5 Habits You Didn’t Know Are Stressing You Out

“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health.

Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear,” wrote  Steve Maraboli.

As human beings, we are wired for stress – and unfortunately, we live in a society that encourages it. Most of us are habitually over-stressed, and it is hurting our physical, mental, and emotional health in thousands of ways.

Here are five habits you may not have realized are stressing you out:

1. Adopting a fix-it-and-forget-it mindset.

Have you ever gone on a diet, lost the weight you wanted to lose, and then gone right back to eating the way you did before? Were you bummed when you gained back all the weight (and then some)? This phenomenon is also seen with exercise, medications, and overall lifestyle choices. Once we start to feel better, we think we no longer need the thing that helped us to feel good in the first place. Instead, look at a new habit as an ongoing lifestyle upgrade. Don’t let that good feeling go.

2. Blowing off bedtime.

You already know that a lack of sleep can lead to a slow mind and body the next day. Did you know, however, that it changes our brain chemically in a way that promotes stress? When we don’t get enough sleep, our body produces an excess of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress-related hormone which affects our mood, weight, immune system, and anxiety levels. When we release too much of it, we become miserable stress monsters. Institute a bedtime routine that soothes you and comforts you. You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple change makes in your life.

3. Ignoring stress, rather than addressing it.

Often, when something is bothering us, we look for a way to distract ourselves. We go out for drinks after a breakup. We refuse to worry about our upcoming presentation at work, opting instead to take on extra cases. Choosing to be present and mindful with our stress is uncomfortable. However, it is the only effective way to work through it. When we disregard our stress, we push it down deeper. It grows there, and becomes something scary and unmanageable. Our problems always seem less intimidating when we bring them to the surface.

4. Allowing stress to keep us from healthy activities.

A stressful schedule is one of the leading causes of an inactive lifestyle. When we are busy, we feel we don’t have time to make it to the gym. Unfortunately, this is when our bodies need exercise the most. Exercise releases endorphins, which improve our mood and energy levels. It keeps the brain and the body in good working order. Without it, we become much more vulnerable to sickness, sluggishness, and – ironically enough – stress.

5. Skipping breakfast – or grabbing junk food.

You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your mother told you so a thousand times. However, even as a pregnant woman, I often forget about it. In theory, we all know that a healthy breakfast is crucial to a good mood and energy supply. It also puts us on track to make healthier dietary choices throughout the day. However, when faced with a crying baby, a work deadline, and a school project, our own well-being often gets put last – and isn’t that the root of the problem? When we skip breakfast, we start off the day by neglecting our self-care. This is not a good strategy for maintaining a healthy stress level.