If you feel like the spark has gone out of life and you’re stuck in a rut or operating on autopilot, you wouldn’t be the first. The good news is you can bring back your sparkle. The not-so-good news is you’re probably engaging in certain behaviors that are sucking the joy out of you. To reignite your passion and get excited about life again, it’s time to cut ties with these 15 happiness-sabotaging habits.
1. Living in the Past
When you constantly relive past mistakes or romanticize “the good old days,” you’re robbing yourself of the joy and excitement of the present moment. Dwelling on what’s done keeps you stuck and stops you from embracing the new. Let go of the past, embrace new opportunities, and create new, exciting memories. The future is still unwritten; turn the page and write an epic one.
2. Doomscrolling Mindlessly
We’re all guilty of going down an endless rabbit hole scrolling. Social media is designed to keep you glued to your screen, so before you know it, hours have vanished. You jumped on for a quick dopamine hit, but now you feel totally drained. Seeing people’s highlight reels with their amazing wardrobes and enviable lifestyles can flatline your own life. Ditch the scrolling and start living in the moment—offline.
3. Being a Yes-Man (or Woman)
Being a yes-person might make you feel friendly and helpful, but it’s a fast track to burnout and unhappiness. Life will feel like a chore when your calendar is jam-packed with obligations and commitments you don’t even want to do. Learn the power of saying “no.” When you stop saying yes to everything and start honoring your own needs and boundaries, you create space to do the things that light you up. You don’t owe anyone your time, energy, or an apology for putting yourself first.
4. Enabling Toxic Relationships
Maintaining toxic friendships or staying in an unhealthy relationship keeps you stuck in a cycle of negativity, and nothing will drain your energy or zest for life faster. If someone’s constantly bringing you down or being emotionally abusive, it’s time to show them the door. You can’t soar when you’re weighed down by people who want to clip your wings. Saying goodbye to emotional vampires is the best decision you will make for your mental health and happiness.
5. Clinging to Your Comfort Zone
Your comfort zone is a nice, comfy place to be, but nothing exciting ever happens there. If you want to feel really alive, you need to step out. Taking risks, trying new things, and embracing discomfort and vulnerability is where the magic and growth happen. It’s scary, but staying in the safe lane will leave you stuck behind everyone else.
6. Engaging in the Comparison Game
Comparing yourself to others steals your joy. Whether scrolling Instagram or sizing up your coworker’s new car, playing the comparison game makes you feel inadequate, unworthy, and uninspired. Someone else’s success isn’t your failure; you’re on your own path. Stop measuring your life against others and focus on your dreams, goals, talents, and progress.
7. Complaining About Everything
Complaining is contagious and can be hard to stop when you love to whine. But constantly focusing on what’s wrong—your job, the weather, traffic—creates a negative feedback loop that puts you in a perpetual state of misery. Life isn’t perfect, but complaining about it isn’t going to change anything. Switch your mindset to one of gratitude, and watch how your perspective—and excitement—shifts.
8. Procrastinating Instead of Acting
We all procrastinate occasionally, but chronic procrastination kills your motivation and dreams. The longer you put something off, the guiltier and more burdened you will feel, and your excitement for life will go racing out the door. Reframe it like this: you’re not just avoiding tasks; you’re avoiding the progress and satisfaction of getting things done. Stop waiting for the “perfect” moment and act—now.
9. Living for the Weekend
You’re doing life wrong if you dread every day and can’t wait for Friday to roll around. Your life is happening right now, so living for the weekend is like putting your happiness on hold most of the time. There’s joy and excitement to be found in every day; you just have to be open to seeing it. It might be time to rethink your job, switch up your routine, and practice mindfulness.
10. Overplanning Your Life
Having a plan is great, but overplanning and overscheduling every detail of your life takes all the fun out of it. Being too rigid is a fast track to feeling suffocated and uninspired. When you’re so focused on “the plan,” you miss out on the spontaneous, exciting moments life throws at you. Loosen the reins and go with the flow a little more. When you stop trying to control everything, you never know what could happen, and that’s exciting, no?
11. Neglecting Your Passions
Ignoring or neglecting your passions and hobbies is one of the quickest ways to make life feel joyless and out of balance. Whatever you love to do, whether painting, dancing, hiking, or even curling up to read a good book, make time for them. Reconnecting with your passions will reignite that fire in your soul.
12. Playing It Too Safe
Being cautious has its place, but playing it too safe can lead to regrets. You’ll never know the thrill of chasing something exciting if you’re always taking the safest and easiest route. Some of the best things in life happen when you take a leap of faith—so make that career move, commit to or end a relationship, buy that house, or dye your hair pink if that will set your heart on fire.
13. Making Every Day Groundhog Day
Routines can give us structure, stability, and comfort, but they can also be boring soul-sucking patterns if you let them. If every day feels like Groundhog Day, it’s time to shake things up. Break your routine; wake up earlier, go for a walk, try a new route to the office, and meet friends somewhere new after work. Even just shifting your perspective can pull you out of a state of stalemate.
14. Ignoring Your Health (Physical and Mental)
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Our bodies carry us everywhere and deserve to be treated like a temple. When you ignore your health or let yourself get run down, it’s hard to get excited by or motivated to do anything. Stop ignoring your health—when you eat badly, skip exercise, or skimp on sleep—you can feel sluggish, uninspired, and even depressed. When you feel good mentally and physically, you have more energy, and your excitement levels soar.
15. Letting Fear Dominate the Conversation
Fear is sneaky; it can disguise itself as practicality, laziness, or “being realistic.” What is plain to see, however, is that it stops you from chasing the things that excite you. Whether it’s fear of failure, rejection, or the unknown, letting fear control your decisions leads to missed opportunities and joy. Embrace fear as fuel and motivation to take a leap and follow your dreams and passions. That’s where the excitement is waiting.
