{"id":121123,"date":"2020-12-01T11:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T11:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=121123"},"modified":"2023-03-15T16:17:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T16:17:13","slug":"low-moods-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/low-moods-habits.htm","title":{"rendered":"10 Habits That Lead to Low Moods (and are Easy to Overlook)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lowby Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

Do low moods seem to descend out of the blue? And you<\/strong> tell yourself it’s just ‘one of those things’? Mild depression<\/a> can actually be the result of consistent habits<\/a> we convince ourselves are no big deal.<\/p>\n

Habits that lead to low moods<\/h2>\n

What decisions<\/a> are you mindlessly making that are leaving you low?<\/p>\n

1. Always keeping busy.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Never keep up with all the things you have to do? The second you cross one thing off your list, do you add another?<\/em><\/p>\n

Busy work can be the perfect way to avoid our feelings<\/strong>. But the longer we avoid them, the bigger they can grow.<\/p>\n

We think we are avoiding sadness<\/a>, but busy work just means it lasts longer.\u00a0 Stopping and letting ourselves feel the full weight of the emotions we are avoiding can actually mean we move past them into a better headspace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Avoiding friends.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Aren\u2019t feeling yourself, or have a lot of life stress<\/a>? So you think it\u2019s best to avoid your friends<\/a> until things are better? And the more you avoid them, the more you just can\u2019t be bothered keeping up the connection?<\/em><\/p>\n

Avoiding social connections can actually be a warning sign of<\/strong> the onset of depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We can think that our depression makes us lonely, but a five-year study<\/a> <\/span>showed the reverse. It’s our loneliness that makes us depressed, and it worsens with every year of perceived self-isolation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Giving up your hobbies.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t have time, what with the new job? Or new relationship? Telling\u00a0 yourself you\u2019ll get back to your beloved hobby another time, in the future?<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a well-intentioned but bad tactic.<\/p>\n

Mental wellbeing requires consistent commitment to doing things that fill us up. If you are lucky enough to have<\/strong> a hobby that makes you feel good, that weekly hit of happiness might mean more than you realise to your bigger wellbeing picture<\/a>, bringing you energy and equilibrium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An Australian study<\/span><\/a> looked at people whose hobby was either doing art or engaging in art done by others. They found that those who committed at least 100 hours or more a year to the arts scored at least two points higher on a 14 item wellbeing scale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. A nightly glass of wine.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"low

photo by: Jozsef Hocza<\/p><\/div>\n

Is it just one glass, sometimes two? Convinced\u00a0 you aren\u2019t an alcoholic?<\/em><\/p>\n

Alcohol is a depressant. And it disrupts sleep.<\/strong> Just one or two glasses a night can mean that over time, we start to experience exhaustion<\/a> and low moods.<\/p>\n

And depression and alcohol abuse disorder are so interlinked that a review of research studies<\/span> <\/a>on the subject found that the presence of one doubles your chance of having the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. Using your computer before bed.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Just checking your emails before bed, that’s all? And then maybe a bit of Instagram. That turns into fifteen minutes of funny video watching?<\/em><\/p>\n

Screen time really does have an impact on sleep. And low sleep has an impact on our moods. Being tired at work leads to bad decisions, and being tired around loved ones leads to snapping when we don’t mean to. And before we know it our life isn’t going so well.<\/p>\n

6. Staying in your job.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Don’t hate your job, just find it boring? But tell yourself it pays the bills and you shouldn’t be so picky?\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A British poll<\/span><\/a> found the average UK worker spends 3,507 days of their life at work. It’s certainly a lot of time to do something you don’t really like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note if your time outside the job is spent with<\/strong> habits of distraction<\/a> like drinking<\/a>, staying out late, and casual dating. If you are in a cycle of work misery followed by distraction to compensate, it\u2019s time to question if it\u2019s time to break the cycle and seek careers counselling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7. Making people happy.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Is making others happy is something you worry about? Are you known as a people pleaser<\/a>? And do you make others happy often at your own expense?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

If you:<\/p>\n