It’s important to know just how and why we may be harming ourselves, because then we can put in practical solutions to prevent those habits from occurring again. All of us have our blind spots, and it can be somewhat frustrating to realize that we are our own worst enemy from time to time. Most people are not interested in actively harming themselves of course, but it could be that through misdirection, being misguided or simply not taking the right approach that we fail to consider how we are harming ourselves.

After all, life can be complex, and convenience, as well as practicality, are two measures by which we make many of our daily decisions. That being said, it’s not uncommon to fail to examine our lives, which may result in a few interesting insights coming to mind should we choose to apply them. In this post, we hope to explore the four means regarding how you may be harming yourself, to help you move forward and apply yourself to the best solution. 

Here’s what that may look like:

A Lack Of Sleep

A lack of sleep can harm you in many ways. It can raise your stress levels, how irritable you are, how unable you are to focus on things, how difficult it is for your body to repair its vital processes, and it can open you up to illness. In fact, high levels of drowsiness or sleep impairment can affect your brain much in the same way as mild intoxication. If you need to drive, or operate machinery, or do anything that requires careful thought, planning or physical action – you are going to perform much less adequately than you could have. This is why it’s essential to ensure you have a healthy sleep schedule, and not only that, but you continue to try and improve it. Do not allow yourself to go without sleep, or to have a bad sleeping pattern, or to tolerate an uncomfortable or poorly ventilated bed and bedroom. After all, we spend almost a third of our lives asleep, and so it’s essential to ensure this is well considered.

Stress & Fear

Stress, perhaps due to a lack of rest, hard circumstances or demanding work and family obligations can be truly hard on your body. It not only makes you age more quickly, but can leave you feeling worn out, more impulsive, and high levels of cortisol can actually lead you to panic attacks and other fundamental issues that we all need to consider. 

Additionally, stress can lead to fear, and that’s never a promising emotion to feel while you’re trying to live a careful and deliberate life. This is why it’s important to ensure that you are meditating, that you are eating well, that you are dealing with your stress through expression, therapy, lessening your load, sharing that load, meditation, and good sleep. Additionally, we would recommend seeing your Doctor if the stress becomes too much to bear. Additionally, if you have certain anxieties about seeing healthcare professionals, it’s important to find someone who can cater to this. The best dentists, for example, know how to help your peace of mind while getting dental work.

Lack Of Socializing

Human beings need to be social in order to flourish and thrive, the same manner in which a plant needs sunlight to bloom. It’s important to connect with your family, your friends, and those close to you. Try to withdraw from harmful social scenes, or to only steward relationships with those you respect.

Do not be afraid of visiting someone just because, or to schedule a break with your husband or wife when you can, or to try and befriend someone new in your office. We know that making friends is important as a child, but we can often feel that acting as a lone wolf in adulthood is good enough. It’s not. Sometimes, going out of your social comfort zone and reaching out to someone can be as healthy an act as going to the gym. Try it, and see for yourself.

Failing To Enjoy Nature

It’s the right of every person to enjoy nature, but failing to ever surround yourself with it can be a problem. Nature can give us a means to relax, to lower our stress levels, to lower our heart rates and blood pressure, and can be the perfect conduit to socialize or get exercise. As far as that is concerned, this is worth taking care of.

With this advice, you are sure to avoid the four means in which you may harm yourself.