While everyone has their own individual path to happiness, there are a few common mistakes that many of us are guilty of making that are holding us back from truly achieving it. We fall into bad habits that we know aren’t good for us, but they just become patterns that can be hard to break. These are a few that might be making you miserable:
- Staying up too late. I know you hate to admit it, but you’re not 18 anymore. Also, unlike in college, you can’t roll out of bed, throw on sweats, and get to work in five minutes or less. So be kind to yourself, turn off Netflix at a reasonable hour, and start snoozing early. Otherwise, you’ll be grouchy the next morning.
- Skipping breakfast. You convince yourself that the extra 10 minutes sleeping in are worth skipping breakfast, but they’re really not. Especially not if you’re going to bed on time and getting a good night’s sleep. Wake up and grab something yummy to start your day and give you the extra burst of energy that you need. Even if it’s just a piece of fruit and some cereal, your stomach will thank you later.
- Maintaining friendships with people you really don’t like. Sometimes inertia is hard to break. Maybe you share a common past, or you have friends in common, or maybe you just don’t know how to “break up” with a friend. But rather than dragging it out and spending time on a friendship that you don’t think is good for anyone, break it off delicately. Use the extra time to develop deeper friendships with those you really do care about.
- Drinking too much when you’re out at a party. Once again, you’re not 18 anymore. You’re too old for this stuff. Keep yourself in line and know your limits; hangovers aren’t cute anymore and you’re just going to hate yourself the next morning.
- Keeping your phone in front of you all the time. Maybe you worry about “missing out” if you don’t always have your phone in easy reach, but ironically, you’ll definitely miss out if you do. You’re too busy and distracted to focus on and enjoy the present. Also, studies have shown that the quality of your conversations totally goes downhill even if you’re not even looking at your phone but it’s out in front of you. Show respect to yourself and to the person you with by being fully engaged.
- Obsessively checking Facebook. People always post about the good things that happen to them, but they hardly ever post about the tough times. That gives you a skewed view of what other people are doing or experiencing, and you’ll end up comparing yourself to a picture someone else’s life that isn’t even accurate in the first place. Use Facebook sparingly.
- Spending a ridiculous amount of money on coffee. OK, so maybe this one doesn’t make you miserable, but it does make you poor. Which, in turn, makes you kind of miserable. It’s easy to drop hundreds of dollars a month and therefore thousands of dollars a year at your local Starbucks, but wouldn’t you rather spend that kind of money on something a little more memorable?
- Making excuses for guys that aren’t right for you. Stop letting him use his parents’ divorce 10 years ago or his bad experiences with an ex as an excuse for not being “good at relationships,” code for not treating you right. If he’s not right for you, don’t give him a million chances. Don’t settle for a non-relationship that you’ve convinced yourself is normal. Tell him to shape up or kick him to the curb.
- Going out when you’d rather stay in. Sometimes, instead of motivating yourself to go out when you’d rather stay in, try listening to your inner wallflower. It’s good to give yourself time on your own to collect your thoughts and relax after a long week.
