25+ Unhelpful Habits Everyone Should Quit

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Do you know what a really bad habit is? Pointing out the bad habits of others. 

Guilty of about 27 certified bad habits myself, including waking up at sunset, skipping breakfast (for obvious reasons), binge eating, procrastination, not sticking to routines, skipping workouts, and never speaking out about my feelings (I have good reasons, though), believing in over-generalized astrological predictions in news-papers and ruining my day over it; overthinking, obsessing over the trivial like uber ratings 😐 and of course, skipping dental.

I, by far, exhibit A lot of unhelpful habits everyone should quit

However, having suffered the consequences and been slapped awake with the fact that habits and only habits can bring out the best or the worst in a person, consider me qualified enough to help you wake up, own up and quit at least 25+ certified unhelpful habits before time runs out.

25+ Unhelpful Habits Everyone Should Quit In Random Order 

Waking Up At Mid-Day

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Unless you have a very good reason to lose the best 6 hours after sunrise, I would highly recommend waking up with the lark. Instead of laying out scientifically researched data and statistics, let me ask you to make a few simple choices.

Fresh morning air or Carbon Monoxide? Are birds chirping under the gentle sun or cacophonous traffic?

Ample Me time before work or rushing to the office with pillow marks on your face? I guess, by now, you have the answer already. 

Benefits Of Making Early Rising A Habit:

  • Naturally lowered stress and burnout. 
  • Get quality ‘me time before the work day.
  • Opportunity to include better habits like yoga, meditation, exercising, journaling, walking your pets, etc., to add purpose, fulfillment, and happiness to your day.

Lending Your Ears To Gossip

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Guilty of this bad habit myself, apologetically though, gossiping or lending your ears to it is a terrible habit given that you can dent a person’s character/reputation based only on ‘what the little birdie said.’

It’s grossly unfair, and all thanks to karma, the repercussions can affect you equally. Unless it is a verified fact, choose consciously not to participate in gossip. 

Benefits Of Not Participating In Gossip:

  • You’ll gain trust and respect in professional, social, and personal circles
  • You’ll learn to base your judgments on facts than fiction 
  • You’ll be able to maintain better relationships 

Justifying Your Faults

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

To err is human. So, if you’ve done something wrong, own up and apologize. There’s no shame in it, even if the offended party goes out of their way to shame you.

Owning up to your fault is a divine virtue. The words ‘Sorry, please forgive me’ has an extremely powerful frequency. Even if you say it for no reason, the universe will always keep you in its good books.

Benefits of Owning Up to Your Faults and Apologizing for It:

  • You take control of your shortcomings
  • You start to take concrete steps to improve as a person
  • You grow mentally and spiritually

Being Too Sensitive To Cruel Criticism

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

I agree. Some people can be too quick and too cruel while finding your faults. Irrespective of how right, wrong, or obtuse they may be, brooding over what they said, basing your existence on it, and ruining the rest of your week on the matter is unnecessary.

Take a bow, kick some dust and abandon the negative experience, just like how a dog would kick mud on a celery stick.

Why Abandon Cruel Criticism Like How A Dog Would Kick Dust On A Celery Stick:

  • It relieves you of suppressed anger, stress, and anxiety
  • It helps you understand ‘fact’ over ‘opinions.’
  • You gain a better understanding of yourself and how your energy influences others

Complaining

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

To say that it’s purely annoying would be stating the obvious. 

You can never be perfect enough to claim the perfect level of perfection from others. 

Complaining is the gateway to inviting negative frequencies into your life. Remember, at any point in time, if you have had a meal a day, a home to return to, and a partner to give you a hug.

YOU ARE BLESSED and have no reason to complain. 

Law of Attraction (LOA) Tips 

LOA clearly states that you attract what you focus on. So, if you keep focusing on shortcomings and complain about them, life will find more shortcomings, and you’ll have more to complain about.

Remedy?

Consciously check yourself when you’re complaining and say something positive instead. For example, if you find yourself saying, ‘nothing ever works out for me,’; stop immediately and say, ‘Good things start from now’! See how your mood shifts from grey and moldy to sprightly, energetic, and positive.

Negative thinking

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation that may or may not have happened, imagining that the world is out there to get you, believing that good things are only for other people, and nurturing the thought that nothing will ever get better for you keeps you trapped in an invisible mental prison. 

Negative thinking is the worst impediment to opportunities, possibilities, success, and happiness.

