4 Things That Were Ruining Me and Might Be Ruining You

"The Dangers in the Pursuit of Success"

In recent years, I have learned a lot, a bit about everything: relationships, friendship, business, investments, art, adulthood, and many other areas.

However, much of what I've learned has been through trial and error. It's not a good method, but it's what I have.

The major disadvantage is that we don't have much time to make all the mistakes until things start going right. That's why a parent or mentor is the best path because we won't need to go through much of what they went through. But I understand that making our mistakes and learning from them has its value, even though it's not the advisable path. Although I know that we can't avoid mistakes, they are inevitable in many life situations or paths to success.

In the past year, I made some mistakes or developed certain habits that I discovered in recent weeks were ruining my health.

In this article, I will share some of these habits, and I hope that my experience can help those who have any of these habits or are thinking of adopting them.

Habits don't come out of nowhere; the origin of many of them comes from thoughts or things we say to ourselves to validate or minimize the significant negative impact they can have. So, in sharing the habit, I will also share how it arises from misleading thoughts.

Lack of Rest

In the last two months, I started my painting sessions at 8 am and ended at 10 pm, often going until 12-1 am.

I needed to deliver a piece in January (fortunately, I did), so I kept repeating to myself that success requires sacrifices. But is sacrificing our health the price? Without health, how will I enjoy success?

Lack of Job Security

I only managed to wear a mask while painting for only 2 weeks; unfortunately, I didn't insist enough to make it a good habit.

As my technique is oil on canvas, both the paints and solvents have very strong odors that can be harmful to the lungs and health in general. Many of my sessions were accompanied by headaches.

Poor Nutrition

When we are pursuing a goal and don't have balance, it's very easy to skip meals. That's exactly what I did.

Even if we consume all macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats in every meal, doing so at inappropriate times is considered poor nutrition because the time of chewing and digestion needs to be taken into account. This is basically what the body needs to truly make the most of what we eat.

However, it's interesting that when we don't have good habits in other areas of our lives, this ends up influencing what we want to eat; we start craving less healthy foods.

Overthinking

Wouldn't overthinking be something isolated? If we stop to think, it's clear that it isn't. Good rest and good nutrition are also good for the brain and mind.

Of all the problems or consequences, this is the one that bothers me the most.

The Result

We don't need to be scientists to know that the combination of all these bad habits has done me a lot of harm. In fact, I am still figuring out how to recover from the damage.

I lost a lot of weight, going from 67 kg to 60 kg. I became more stressed and anxious than I already am. Even my depression worsened. Self-esteem dropped. Appetite decreased even more. Many negative things happened.

I even lost track of where I am in my life. It seems like I exist only and solely.

The pursuit of success and the fight for our goals should not be a reason to neglect our health. So, if lack of rest, lack of job security, poor nutrition, and overthinking are part of your routine, I sincerely hope you break this cycle immediately before it's too late or even before it causes irreversible damage.

Note: Do not take my experience as sufficient to take your own measures regarding health. Seeking the help of a professional is the best way to overcome many of these problems, which can actually stem from things that only a professional can help us find. And they will also help shorten our path to improvement. Making mistakes and hitting the mark when it comes to our mental and physical health is not wise.

I myself am seeking professional help.

Good journey, my friends!