Tanya Beri ’30
EE Staff Writer
Have you ever stopped to think about how your habits are impacting your happiness? Most people don’t stop and think, and just go with the habits that they are used to. What habits are secretly harming your happiness? You have come to the right place.
Scrolling Before Bed
86% of Americans use their phone before bed! The blue light of any screen makes one’s brain more alert, making it take much longer to fall asleep. It is recommended to ditch all screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime. In addition, 65% of these people are browsing or using social media. This results in people often comparing themselves to other people, which makes their happiness levels less. Also, the lack of melatonin that results from blue light will make somebody less refreshed the next day. According to amerisleep.com, “Americans lose an average of 231 hours of sleep per year due to scrolling. This is equivalent to nearly 10 full days.” All the lost sleep hours add up.
Avoiding Physical Activity
80% of adolescents do not meet the physical activity requirements for their age. Physical activity can help clear one’s mind, giving them a feeling afterward of being refreshed. Physical activity also releases adrenaline, making one feel better. According to frontiersin.org, “It seems that even a short engagement in physical activity may contribute to an increase in subjective well-being.” In addition, physical activity helps increase melatonin production, giving you better sleep at night.
Constant Complaining
Saying, “ugh, why did this happen” all the time has negative effects on one’s happiness. In 2020, about 70-84% of American conversations had some sort of complaint in them. Sometimes, complaining about something is just a way to strike up a conversation, but it can impact your well-being. If someone gets used to constantly complaining, they start to naturally look on the negative side of things. Instead of being a pessimist, you should look on the bright side of things.
Not practicing Mindfulness
Research shows that most people don’t practice mindfulness, or do not do it the right way. Taking a little time everyday to breathe and gather our thoughts can significantly improve our well-being. Mindfulness helps with stress management, boosting our overall relaxation. Also, mindfulness can help teach us how to tolerate and accept new and unpleasant experiences that come at us.
Procrastination
80-95% of college students procrastinate. People often procrastinate because they think something negative about the task at hand. Whether it is a lack of motivation or a fear of something, studies show that the task at hand often feels worse after procrastinating it. A survey was conducted, where 94% of people reported that procrastination is harming their happiness levels. Dragging on the burden of doing something you don’t like isn’t good for you, but finishing that task and getting it over with can bring you a surge of happiness.
In conclusion, these are some of the bad habits that we do often impulsively, that aren’t letting our happiness reach its full potential. So next time you do these, stop and think about what the right thing to do is.
Featured Photo courtesy: Raising Teens Today