3 Toxic Habits That Make You Unhappy

Toxic people, bad experiences and adversity are not the only causes of unhappiness. More often than we think it comes from ourselves. You do this by repeating toxic habits that make you unhappy, without thinking about why they have become a part of our lives.

And instead of analyzing and transforming them, we choose to blame bad luck and sink into bitterness.

Obviously, it is impossible to be happy all the time. However, it is possible to maintain a certain level of emotional balance and well-being. It is easy when everything is going well, but much more difficult when obstacles arise or when we have to deal with adversity, which happens quite often.

Because of our own stagnation, we continue with these toxic habits, which become harder to quit the longer we continue with them. That is why we are caught in a vicious circle.

Many recognize themselves in the toxic habits below. It’s interesting because they’re part of our lives, but we do not realize how much negative influence they have. One of these very human habits is wanting things we do not have.

We underestimate where we have and long for more. Realizing that we do not need anything else to be happy will prevent us from becoming bitter and sad.

The opposite can also happen: emotionally stagnant. That’s when you’re neither going forward nor backward. You get stuck in the infamous comfort zone, which prevents you from growing, moving forward, advancing and being fulfilled. Why can we not get out? Is it because of fear? Why do we feel so insecure?

Being honest with yourself and reflecting on these issues will allow you to get out of the prison you created yourself.

Another of the toxic habits that make you unhappy is living on autopilot, without paying attention or enjoying the present. We go through the day without stopping to think about what we are doing. It’s like walking through a forest without noticing how beautiful the landscape around us is. We drift away from reality and forget to enjoy the present.

And do not forget the important needs that are often left on the back burner. Eating poorly has a direct, negative effect on our mood. It deprives us of self-esteem and energy. In the same way, it is important to get enough sleep to feel good and perform well at work.

This is one of the worst toxic habits; the one that has the greatest impact on our relationships: playing the victim. For many people, it is a way to get attention and other benefits. But it also involves many other behaviors that push you towards unhappiness.

Playing the victim makes us cling to the negative emotions we are trying to overcome. We need them to take pity and avoid taking responsibility for what afflicts us. But closing our eyes and embracing negativity will fill our hearts with anger and resentment.

The last of the toxic habits that make you unhappy is linked to the former and is about denial. When reality is not what we want, we just turn our backs on it. But that does not stop it from being true. It will continue to exist no matter how much we do not want to see it, and it will slap us in the face as it is.

The habit of playing the victim always comes with blaming others. We are never responsible for what happens, and even when we are, we try to turn it around and act as martyrs.

If, for example, we do not perform well on a test, it is never our fault that we did not study enough or were not focused enough. Instead, it is the teacher who has made the test too difficult.

In conclusion, there are many toxic habits that make you unhappy and that you have to break to feel good again. Playing the victim is without a doubt the most difficult to tackle. Not being self-critical and accepting your mistakes will prevent you from becoming aware of all the habits that have become a part of your life, but that make you miserable.