Are you tired of being sick and tired? Do you feel like you aren't living the life you want? If you answered yes to either question, take a close look at the bad habits that are holding you back from the healthy life you desire. Purging these five behaviors will get you moving in the right direction. Here are some tips from Live Positively to get you started on the right path!

  1. Postponing Your Own Needs

It's time to stop postponing your own needs to meet all the demands of others at home and work. Only you can take ownership of getting what you need to live your best life. Dust off your personal and professional goals list (or create one) and write out specific action steps to achieve each one. Then, make it a priority to act on these steps daily in addition to your other responsibilities. To free up time, delegate tasks someone else can complete and learn to say "no" to any requests that overstretch your current capacity to achieve.

  1. Maintaining Friendships With Toxic People

You can't always keep your distance from the chronic complainers in the office or your family, but you can separate yourself from toxic friends. Make an effort to remove Debbie Downer and Negative Neil from your inner circle. Mental health research shows that maintaining emotionally healthy friendships boosts your self-esteem and helps you handle stress and navigate loss. They also help decrease depression by giving you a sense of belonging.

  1. Letting Work Take Over Your Life

It's no wonder you feel tired if you deal with long hours and chaos at work during the week and on weekends as well. If you don't like your job, start the hunt for another less demanding one. If your job is worth keeping, control your weekly calendar by scheduling daily blocks of time to complete your work. Then, prioritize your tasks and schedule the time you will complete each one. Leave some hours open on your daily calendar to handle unexpected projects. Here are a few other tips for finding work-life balance:

  • Tackle your most challenging job first thing in the morning
  • Decline meetings you don't need to attend
  • Focus on one task at a time instead of multitasking
  • Check your emails in the morning, in the afternoon and before you log off for the day
  • Create a buffer from work on your way home with a podcast, music or a walk
  • Especially if you work from home, make sure you keep your business and personal lives separate
  • Resist the urge to check work emails from home
  • Keep focused and positive by decluttering and organizing your home

  1. Neglecting to Exercise

Medical research confirms adding 30 minutes into your day to exercise boosts your energy level, relieves anxiety and helps keep your weight in check. You can also do physical activities you enjoy such as jogging, swimming, brisk walking, or dancing. If motivation is a problem, enlist a workout buddy to keep you accountable.

  1. Sleeping Only a Few Hours Nightly

Health experts advise sleep deprivation decreases your energy level, ability to concentrate and social skills. It also is linked to depression and weight gain. Make it a priority to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Eliminating these five bad habits from your life sets you on the right path to a healthier lifestyle. In addition, the benefits you experience from taking care of your physical and mental health can keep you motivated to continue with your new, better habits.

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