- [Narrator] You've probably heard, live long and prosper,
the famous salute from "Star Trek."
Your lifespan may seem beyond your control
but identifying and giving up some common toxic habits
can have psychological improvements,
which can allow you to be happier and live longer.
With that said, here are six habits to give up
if you wanna be happy and live long.
Number one, blaming the world around you.
When we're frustrated, it can be a common defense mechanism
for us to blame the subject we're trying to learn
rather than accepting that some things
are just more difficult than others,
and we may need to take the time to learn and grow.
Blaming others, the world around us,
and other factors such as luck or chance
takes the weight off our shoulders.
But when we never accept responsibility,
we make it easy to excuse our lack of action
or change in ourselves.
It's always easy to blame somebody else
and leave our self-esteem and self image intact.
But this can have long term consequences
setting goals for something you want to achieve
can feel disheartening when it seems too hard to do,
instead of feeling that the world is unfair,
try accepting the challenge the world is offering.
And even if you don't get it the first time,
you can always try again.
Number two, seeing yourself as your own worst enemy.
Being cruel and harsh to yourself
can be detrimental to your happiness and lifespan.
Do you call yourself horrible names
or blame yourself for everything bad that happens?
You may try to berate or hurt yourself with these insults,
or even go as far as to physically harm yourself.
If you can imagine what it would be like
for you to do this to another person,
you may have some perspective on why it's so hard
to heal from these mistakes
when we punish ourselves so harshly.
Although this habit can range from mild to severe,
by showing yourself compassion
and reaching out to health professionals,
you can find recovery and ways to change this thinking.
Self-hatred can persist into self-destructive attitudes,
which can push your happiness even further,
especially if you feel as though you don't deserve it.
Remember that not only will you experience
your mistakes firsthand,
but also your greatest achievements too.
Forgive yourself and try to appreciate yourself
for the small things you do have.
Being thankful and showing yourself gratitude
can go a long way.
Number three, repetitive pessimistic thinking.
Are you always thinking negatively
and constantly getting down on yourself
or the way you see the world?
This may be avoidant behavior,
and negative thinking can affect
the way you chase your goals
and stunt potentially happy or exciting opportunities.
A study conducted by Philip Spinhoven,
Albert M. Van Hemert, and Brenda W. Pennix,
has shown that repeated negative thinking
is strongly associated with anxiety and depression,
along with relapses of preexisting anxiety
and depression episodes.
Make a point to try and think positive
when things are difficult,
or seek out happy things that inspire you
to work hard towards your goals.
Using reaffirming statements, to reaffirm yourself
that you are in control of your thinking,
which can help inspire mindfulness.
Number four, neglecting your sleep
and ignoring your body's needs.
As much as taking care of your mental health is beneficial,
taking care of your body's needs is half the battle.
Interrupting your body's natural processes
for something that may seem like a good idea,
just might come back to haunt you.
Sometimes it can feel as though you only have so many hours
in the day, so much to do yet so little time,
why not stay up late to enjoy just a few more episodes
before tomorrow, or maybe get a few extra study hours in,
while this can seem relatively harmless,
disrupting your body's internal clock
can cause issues with memory retention
and interrupt your productivity.
Repeating this process multiple times a week
can cause an increased amount of issues.
So, before you go to bed,
you may find it helpful to turn off your lights,
unplug your internet, shut your phone off,
or even listen to music to help fall asleep.
Clearing your mind of distractions for a good night's sleep
can help you feel recharged in the morning.
Number five, thinking of others and not yourself.
Have you been giving your attention to others lately,
like chatting or texting away on your phone
and before you know it
it's already time to pack it in for the night?
It can be very easy to fall into a habit of helping others
without taking any time to take care of yourself
or your priorities.
Maybe you feel obligated
to constantly give your friends a hand,
and that project you have isn't that important
and you can finish it later, right?
Letting others into your schedule at all times
to help them can be disruptive to your own tasks,
goals, and desires.
There is nothing wrong with lending someone at hand
when they need it, but it can sometimes feel
like you're giving everyone the time, love,
and attention they need, but yourself.
Reassuring yourself that you deserve to aim for your goals
and giving yourself the time that you give to others
can open up more time and possibilities throughout your day.
Try to schedule a little bit of me time,
take yourself out on a date,
buy yourself a small treat that you've been craving,
or have a bit of dedicated alone time with a book,
game or movie you've been dying to see.
And number six, repeatedly giving up.
When we face adversity, such as rejection, humiliation,
or setbacks, we may feel like just giving up.
Giving up can be different from person to person.
Maybe you wanna stop your education
or never give love a try.
You might stop seeing doctors
or feel unmotivated or uncaring,
like you've done all that you can do.
Working within your abilities
and not giving up on yourself and your happiness
may just improve the way you can handle hardships.
You may just find it helpful to journal about your success
and about the things that maybe didn't go so well.
So when you feel like you've been failing
you can revisit some of your best moments
if you write them down.
Remembering your purpose and reason for doing something
or working towards something
can help keep your goals in perspective.
And remember all the successes you've had
when things seem bleak.
Can you identify with any of the habits listed?
Are you able to identify the habits
that you may be falling into,
and find a way to combat them.
Let us know in the comments, we'd love to hear your story.
If you enjoyed this video,
please share it with others who might benefit
and let them know you're there for them.
The references and studies
are listed in the description below.
Until next time, live long and prosper, psych2goers.