This is part 4 of a 5-part series on HABITS. It’s a great starting point for bettering yourself as a parent: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

Most people do habits without conscious thought, and they can be both good and bad. Bad habits, however, often have a much wider reach in your life than you may realize. This is because every thought, action, and decision causes a ripple effect that leads to consequences.

common bad habits and the issues they often cause

Poor Diet

Eating unhealthy foods leads to weight gain, affecting both physical and mental health. It also leads to digestive problems and can lead to over 13 types of cancer. We know too well what a poor diet can lead to and the kinds of diseases it can spawn.

Many of the bad habits mentioned here are interlinked in some way. If you’re a smoker, chances are you won’t be going for a 5 km jog. Are you a procrastinator, chances are that you’re not uber-healthy or exercising regularly? If you’re a daily drinker, chances are that you’re not involved in social activities or focusing on your kids as much as you could…

But diet is the one that affects us in our daily lives as everyone needs food…

Lack of Exercise

A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as depression and anxiety. Oh, this hits home with me. I love to exercise and laugh when others say they “don’t have the time.” Buy a spinning bike and do that while you watch Netflix or buy a gym membership. The price of the annual membership will prompt you to go as often as possible to get your money’s worth.

I wrote a post a while back about fit dads. It’s so vital to keep up with our kids, whatever age they are. When they grow up, do you want them to remember ‘dad’ as ‘slow and lazy drinking beer nightly’ or ‘dad zooming around the house and pumping iron at the gym?’ You know the answer and you know what the best thing to do is…

Smoking

Smoking damages your physical health with an increased risk of cancer, emphysema, stroke, and a whole list of others. Also, it affects your mental health with increased stress levels due to nicotine addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

I read a while ago that smoking shrinks your brain...YOUR BRAIN!! Am I a doctor? No! I’m Daddy Simply and I ‘simply’ know that smoking ain’t good for nothing… Plus I resent it furiously as it killed many of my family members. So that is that …Quit that S!@#.

Alcohol Abuse

Excessive drinking increases the risk of physical illnesses such as liver cirrhosis and mental conditions such as depression or anxiety disorders. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause memory loss and significant personality changes. Let’s not forget the ‘dreaded’ beer belly!

Eh! Come on! It’s a beer or two. Yes, a beer or two is fine but not nightly. That right there, the ‘I only have a beer or two after work’ is a bad habit that will catch up to you in your later years. I used to do that several years back before my son was born. Now at 45, I can’t handle it but enjoy some brews on the weekend or if a special day comes up. Otherwise, I keep my drinking at a minimum because it does not mix well with conquering the next morning.

Neglecting Personal Hygiene

Poor hygiene may lead to having chronic bad breath or catching more colds, as well as other issues such as lice infestation and body odor, which are emotionally distressing if left untreated for long periods. In addition, bad hygiene habits are embarrassing in social situations and can greatly affect your self-esteem.

Personal grooming and keeping on top of your hygiene are so important. Your son will imitate many things you do, so if you’re not taking care of yourself or if you don’t have a good routine down he might adopt this bad habit in the future. You don’t want your kid to be ‘THAT’ smelly one in class, eh?

Social Isolation

Social isolation has been linked to increased depression symptoms due to loneliness and a lack of meaningful relationships, which are essential for mental well-being. Not having people who care about you is detrimental to psychological and physical health over time, partly due to decreased motivation for healthy activities like exercise or proper nutrition.

Covid wreaked havoc on this topic for parents and children. Just recently, people here in Korea were legally able to take their masks off in public and at schools. Also, many workers got used to working from home and avoiding all their work colleagues, but now that the pandemic is somewhat over, these workers are reluctant to go back to the office. Sad reality all over the world.

Sleep Deprivation

Lack of sleep can lead to a whole host of issues. It reduces your ability to think clearly, focus on tasks at hand, fight off infection, heal quickly from injuries, remember important information clearly, maintain a healthy weight, and so forth. This can significantly affect daily functioning, along with increased risks for serious heart conditions and high blood pressure over prolonged periods without adequate restful sleep.

Many dads and (moms) forget about what sleep really means. We just start the day-go to work-come back home-run errands-cook-clean- and try to put the kids to sleep as fast as possible so we can have a few minutes to ourselves before our own bedtime.

As parents, we underestimate the power of a good nap or a long night’s sleep. It’s another crucial part of our lives as parents. Read this post about lullabies for adults and their benefits...yes you read right.

Procrastination

Constantly putting things off until they become urgent often results in poor quality work that is rushed through without full attention given, leaving room for mistakes that could have been avoided had there been adequate preparation beforehand. This in turn leads to unnecessary stress, as well as other repercussions later down the line when dealing with errors in judgment caused by not taking necessary steps sooner.

Your procrastination could be a sign of something more serious: Anxiety, depression, and low-self esteem. You should look in the mirror and triple-check on what’s going on with yourself.

I managed people in my career and I can always see the ‘procrastinators.’ Easy to spot! The desk is usually piled with papers and their email box is full of unread messages etc…

As for parents, we need to keep our ears to the ground and not fall into the ‘backburner’ kind of thinking. Our kids see and imitate everything we do. They know more than we give them credit for. The last thing you want is your kid procrastinating with his or her schoolwork.

What I’m saying is get off your ass and do something you’ve been waiting to do for weeks, months, or years. Doing that ‘thing’ will release some of your stress, as it won’t be in the back of your mind anymore.

Addiction

Anything from drug or alcohol addictions to gambling/gaming addictions creates a huge financial strain on individuals, along with diminishing their quality of life drastically due to impaired judgment that comes along with it.

It is difficult to maintain close personal relationships while being addicted, making it harder to grow socially even when taking part in activities outside of what one is addicted to – creating further tension between loved ones.

Gambling away money

When someone chronically gambles away money instead of investing it into something more reliable, it endangers their financial security. This creates unneeded pressure and leaves them vulnerable to their future selves.

I worked for a casino here in Korea years ago and I’ve seen some sad faces going in and out of the doors. Sad faces=gambling issues. I’m not saying if you go to the casino and lose 20$ it makes you a sad gambling addict, but if you bring your car’s pink slip to see how far you can go, well that is when you should be calling the gambling hotline.

Conclusion

No one is going to be perfect, including you. However, if you notice that you have any of these bad habits, try to find a way to replace the behavior with a positive habit. To do so, first, you’ll need to figure out the underlying reason you’re doing the negative habit. Then, if you’re open to learning more about yourself, you will end these negative habits that often affect the rest of your life – maybe even your loved ones.

**This is part 4 of a 5-part series on HABITS. It’s a great starting point for bettering yourself as a parent: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

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