Here’s some good news! Thoughts may be natural and a product of your experiences, but YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS. How?

When you see yourself pondering over some gloomy situation expecting the worst to happen, think the exact opposite. 

Go ahead! Do it; journal it and see the difference yourself 😊

Spending In Vain

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Speaking of unhelpful habits that everyone should quit at a stellar level, spending in vain sticks out like a sore thumb. Spending in vain only to live up to some oddly glorified standard of life is an actual threat to your existence. You lose tangible cash or run into intended debt to indulge in superficial happiness. It never lasts, nor does your financial security.

So, unless you have some magical source of unlimited income, respect your money and spend only on things that add real value to your life.

Exercise to Stop Overspending:

  • Journal your expenses
  • Allot a set amount for non-essentials
  • Invest, invest and invest some more

Skipping Annual Medical Checkups

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

When it comes to health, ignorance is not bliss. Harboring this bad habit is not just expensive, and it can be lethal too, leave alone compromising the quality of life dramatically.  

So, never skip medical checkups. This will help you stay ahead of unfortunate coincidences we call ‘fate.’ 

Adopting Random Fad Diets To Fit Into Unrealistic Shapes

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Choosing random diets to ‘lose weight’ and changing to other fancy forms of eating to gain influencer-approved shapes can land you in the ER or leave you with irreversible organ-level damage.

Follow a balanced diet instead that has the right amount of necessary nutrients in it.

How To Stay Healthy And Happy?

  • Count your calories, eat a ‘balanced diet, workout, and stay happy 
  • Ignore social media and its army of illogically opinionated idiots
  • don’t judge others on their shape or size, ever 

Constantly Comparing Yourself With Others

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

While it is true that comparison, at a healthy level, helps you measure your progress and keeps you on the growth track.

But, when comparison becomes a constant in every sphere of life, it can make you question your self-worth, wound your self-confidence, take you on a downward spiral, and rob you of the divine feeling of happiness and contentment.

What do You need to Compare?

  • Your progress at work since last week
  • Your commitment to health at regular intervals
  • Happiness meter on a daily basis
  • Quality time devoted to hobbies and self-improvement

What You Never Need To Compare?

  • Your material possessions with your friends’ colleagues
  • Your physical appearance with influencers
  • Your choices and decisions 
  • Your personal and professional life

Holding Grudges

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Listed among the top unhelpful habits that everyone should quit, holding a grudge can lead to chronic anxiety and influence decisions negatively.

If you have been wronged by someone, make it known to the person immediately, irrespective of how he/she reacts to it.

Follow it up with a forgiveness exercise. It works like a magic balm on your wounded soul. 

*** Stay tuned for my upcoming articles on forgiveness and acceptance exercises 😊

Holding On To Toxic Relationships

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Two is better than one? Not always. No matter what reason you have to hold on to toxic, abusive partners, it is never justified.

If a relationship is making you cry every day, you question your self-worth, draining you out physically and emotionally and leaving you tired, confused, unloved, and unfulfilled. Don’t hold on. LEAVE.

The habit of not letting go can lead to years of therapy.

Procrastinating

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

GUILTY. Being a shining star in the firmament of procrastination, I can tell you with certainty it does you no good. Procrastination is the sieve through which you lose time, opportunities, and, often, credibility. 

How To Stop Procrastinating? 

  • Create a routine
  • Have faith in your capabilities
  • Get yourself a distraction-free work-zone
  • Keep a progress journal, and get going!

Smoking / Addictions

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

The only time addiction is good is when you are addicted to non-addiction. Not going into research and statistics, it would suffice to remember that staying addiction-free will not only add years to your life but ‘quality’ as well. 

People Pleasing

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to please everyone, nor is it required. In fact, with obsessive-compulsive people-pleasing, you may end up making more enemies than friends.

This is one of those bad habits that push you to constantly downplay your interests and deflate your self-worth to promote the same in others in order to please them. It depletes you mentally, physically, and emotionally, eventually. 

How to Stop People Pleasing:

  • At all times, be yourself, and let people love you for who you are.
  • Give credit where credit is due.
  • Be fearless in your own identity.

Judging And Offering Unsolicited Advice

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

It has become so common to judge and offer unsolicited advice on any given occasion that many don’t even realize that it is a toxic unhelpful habit that everyone should quit

Remember, almost everyone you walk into has access to Google and knows as much as you do. Or, more.

