I know I keep banging on about it but taking up life coaching in 2020 had had incredible positive effects on my life. I’ve continued with my coaching into this year and invested a lot of time, money and effort into it to help me grow as a person. Coaching has helped me more than ever to recognize toxic habits I have and learn the appropriate ways in which I can eradicate them from my life.
Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash
My current coach, Michelle from Journey To Bliss, has been incredible in getting me to recognize these toxic habits but also not judge myself on them. She’s given me tools and techniques to use in order for me to transform them into something else. Something better. Something healthier. And since the start of 2021, I feel like I’ve made incredible self growth because of it.
It’s important to remember that we ALL have toxic habits. All of us. Me. You. Beyoncé. Nobody is immune to them. And whilst they might vary from person to person, they all do the same thing. And that’s have a negative impact on our mental, physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual well-being.
We all want to be the best possible version of ourselves. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t. And it’s important to recognize our own toxic habits so we can work to remove them and let them go. And before we even look at the habits you need to kick to the curb, remember there is NO judgment here. Be kind to yourself.
Self care is vital for any self growth work. Because self growth isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s messy and upsetting and triggering. I definitely felt all those emotions during some pretty heavy hitting coaching sessions I had last year which left me feeling absolutely drained afterwards.
So now let’s look at 8 toxic habits you need to kick to the curb in 2021!
Constantly scrolling through social media
Let’s start with one that we can probably all relate to, shall we? In this digital age, it is HARD to avoid social media especially when it’s such a vital means of communication (especially during a pandemic!) and many of us work online too. I freaking LOVE social media. But the constant scrolling needs to stop. You have a life away from your phone, remember that.
Selling yourself short
I actually have a little story to go with this point. A while back, I was getting in the bath and usually I love to have a lavish bubble bath with bath bombs and candles but on this particular occasion I was like, “meh I can’t be bothered with all that”. It was pure laziness on my part despite knowing that I love doing it. So I got up off my ass and lit those candles and guess what? It made me feel better.
Working 24/7 and toxic productivity
We are DONE with hustle culture in 2021. This is something I used to struggle with a lot and still do to some degree but I’m getting much better with that balance. Let’s stop glamorizing working until 3am, getting no sleep and running on empty. It’s not healthy. And it’s not going to get you ahead of the game. It’s going to burn you out.
Related read: 10 Time Management Tips You’ll Thank Me For Later
Comparing yourself to other’s online
This is something I STRUGGLE WITH. I know it’s a major toxic habit for me and it’s one that I’m working incredibly hard to beat. And is probably the main thing we talk about in my coaching sessions. This is my biggest and worst toxic habit and good God it’s hard to manage. But if you know, you know. Work on getting this one under control.
Not following your heart
This is something I started doing in 2020 with my blog. I wrote about it more in my post, We Need To Talk, where I mention how I had started doing the same shit as everyone else because they were seeing success with it, even though I absolutely hated it. Lo and behold, as soon as I stopped and started following my heart, I was much happier and was even earning more money.
8 Toxic Habits To Kick To the Curb in 2021:
Not prioritizing your mental health
Especially after the bloody year we’ve had, if you’re STILL not prioritizing your mental health, babe, stop. Slow down. Sit down. Have a cuppa. And tend to YOU. If this is something you struggle with, then these journal prompts for mental health might be a good starting place to help get your thoughts down on paper.
Not being present
This is something else that I’m working to eradicate because I am so SICK of not being present in my every day life. I’m always that person thinking about the past or the future or plans and rarely actually soaking up what I have – which is today. At least, I used to be that person. And trust me, since I started actively being more present in my life, I have been so much happier.
Not investing in yourself
Whether that’s time, money, self care, therapy, a new handbag, investing in yourself and what makes you happy and what your soul needs is SO IMPORTANT. When I bought my coaching for this year, I realised this was the most money I’d EVER spent on myself. And it was so freaking empowering. Remember, you have the best interest rates.