What happens when you overlook and accept all the flaws of others but only see yourself full of them? When everything you do does not meet your own expectations? Set up yourself for failure! Sabotaging yourself from within just to please someone else- there are different ways that we all are destroying ourselves without even realizing it.
I have been doing this for many years and it is time that I face the music.
1. Eating random food
The love-hate relationship that I share with food has made me put on weight and destroyed my health from within. I ate food without considering what I was putting in my body. Not looking at the labels, sodium, carbs and sugar contents wreaked havoc on my body. I had no fixed schedule – eating 3-5 meals in a day and never a balanced diet. And now, my organs are suffering, I am vitamin and mineral deficient and have no strength to do anything extra.
2. No sleep patterns
When we were younger, in college, we had youth on our side, we could be reckless! We did a lot of late-night studying, partying, and movie binges. Now I can barely keep my eyes open beyond 11 pm and up by 6 am. Having a lot of energy, I did not require as much sleep as recommended- 8-10 hrs. I was fueled by all the adrenaline. But when the adrenaline went down, I crashed and slept more than 12 hours in a day. This helped spoil my relaxation time. The body did not get rest enough adding more weight than required.
3. Not working out enough
I did some exercise today and did not do anything at all. I did not move enough that helped me build stamina. My muscles are weak, I can hardly do the house chores because I am tired and exhausted all the time. Making time to do exercises every day – a walk, yoga, strength training or even weights; they have assisted many in maintaining a healthy life and staying focused.
4. High expectations
We all must have some expectations of others! We keep others on a pedestal and expect them to be perfect. We hardly see ourselves in the mirror and think- I am enough. Expectations when fulfilled makes us elated but when we fail on our own expectations, either we can push ourselves to do better or we fall in a dark pit of failures.
5. Not having a hobby
In the rat race to do well in life, I forgot to cultivate my interests. I no longer know how to spend my ‘me-time.’ I have no idea what I can do, so I spend time on social media mindlessly scrolling. A hobby would have helped me unload at the end of the day. Have a relaxed time and enjoy my own company.
6. Surrounding myself with toxic people
One cannot choose family but can make sure to cut them off in a way that their words should not affect in a destructive way. But I let others unload their shit on me. Repeatedly that led to high levels of toxicity in my mind, where I was doubting myself. I did not accept that there was a problem in the way I let others affect me.
I am 40-year-old and feel that I may be a little late in reversing my actions. I have accepted that the way I have sabotaged my mental and physical health is wrong. But it is also a list of everything I need to correct to be happy and not feel vulnerable all the time. I have this life to make it right and reverse my actions to have meaning.
A mother of two, Preeti Bhandari is a colloquial writer. She believes in simple living which reflects in her writings. As the Editor of Narisakti, she intends to use her vast experience to propel this platform to a cult status among entrepreneurial networks.
When not writing she is quilling, both with paper and thoughts.
