Written by: Maitreyi Singh, Edited by: Shanelle Mendes
Created by Giulia Fornasiero
Tom C. Corley, a well-known individual for his dominance in the study of habits in successful people, once stated, “Change your habits. Change your life.”
I, as a teen, want to become better in every possible way I could. I would love to become more balanced and maintain my friendships, and I’m certain that not only teens, but everyone who is reading this article wants to make a powerful change in their life. The quote above shows how important habits are in shaping everyone’s lives, but can those same habits destroy us?
Now, before reading on, I want to let you know that the purpose of this article isn’t to advise you about changing your habits (I hate advice too!!!) but to simply inform everyone about the invisible habits which gradually dominate our personality. It is up to you to make a change.
Habit #1: Skipping meals?
“Mom, I can’t have dinner today, I have a lot of homework to do,”, “I’m not having lunch. I don’t want to,” or “I need to lose weight. I’m not having lunch,” are different types of excuses teens use to skip meals. Doing this once is fine but doing so constantly is not.
According to the National Library Of Medicine, constantly skipping meals leads to high consumption of unsaturated and saturated fats, and sodium; consequently leading to a low fruit and vegetable diet. This not only ruins a teen’s wish to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but also ruins their performance at school since fruits, vegetables and proteins provide antioxidants and other substances which protect the brain.
Habit #2: Not enough sleep?
Homework, binge-watching, going out late at night, etc, have ruined my sleep cycle numerous times. I’m sure not all teens get the recommended amount of sleep, which is 8-10 hours, every night. In fact, I myself can’t follow this but after learning about the repercussions of doing so, I will try to manage my time efficiently, so that I get the right amount of sleep.
Now when researching this habit for this article, I found that lack of sleep not only contributes to depression or anxiety, but also contributes to the brain’s ability to retain and learn new information as well as cultivating many skills (academic and non-academic). Furthermore, affecting your mental well-being overall.
Habit #3: Too much Information (TMI) Shared Online?
When I first found out that this habit is unhealthy, the first thing that came to my mind was: isn’t raising awareness about crucial issues beneficial? Doesn’t sharing things about yourself online increase your social network? But, turns out I was wrong. According to the TechPrevue organization, the ‘few’ chronic effects of overusing social media are: anxiety, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, blackmailing, sleep-deprivation, low self-esteem, impractical expectations and internet addiction. Thus, affecting all aspects of our lives.
Habit #4: Participating In Substance Abuse?
I’m certain that everyone at GIS understands the risks of substance abuse (drugs, nicotine, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, etc), yet why were 275 million in June 2021, incorporating it as a habit? In short, substances classified as substance abuse are extremely addictive, once you start, you can’t stop. Additionally, drugs especially impact the brain’s performance and development in the long-term, for example, alcohol contributes to liver damage and other chronic health issues. Therefore, making it a habit can affect you mentally and physically, and once you make it a habit it is hard to quit.
Habit #5: Trying to be unrealistically ‘Perfect’?
Who does not want to get perfect grades? Who does not want to have a perfect physique? Who does not want to have perfect friends? Notice how I’ve italicised the word ‘perfect’. What does it really mean, though? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word perfect means, “Complete and correct in every way.” Although, is it really practical to get what you want all the time? Our mentors always, always tell us to set high goals, which is beneficial in being ambitious but setting impractical expectations can cause lower self-esteem, anxiety, depression and other issues which can harm our mental health.
In conclusion, the top 5 unhealthy teen habits, in my opinion, are: skipping meals, not enough sleep, TMI shared online, substance abuse, and trying to be unrealistically perfect. I hope this article has been beneficial for you and stay safe, stay healthy.
Our future is up to us.
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