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Monday, August 10, 2015

A Steady Rain of Benefits



A mist. That's all. Then a few drops of rain. With a few more, a light rain falls. Add more and more drops. A downpour. Then a torrential rain. Dry channels fill. Ditches become creeks. Creeks become rivers. Rivers run to the sea.

Habits are like that. A few chips with the game. Some munchies. Hey, there's Monday night football. Thursday night football. Friday night football. Football all Saturday. And Sunday too. That's a lot of chips.

Here are some unhealthy habits gleaned from my clinical files (the vast majority of my patients are under 40, most of those are under 30):
  • Smartphone dependency. Psychologists call it nomophobia: Fear of being away from the phone.
  • Sleeping in, instead of going out
  • Ordering take out instead of cooking in
  • Getting wasted. A 5 oz. glass of wine or one beer a night may be healthy. Over two glasses, life jackets required.
  • Keeping grudges
  • Trying to please everyone
  • Spending too much time on looks, not enough on learning, life, love, laughter
  • Worrying about what others think
  • Avoiding people---social angst including social phobia, social awkwardness, poor interpersonal skills
  • Drinking soda instead of water
  • Ignoring friends and those we love
  • Avoiding confrontation
  • Remaining in dead-end relationships
  • Planning instead of enjoying life
  • Snuggling with dependency
  • Exercising too much or too little 
The good news: Beneficial habits develop just as detrimental habits, a drop at a time. A steady little drop, day after day. The Grand Canyon approach. 



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