Everyone has some self-destructive tendencies living within them, which prevent success and happiness. Here are the five major things everyone needs to stop doing now to put an end to the self-destructive cycle.
#1. Emotional eating, spending, and drinking.
Relying on instant gratification like shopping to feel better or drinking yourself numb during times of despair will only make thing worse. Sure it makes you feel good in the short-term, but it doesn’t fix anything and often leads to further problems such as overspending, debt, and alcoholism. You’re much better off stimulating the release of those happy hormones by taking a walk or having a session with a punching bag.
#2. Pushing others away.
When you’re self-destructing, you do things that you might not be proud of, and feel miserable to boot. So it’s only natural that you may want to push your friends and family away. After all, why would they want to see you in this state? But don’t. Your loved ones will be kind to you when you refuse to, and they’ll support you no matter what. Even if you don’t feel like it, don’t distance yourself from them.
#3. Wallowing in self-defeat.
It’s all too easy to wallow in self-defeat after something has gone wrong in your life. But it only perpetuates those nasty feelings and leads to even more mistakes. Finding a friend within is one of the best remedies for getting back on the horse and trying again. Mistakes happen, sometimes the same mistakes occur over and over. But there’s no sense in beating yourself up over it.
#4. Making the same mistakes over and over again.
Albert Einstein said it best when he claimed, “the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again, expecting different results.” If you keep making the same mistakes time and again, don’t expect the outcome to be any different. Pay attention to what’s going on and respond to challenging situations wisely. If you’re with a serial cheater and you keep taking them back only to be disappointment time and again, maybe it’s time to rethink your strategy.
#5. Letting fear prevent happiness.
Fear is one of the worst self-destructive behaviors. Fear tells a person they can’t achieve, grow or change. An opportunity for happiness may arise but for some reason, the fearful person refuses to reach out and accept it. Fear lives in everyone and when there’s a choice to be made it rears its ugly head. But there’s good news: the more you challenge your fears, the stronger you’ll get. Overcoming unnecessary fear brings growth and happiness as you watch the weight of fear slowly being lifted from your shoulders.