A mist. That’s all. Then a few drops of rain. With a few more, a light rain falls. Add more and more drops. A downpour. Then a torrential rain. Dry channels fill. Ditches become creeks. Creeks become rivers. Rivers run to the sea.
Habits are like that. A few chips with the game. Some munchies. Hey, there’s Monday night football. Thursday night football. Friday night football. Football all Saturday. And Sunday too. That’s a lot of chips.
Here are some unhealthy habits gleaned from my clinical files (the vast majority of my patients are under 40, most of those are under 30):
- Smartphone dependency. Psychologists call it nomophobia: Fear of being away from the phone.
- Sleeping in, instead of going out
- Ordering take out instead of cooking in
- Getting wasted. A 5 oz. glass of wine or one beer a night may be healthy. Over two glasses, life jackets required.
- Keeping grudges
- Trying to please everyone
- Spending too much time on looks, not enough on learning, life, love, laughter
- Worrying about what others think
- Avoiding people—social angst including social phobia, social awkwardness, poor interpersonal skills
- Drinking soda instead of water
- Ignoring friends and those we love
- Avoiding confrontation
- Remaining in dead-end relationships
- Planning instead of enjoying life
- Snuggling with dependency
- Exercising too much or too little
The good news: Beneficial habits develop just as detrimental habits, a drop at a time. A steady little drop, day after day. The Grand Canyon approach.