So, you’re trying out some healthy habits. Good for you, you’re taking steps to improve your health, and that’s great! But, as you enter this health journey, do it with discernment. Some habits that seem healthy could actually cause you major physical and emotional stress in the long run. Here are a few of those “healthy habits” that could secretly stress you out.
1. Over-Exercising
Unfortunately, there can be too much of a good thing. If you’re exercising every day of the week, you may be seeing results, and therefore thinking that you’re on the right track! But actually…you’re putting your body through major stress. You’re overworking your joints, not allowing your muscles time to heal, and also barreling down a one-way street to burnout. Take it a little easier! Consider an every-other-day workout plan instead, and remember to have a balance between high and low-intensity workouts!
2. “Clean” Eating
Going to the grocery store used to be a routine practice. Maybe you even enjoyed it. But since you entered your “clean eating” era…not so much. Now, it likely takes three hours because you’re madly checking the list of every ingredient for your lasagna (if you’re even eating that anymore). You think you’re doing your body a favor, but your mind is completely overloaded trying to do it “just right.”
3. Strict Dieting
Does it work, in terms of getting results? Yeah, probably. For now. But strict dieting really isn’t sustainable in the long run. Think about it: are you going to be at your wedding refusing to eat cake? If you can’t do a diet perfectly for the rest of your life, then it’s not sustainable. It may give you results now, but you won’t be able to stick to it, you’re going to beat yourself up about it, and it’ll likely end up doing more mental harm than it ever did physical good.
4. Cutting carbs
I did keto once, for like two weeks. And the famous “keto flu” is real. Your body needs those carbs. Your brain needs them, too! Not eating enough carbs can result in some serious brain fog, according to dietitians. So consider this your express permission to have a piece of toast. Your mental health will thank you.
5. Weigh-Ins
Regular weigh-ins can be encouraging…but they can also have the opposite effect. If you’re on a weight-loss journey, it’s vitally important that you notice the non-scale victories, too. Because your body can change without that number on the scale ever budging! Low or no loss doesn’t mean you aren’t doing great. How do your clothes fit? More importantly, how do you feel?
6. “Cleansing” or “Detoxing”
I don’t even feel like I need to say much, here. Because, really, who can actually be relaxed at all on a juice cleanse? Sorry, but you can’t convince me you actually feel happier drinking exclusively beet juice. No way. Just…no.
7. Toxic Positivity
Optimism, a positive mindset, that’s great, really. To a point. It’s also more than okay to not be okay. You don’t have to pretend to be fine when it feels like the world is falling apart. You’re not doing yourself any favors. Talk to a trusted friend or therapist!
8. Trying New Things (Like All The Time)
No one is saying you have to stick with what you know all the time…but when it comes to your mental health, there’s something to be said for not fixing what isn’t broken. In this age, the skincare trends change before we use a full bottle of the last trend’s product. Always trying a new supplement, a new vitamin, or a new skincare routine doesn’t allow your body to adjust and figure out what actually works. Not to mention, it also creates some majorly unhealthy spending habits!
9. Excessive Supplements
If your diet is less than stellar, then supplements can be a good way to make sure you get the vitamins and minerals you need. However, as with most of this list, you can definitely overdo it and put serious stress on your body. According to EatingWell, taking too much of certain vitamins/minerals can have unfortunate consequences. You may experience headaches, nausea, confusion, or even (in serious cases) coma or death.
10. “Protecting Your Peace”
Once you start, it’s really easy to get a little too close to the sun. Eliminating toxic people from your life is awesome, truly. But sometimes it’s hard to recognize the difference between actual toxicity and normal human conflict. Be careful that you don’t cut out everyone you’ve ever disagreed with because you’ll soon find yourself incredibly lonely! And that’s not healthy at all.
11. Too Many Raw Veggies
Veggies? Amazing. Raw veggies? Well, (potentially) a little less amazing. Raw vegetables are super high in fiber, but eating them on an empty stomach can cause a lot of gas, bloating, and cramps. Not ideal before your big afternoon presentation! When meal prepping for lunches this week, consider skipping the veggie tray in favor of a roasted vegetable salad. You’ll still get all the benefits—minus the unwanted, stressful side effects!
12. Multi-Tasking
You probably think you’re pretty good at this. You’re probably like, “I’m getting so much done now so I can relax later!” Unfortunately, though, that’s not the case. And it’s not your fault! No one is actually good at multitasking. The attempt to do so puts your brain on constant alert. If you’re a self-proclaimed multitasker, that’s probably why you feel so overwhelmed all the time!
13. Planning Ahead
It’s good to have goals, and planning ahead is fine in moderation. What isn’t fine, though, is being married to those plans. Because life is crazy and unpredictable and doesn’t care about our plans one bit. If your plans become prerequisites for your well-being, you’re going to find yourself incredibly disappointed!
14. “Catching Up” On Sleep
This is a great example of treating a symptom (being tired) rather than the cause (a poor sleep schedule). A lazy weekend is great here and there, and no one is knocking on a sleep-in Saturday morning! But in the long run, you’ll be far better off fixing your sleep schedule! Make it so that you don’t need to always be playing catch-up!
15. Perfectionism
Chasing excellence is one thing…perfectionism is another. Of course, you want to do things well. But if your self-worth is tied up in perfection (dieting perfectly, missing no workouts, etc.), that’s a problem! You’re inherently valuable based solely on the fact that you exist. Your “perfection levels” can neither add nor take away from that! Give yourself some grace!
