Is it really that bad? We ask this question the most when we know deep down that what we are doing is not entirely right. But still we do not stop. Because we are not always rational beings, humans are creatures of habit, humans are creatures of emotion. Humans are slaves to what makes them feel good for the moment.
Almost every person has something in their life that they know is harming them yet they are unable to let go of it such as someone who eats excess sugar knowing that diabetes, liver problems, weight gain are all waiting ahead, while someone stays up all night scrolling through their mobile knowing that the next day they will suffer from headaches, fatigue, and inattention to work. Someone stays in a toxic relationship because the fear of loneliness seems bigger. Someone immerses themselves in work neglects family and health because if they stop they will fall behind. Everyone knows. But everyone does it.
When the thought of quitting something makes you uncomfortable it becomes clear that it is not just a habit it is taking control. If you look deeper you will see that behind these harmful habits not only joy, but also stress, loneliness, failure, and mental fatigue are often hidden. Some people eat more because they are stressed some watch series all night because they want to escape reality and some drink alcohol because they want to stop the voices in their heads for a while. So is it bad or not? Why has it become our need?
We often consider harmful things as guilty pleasures. As if a little harm is very natural. But in the long run they accumulate and take us to a place where people cannot recognize themselves. The body breaks down the mind gets tired, relationships move away, and then it seems like when it all started. The most difficult thing is that we often judge other people's harmful habits very easily but belittle our own. If someone else drinks alcohol every day, we call them addicted. But we call our own excessive screen time relaxation. If someone else holds onto anger I call it negativity. But I call my own ego, self-respect.
To be honest almost every person has something in their life that they know is slowly damaging them. Maybe it's food, maybe screens, maybe relationships, maybe work, maybe a secret addiction. Change begins when a person stops making excuses for themselves. When they have the courage to admit that yes this is not good for me. And admission is the only step to freedom.