A habit is defined as something that we do regularly, in almost ritualistic fashion, which can often occur without us even realising. However, although we usually associate this with dangerous things such as smoking, drinking and taking drugs; anything that affects our behaviour in this way can be classed as a habit. Therefore, there may be many other traits which are not dangerous to our physical health, but can be unhealthy from a social and mental health perspective and that we also might want to rid ourselves of.
Social habits can have a big impact on our lives and hold us back from doing what we really want to do. They can also enable us to fall into a comfort zone whereby we retreat from the world around us and find it a lot more difficult to interact with other people on a social level.
Here are four social habits that you may want to break in order to give you a better way of life.
Saying No To Opportunities β
A request to attend an event where there will be hardly anyone you know may be a bit of a daunting prospect, but you never know what an opportunity like this could lead to. This could be where you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, or an important business contact that could lead to you winning a key contract, and so by saying βnoβ you are eliminating this possibility.
Obviously, there will be times when itβs impossible to say βyesβ, but just getting yourself into a position where you have the confidence to do so when you can could bring a lot more fortune your way.
Giving Undue Attention To Negatives β
Psychologists have found that it is natural for humanβs to overstate negative things that occur and underplay the positives, but when this is done to such extremes it can be very damaging to your mental health. Life will lead us all on a path filled with negatives and positives, but giving the former excessive attention is only going to hold you back.
If this is a habit that you want to break then consider making a note of all the major daily occurrences in your life so you can see that the good usually outweighs the bad over time.
Becoming Reclusive β
When moving to a new city or starting a new job, it is natural to be apprehensive about meeting new people, but social interaction is vital in order to keep your mental health in good shape. The longer you go without putting yourself out there in order to find someone you can relate to, the more you will retreat into the comfort zone; giving you more of a chance of developing issues related to depression.
Technology Addictions β
Thereβs no denying that technology is a wonderful thing, but some people have taken this too far. Yes, we all have smartphones these days, yes, many of us have tablet computers too, and yes, there is a whole generation who have a profile page on every social media platform available, but this doesnβt mean we have to be using them all of them time.
Apart from the obvious physical health issues this habit can cause, such as gaining weight and damage to eyesight, there are also a few social problems that could arise. Real world interaction is reducing all the time amongst younger generations and there is a danger that this is affecting our ability to communicate effectively and intelligently.
Hypnotherapy is proven to be a great way of breaking bad habits, like the ones mentioned above. Some of them may involve underlying issues surrounding confidence and some may be serious ritualistic behaviours that need to be changed, but either way hypnotherapy can help. On average, it takes 66 days to break a habit using freewill alone; with hypnotherapy this can be achieved in one hour-long session.
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By Chris Mayhew
Chris Mayhew struggles with finding the confidence to enter strange social situations, but is hoping that hypnotherapy can help break this bad habit. He would recommend Fix My Mind, based in central London, to anyone wanting to address their social habits.
Related articles
- 7 Bad Habits That Stymie Success (forbes.com)
- Mental health care: where did it all go so wrong? (theguardian.com)
- Clegg attacks NHS mental health care (bbc.co.uk)
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