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Amélie Boukhobza (Clinical psychologist)
Have you been exhausted since the start of the school year? Perhaps it is due to bad habits, which you have normalized. Amélie Boukhobza, psychologist, explains which ones must be eliminated immediately.
Swiping on your phone as soon as you get up, wanting to do too much, putting your social life aside… Certain everyday habits can greatly harm your mental health, without you realizing it. On this World Mental Health Day, here are those to absolutely ban.
Mental health, neglected because “less visible”
Unlike physical problems (fracture, illness) – which are “visible” and require rapid treatment – the signs of deterioration in mental health (anxiety, sadness, severe fatigue, etc.) are subtle.
They often manifest themselves as small variations in mood, which can be ignored or attributed to other factors (temporary work overload, lack of time for oneself, etc.).
The problem ? Many of us think that these feelings are temporary and will pass on their own, when this is not the case, says Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist.
“There are habits, sometimes invisible, which gradually eat away at mental balance. Habits that we have the impression are part of everyday life, so familiar that we end up believing they are normal,” confirms the expert.
However, these habits, often valued or trivialized in our society (excessive use of social networks, overload of work, etc.) can permanently “damage” mental health.
The 4 Habits That Are Destroying Your Mental Health
Stress, performance, social relationships, pressure at work or on social networks… Multiple factors significantly influence our general well-being.
Over time, it is even possible to become accustomed to high levels of stress or anxiety… thinking that this state is normal. A big mistake, according to Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist.
“Our anxious behaviors often go unnoticed, because we justify them, we tell ourselves that it’s nothing, that it’s not that serious… until they become deeply rooted, and they end up doing everything explode”, she warns.
To prevent any risk of emotional burnout (and maintain good mental health on a daily basis) here are 4 habits to avoid.
- Accumulate stress. “It’s insidious, it starts with small tensions and, one day, everything explodes. Gradually, we let the cracks take hold and then widen, until collapse. We often underestimate the importance of the rest. This idea that we must always be busy, always productive, ends up exhausting. The body and mind need to recover, not to function in constant overdrive”;
- Maintaining toxic relationships. “These people who drain our energy, who make us feel guilty or insufficient. Over time, their influence becomes a poison which seeps into our thoughts, very energy-consuming, and little by little modifying our perception of ourselves” ;
- Undergoing social pressure. “That of meeting expectations, of always appearing up to par, whether at work, in friendships or even on social networks. This pressure ends up suffocating”;
- Constantly criticize yourself. “This little inner voice that constantly reminds us that we are not good enough, not efficient enough, not enough at all. That we should have done better! It gradually affects our confidence and our fulfillment.”
Slide: 8 signs of declining mental health