The Worst Things To Do For Your Health Besides Smoke, Drink, or Use Drugs
The Worst Things To Do For Your Health Besides Smoke, Drink, or Use Drugs
Smoking, drinking, drugs: Reagan’s D.A.R.E. program warned us about those vices. But what other things do we keep doing that are actively hurting us? Here’s what internet users say are the worst habits they know.
Chronic stress
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“I’ve done all sorts of unhealthy things throughout my life—smoking, alcohol, drugs, sitting in front of a computer 18 hours a day for months, lack of sleep, poor diet. Although they all likely damaged my health in some way, I have experienced no noticeable problems from those periods of my life.
A few years of chronic stress, however, broke my health more than all the above things combined. I developed a chronic pain condition and an autoimmune disease, as well as permanent anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), all of which have lasted years now. Do not mess around with stress.”
Overworking
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“It makes me sad how many of my friends in their mid 30s work like crazy. They live, breathe, drink, and eat work. Every time you ask, they say, ‘work’s being crazy.’ Why would they do that? For some people, I think overworking and the subsequent stress become their personality. It’s like an addiction. And they compare themselves; it’s a competition of who works more. It’s crazy.”
Loneliness
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“Gen Z here. I agree with this. Lockdown has really affected my mental health because I couldn’t socialize normally until a couple of years later. Social media has also been affecting me because it’s nothing like real-life interactions.”
“Loneliness can literally, physically poison you. It’s a leading cause of death among elderly people.”
Poor sleep
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“Not getting enough sleep. Some people even boast about only needing a few hours a night, but that could be very damaging in the long term. The worst is when those type of people shame or look down on those who need more sleep. It’s not a damn contest!”
Hustle culture
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“The way it’s ingrained in us from such a young age that working hard is all that matters and that taking time for yourself is shameful is so harmful. You deserve to do something for yourself; you don’t have to ‘earn’ it first.”
Endless aggression
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“Constant aggression is an addictive thing to go through. You feel like nothing is your fault and everyone you hurt deserves what you do because you made the judgement call for them. They talk about hypocrisy but will constantly change their definitions of the things they judge people on.”
Wearing new clothes before washing
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“Not washing your thrift finds before you wear them. New clothes, too. There can be chemicals and dyes present that get absorbed into your skin. New clothes are dirty clothes.”
Not checking for bed bugs
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“Also not checking used stuff for bed bugs. In my opinion, there are two types of people in the world: those who are wary of used furniture and people who have never lived through a bed bug infestation.”
Watching too much news
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“Mentally speaking, constantly watching the news is terrible for your health. All there is is negativity. I personally try to stay away from news, whether it be local or national, as all it does is upset me.”
Sedentary lifestyle
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“For 15 years, I spent 90% of my day on my feet. During the last 3 years, I only spend about 10% on my feet. I have more body aches now than before. Sitting is the new smoking.”
Chronic hatred
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“One of my friends complains about literally everything constantly. It’s like dealing with an angry old man. It makes me think of Grandpa Simpson and ‘old man yells at cloud.’ The dude is always angry. It’s like an integral part of his personality.”
Poverty
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“Yes, being poor is bad for your health. You can’t afford the good foods so you eat what’s cheap, which is also bad for your health. You can’t afford to see a doctor so you learn to live with pain. You can’t afford to take time off so you stress out more and more. Poverty is the leading cause of bad health, period.”
Breathing bad air
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“Poor air quality in big, crowded cities. You notice the difference if you go elsewhere where there’s fresher air and then come back.”
Poor dental care
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“Dental care. People don’t pay attention to proper dental hygiene. It’s scary how many lose their teeth early in life simply out of lazy neglect.”
Toxic workplace
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“Staying at a job that is slowly killing you. Employers no longer reward dedicated work. Don’t sacrifice your wellbeing for a millionaire’s bottom dollar.”
“Until we have more union representation in the U.S. again, approach your workplace as a hostile partner. The sooner you demand to be treated with respect, and the more of you that do it, the better off we all will be.”
Not learning
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“When people retire with nothing else to do, their cognition declines very rapidly. Read, do puzzles, find a hobby or craft—anything to keep your mind working.”
Too much sugar
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“Sugar is gaining more notoriety but never enough to really combat the issue (at least in the U.S.). Checking nutrition facts for added sugar is like grocery store doom-scrolling.”
“I just learned some countries in Europe classify the bread in the US as cake because it has so much sugar in it.”
Screen addiction
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“Screen addiction. Video games, movies, social media, Reddit, the internet in general. It’s real and does terrible things to your mental and physical health.”
Low self-esteem
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“Sadly, it’s not talked enough. In my teens, I always had low self esteem. It’s really draining to always wonder if you look good enough or if you are capable of doing something (in my case). You just feel worthless. Eventually, this leads to so many mental health problems.”
Worry/catastrophizing
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“There’s no better way to get yourself stuck and to lose all ability to enjoy the present moment than to worry and catastrophize. These habits will stop you from feeling joy on the best day of your life.”
Not Stretching
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“Range of motion just seems to magically disappear.”
“That’s because of the sticky white stuff inside you not being stretched out.”
“Yes for the love of God, please STRETCH!”
Overdose Deaths by Occupation: Is Your Job Killing You?
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A recent National Vital Statistics Report outlined one of the best predictors of overdose deaths: your job.
➤ Overdose Deaths by Occupation: Is Your Job Killing You?
Is the US Driving You Insane? Consider These Countries for Mental Health
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Over 40,000 people have taken the Expatsi Test in the last 18 months. Here’s their best countries for mental health, based on test data:
➤ Is the US Driving You Insane? Consider These Countries for Mental Health
Brett Andrews is an expat influencer and co-founder of Expatsi, a company that's helped thousands of expats on their moving abroad journeys. Brett and his partner Jen developed the Expatsi Test to recommend countries to move to, based on factors like budget, visa type, spoken languages, healthcare rankings, and more. In a former life, he worked as a software developer, IT support specialist, and college educator. When he's not working, Brett loves watching exploring new countries, reading unusual books, and pondering the wisdom of The Big Lebowski.