Therefore, unless people come to you specifically for your advice, it’s a bad habit to go around offering it. 

Not Practicing Gratitude

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

A Grateful Heart is a Magnet for Miracles. The more grateful you are for what you have, the more you will receive from the universe through beautiful, unexpected coincidences.

Practicing gratitude opens your eyes to the blessings that already surround you. Therefore, when you are grateful, you are more at peace with yourself, you are free from the comparison trap, you feel complete and purposeful, and at the end of the day, you go to bed relaxed, happy, and stress-free. 

How to Start Practicing Gratitude?

  • Start writing a gratitude journal.
  • Say gratitude affirmations out loud at sunrise and at bedtime.
  • Learn to say ‘thank you to everyone that helps you, even those that tell you a joke and bring a smile to your face.

Resisting Learning Something New

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

You don’t age till the time you believe you’re too old to learn something new.

Learning something new and interesting keeps your mind and body active, alert and receptive.

So, let go of everything that is holding you back. Learn a language, learn to ride a motorcycle, learn to paint, write a book, learn pottery, start a home business, learn to bake, and train for a marathon.

It doesn’t matter if you are in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or beyond. IF YOU CAN, DO IT!

Worrying About Things That Cannot Be Changed

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Excessive worrying doesn’t solve an issue. In fact, it exaggerates the pre-supposed negatives associated with the outcomes of an event that may or may not have happened.

Therefore, it adds to unnecessary stress and anxiety, which can lead to mental/psychological issues, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, hypertension, weight gain, and other physical/mental ailments that can easily be avoided. 

How to Stop Excessive Worrying? Bobby McFerrin may have the answer. ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ 😊 

Not Honoring Commitments

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

‘A Promise is a Promise; A Promise that You Make is a Promise You Don’t Break.’

Frequent defaulting in the world of commitments, no matter how small it may be, is an unhelpful habit that everyone should quit

Why? Because it pulls down your credibility. 

Preaching

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Going by the list of people that I have unfriended over the years, preachers were at the foremost. Going about telling people what to eat, what to wear, who to date, the right time to have children, which hobbies to adopt, how to live their lives, etc., is not OK.

Unless it is illegal, you have no right to preach and load your opinions on others. It’s a very bad habit that can make you repulsive in the social and professional circle. 

Being Sedentary

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Sitting is the new smoking. Therefore, being nestled on your rare end the entire day and getting up only for the bare basics is a terrible habit because it showcases your deliberate irresponsibility towards your health as well as the happiness and well-being of your family. 

No matter how busy you are, you can always take 30 minutes, five days a week, to engage in some form of workout. It is 100% doable.  

Backseat Driving

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

There’s a reason why the driver is driving the vehicle. If you feel she’s doing a bad job, stop the vehicle, get down at the next stop, book another mode of conveyance or drive yourself to your desired destination.

Unless the driver is inebriated, reckless, or kidnapping you, backseat driving is a very bad habit. 

Picking Your Nose / Open Sneezing / Tooting In Public

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Being a frequent commuter of local conveyance, I can vouch for the fact that picking your nose, open sneezing, and tooting in public are criminally offensive.

It can be a cause of public outbursts at a time when the world has only emerged from the chains of masks, sanitizers, and lockdowns.

You cannot go ahead polluting the world with flu germs, snot, methane, and H2S of your personal manufacturing. It’s not just a bad habit. It is an unforgivable habit. 

Sly Traffic Law Insouciance

unhelpful habits everyone should quit

Everything is justified when no one’s watching. Not really. If you have been bending traffic rules to suit your comfort, here’s an unapologetic Darwin’s Award for you.

Congratulations! You are now a willful threat to your own survival as well as the survival of the members of your own species. 

You may get lucky skipping a red light, overtaking from the wrong side, or speed racing on highways on occasion or two, only to be followed by fatal accidents, expensive legalities, and public outrage. Quit this unhelpful habit when you still can. 

Final Words on Unhelpful Habits That Everyone Should Quit, And I Should Too!

We are all humans; we are all flawed, and we are all prone to developing bad habits at some point in life or the other. The human brain is designed to downplay our downsides. Experts have linked this trait to survival.

Therefore, being blind to our own defects is only natural. Glory, though, is in accepting these flaws and correcting them for a better, enriching, and more fulfilling life. 

Also read: 25 Qualities Of A Good Man To Marry