weed is the perfect example. Some people believe it is medicine simply because it has been prescribed to others.
Let’s dive in and break some of these bad habits down. That way, we can understand how our lives could improve if we cut them.
1. Smoking weed
I made the mistake of picking up this habit shortly after I graduated high school. After dropping out of university, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, so I just started doing whatever felt good at that moment.
Unfortunately, at that time, that meant smoking weed.
At my peak, I was smoking 3g+ day. I smoked every day for spurts of a few months at a time, for years.
Some people get anxiety relief from cannabis, while many others experience much worse anxiety when they smoke.
There are now studies which show that the usage of cannabis between the ages of 16-24 can increase the likelihood of developing:
Anxiety
Psychosis
Schizophrenia
Major depression
Dr. Andrew Huberman on his podcast talked about how those who smoke in their teenage years are far more likely to develop failure-to-launch syndrome.
I believe that happened to me.
Many of those who used cannabis and now stopped would agree that it slowed them down.
Regardless of how you feel today, the studies that are coming out suggest that either reducing your consumption or cutting it altogether is a smart move.
Personally, when I stopped using cannabis, I became far more motivated to work and my productivity skyrocketed. I also saw a dramatic decrease in anxiety and an increase in my overall mood and energy levels.
2. Drinking far too much alcohol
The consumption of alcohol is a problem that everyone can agree with. Unlike the topic of cannabis, there is no controversy over this topic.
Alcohol is absolutely horrible for you.
Short-term risks include:
Alcohol poisoning
Increased chance of injuries
Increased risk of violent behaviour
Long-term risks include:
Cancer
Social problems
Learning problems
Mental Health problems
Weakening of the immune system
High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, etc
You know it’s an issue. I know it’s an issue. Your mom knows it’s an issue…
So, either reduce your consumption or cut it altogether.
3. Watching porn
Nearly every man, and many women, when they were growing up got curious about sex. Naturally, they ended up looking for answers on the internet or staying up late to watch TV shows (depending on your age).
Porn over time when watched too often can cause a lot of problems.
Difficulty becoming sexually aroused
Negative feelings about oneself
Distorted sexual expectations
Increased aggression
The most obvious negative effect of consuming too much porn is time wasted. Some individuals will spend hours every day watching it.
It can easily become an addiction.
Cut this bad habit to improve your sexual health, free up some time, and come back to reality.
4. Maintaining a negative mindset
Negativity is a curse that has cast its spell on many. The bright side is that it is considered a habit, and is one that we can dramatically change.
95% of our thinking is habitual and up to 80% of it is negative.
Maintaining a negative mindset will cause you to approach situations and people already expecting the worst (this is terrible).
It will cause you to be less friendly, jump to conclusions, blame others and be less likely to jump on potentially great opportunities.
And let’s be honest here… No one likes being around a negative person.
A negative mindset is likely to damage your social life, relationships, and health.
Needless to say… improving your mindset is a game-changer.
Increase your lifespan
Improve your cardiovascular health
Improve your resistance to illnesses
Improve your psychological well-being
Reduce risk of death by infections, cancer & respiratory conditions
5. Skipping out on sleep
Productivity and efficiency is a goal many of us have. The bad habit of skipping sleep is easily grown when someone believes they can get more work done this way.
Instead of getting 7-9 hours of sleep (as recommended), they start to go down to 6, and maybe even below that.
After a couple of weeks of 5-6 hours of sleep, they become accustomed to it and believe it’s working for them. They can function well without optimal sleep.
Well, that is not the case.
The “sleep doctor”, Matthew Walker’s studies, have shown that getting a lack of sleep (defined as 6 hours of sleep or less) has been shown to decrease concentration, memory, immune function and even life span.
You might have extra hours awake, but you’re killing yourself faster, and you are less productive in those same hours.
Skipping out on sleep is one of the worst habits you can have because it affects every area of your life
A good night’s sleep is widely considered to be the best thing you can do for your health.
Closing remarks
If you zoom out and analyze these bad habits, most of them mean that you are seeking temporary satisfaction or putting in little effort.
You’re looking for a quick hit of dopamine.
Before implementing good habits to see lasting change in your life, take a look at your bad habits. They’re ruining your life - it is time to leave them behind.
Since I have cut these bad habits, I have more energy, am in a better mood, have more meaningful relationships, and am more motivated and productive.
Simply put, I don’t feel like shit anymore.
How many of these are you guilty of, and which ones did I miss?
Thanks for reading