Everybody has bad habits–it’s normal, but sadly, we don’t realize their negative impact until it’s too late. It’s best to work through these earlier on in life if you can, so here are 17 bad habits to watch out for that you’ll regret in 10 years.
Having a Poor Diet
Consuming sugary and ultra-processed junk foods with high amounts of saturated fats, calories, sodium, and additives is an easy way to gain weight. Worst still, in the long-term, there are many terminal illnesses, such as heart disease and cancers, that can come from maintaining such a poor diet.
Depriving Yourself of Sleep
It’s easy to deprive yourself of sleep when you’re young, allowing you more time to work or enjoy things like partying or playing video games. However, making this a consistent habit has terrible consequences for your heart, kidneys, blood pressure, and even mental health, something you will certainly regret later in life.
Giving Up Early
Everyone has dreams and aspirations; following them is important for a fulfilling life. Failures are an essential part of this process, so don’t let them deter you, or you’ll regret it. LinkedIn shares that just 8% of people achieve their goals in life, so remember this next time you feel like giving up.
Living Others’ Dream
On the topic of following dreams, sadly, some people put theirs aside and spend too much time working toward the dreams of other people, such as their boss. This is a necessary part of life, but never focusing on your own little projects will be something you will deeply regret later in life.
Tolerating Toxic Relationships
A relationship that constantly makes you feel neglected, isolated, or manipulated is a terribly destructive habit that many people overlook. It could severely alter your psychological makeup, building feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, and, ultimately, depression that are hard to tackle later in life.
Neglecting Your Skin
Acne, eczema, and dermatitis are common complications of not taking care of your skin. Even worse, this could lead to uneven skin tones, a loss of skin firmness, or even skin cancer later in life. Always wear sunscreen, moisturize, and generally look after your skin.
Excessive Alcohol Consumption
It’s okay to drink alcohol occasionally; in fact, it can have benefits for your heart and circulatory systems. The problem is that it’s typically hard to control, and excessive alcohol consumption leads to countless deaths and ailments. Many people deeply regret not addressing their alcohol habits earlier in life.
Smoking
Smoking is another habit that you will regret in 10 years. The CDC explains that you’re at risk of not just lung cancer and chronic bronchitis as a smoker, but also tuberculosis, eye diseases, and damage to your immune system, not to mention the money you’ll waste!
Not Drinking Water
Did you know that not drinking enough water could ruin relationships and promising careers? Even a 2% hydration deficiency negatively impacts cognitive performance, attentiveness, and memory. Hence, you become unproductive and make poor decisions you will regret later on. We bet you’ve never thought about that!
Never Trying
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” is an expression to live by! Remaining in your comfort zone and refusing to try new things is even worse than giving up. You never see the opportunities that are in store for you, and you’ll greatly regret this ten years later.
Procrastinating
It’s only human nature to procrastinate once in a while. Still, when you’re engulfed in what the UCSD calls “chronic procrastination,” you’ll miss many important opportunities and could even put off addressing health issues. This will only serve to worsen life for you in older age, so don’t make a habit of it.
Living to Please Others
Some people go into debt to impress others or allow opinions to stop them from pursuing interests that make them happy. Understand that your life is yours to live, and all the successes and regrets are only yours to bear. You neglect your own well-being when you always put everyone before yourself.
Not Saving Money
Making money and blowing it all off immediately is a common regrettable habit. When your income is disrupted, or unexpected expenses like medical bills and auto repairs arise, you’re forced into more debt-related stress. You’ll also miss opportunities to invest that would otherwise serve you well in the future.
Neglecting Social Life
Another path you don’t want to take is cutting yourself off from others, especially later in life. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression, with the CDC sharing that it is also connected to a 50% increased risk of developing dementia!
Ignoring Personal Values
If honesty, kindness, and loyalty are values you live by, you should never abandon them for anyone or anything. When you ignore these values, you disrespect yourself, which will lead to negative perceptions of your self-image and self-esteem. It’s a highly regrettable habit that few people consider.
Having a Sedentary Lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle exposes you to all sorts of short and long-term issues. When you sit on the sofa too much and don’t get any exercise, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes are just some of the many problems you may be stuck with by the next decade.
Not Exercising
Similarly to inactivity, not exercising is another deep regret that many people have, and it’s perhaps the most important on our list. This isn’t just about physical health issues, though; exercise is essential for enjoying life, with Time revealing that exercising even slows down brain aging by ten years.
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