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.