7 Habits Silently Destroying Your Mental Health

Read time: 4 minutes

Most people ignore these warning signs until it's too late. Don't be most people.

Your mind is breaking down right now. Not in obvious ways. In small, daily habits that add up.

You notice it in moments – snapping at your team over tiny mistakes. Staring at your screen, unable to start that important task. Lying awake at 3 AM, thoughts racing.

These aren't random bad days. They're signs of deeper damage from habits that seem normal, even productive.

I've seen this pattern in dozens of high performers. They focus on external success while overlooking the internal breakdown. The result? Declining performance, damaged relationships, and eventual burnout.

Today, we'll expose 7 common habits destroying your mental health. More importantly, you'll learn exactly how to fix them.

Let's start with one you probably did in the last hour...

1. Endless Social Media Scrolling

Social media promises connection. Instead, it steals your calmness.

The average person spends 1 hour and 51 minutes daily on social media. That's nearly 28 days per year — an entire month lost to scrolling.

Your brain pays for this time in three ways:

• You compare your real life to others' best moments
• Your focus breaks into useless pieces
• Your mind fills with negative news and drama

Example: One "quick" LinkedIn check between meetings turns into 30 minutes of seeing competitor wins. Now you're questioning your strategy instead of executing it.

Your brain treats each notification like a slot machine lever. But you're not just gambling money – you're betting your mental clarity.

How to fix?

• Delete social apps from your phone
• Use blockers such as News Feed Eradicator or Remove YouTube Suggestions on your desktop
• Turn off all notifications

And while social media drains your mind, another destroyer quietly damages your mental health: physical inactivity.

2. Physical Inactivity

Work fills your calendar. Deadlines loom. Meetings run back-to-back.

When time gets tight, exercise is the first thing to go. But your brain needs movement to stay sharp.

The stats are clear: 1.4 billion adults worldwide don't move enough. One in three women, one in four men – barely moving.

Your brain needs movement to:

• Release stress
• Lift mood
• Clear thinking
• Calm anxiety

Example: You skip your usual morning walk or exercise "just for this busy period." Three months later, you're 5kg heavier, snapping at your team over small issues, and can't focus past 2 PM. The busy period never ended – but your mental sharpness did.

How to fix?

• Treat exercise like a meeting – schedule it and show up just as you would for others
• Start with 10 minutes daily – walking counts
• Never skip more than two days

No movement, no mental clarity—it’s that simple.

Speaking of mental fuel, there's another silent destroyer: the endless flood of negative news.

3. Constant News Consumption

The news promises to keep you informed. Instead, it hijacks your mind.

Studies show the truth: consuming the news makes you feel worse and kills your good mood (de Hoog and Verboon, 2019).

Think about it: When was the last time checking the news actually helped you make a better decision?

Your brain pays for each news check:

• Stress hormones spike
• Anxiety builds
• Focus scatters
• Energy drains

Example: You start your morning scrolling through news updates. By lunch, you've checked headlines twelve times. Each notification adds another layer of stress. Now you're managing other people's disasters instead of driving your own success.

How to fix?

• Smart performers consume news differently.
• They choose weekly deep dives over constant updates.
• They pick one time to read real analysis from trusted sources, not breaking news all day.

And while news drains your energy, there's another critical resource you're probably losing: sleep.

4. Sleep Deprivation

Modern work celebrates sleep deprivation. "I'll sleep when I'm dead," they say. Your brain disagrees.

Sleep isn't optional. It's when your brain:

• Clears mental waste
• Processes emotions
• Stores memories
• Resets stress

Example: After a week of 5-hour nights to "get ahead," you send an emotional email you regret. Now you're damage controlling instead of leading.

How to fix?

• Avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bed.
• Dim overhead lights throughout the house 90 minutes before bed.
• Practice meditation or yoga nidra just before sleep.

Smart performers treat sleep like exercise – skip it too long and performance crashes.

And while poor sleep drains your energy, there's another hidden destroyer: worrying about things you can't control.

5. Obsessing Over the Uncontrollable

You can't control other people's opinions. Or your kids' choices. Or tomorrow's problems. Yet you waste hours worrying about them.

This constant worry:

• Drains mental energy
• Blocks clear thinking
• Triggers stress responses
• Paralyses action

Example: You spend Sunday night obsessing over next week's challenges. Will your presentation land? What if the client says no? What if your colleague gets that promotion? By Monday morning, you're exhausted from fighting battles that haven't even happened.

How to fix?

• List what you control vs. what you don’t; focus only on the former.
• Plan for worst-case scenarios briefly, then move on.
• Limit rumination time to 5 minutes.

Smart performers focus on what they control: their effort, attitude, and responses.

And while worrying drains your mental energy, there's another invisible destroyer: what you eat.

6. Ultra-Processed Foods

Your food shapes your mind. That quick packaged lunch has hidden costs.

The research is sobering: Adults eating ultra-processed foods show 28% faster cognitive decline. Even worse, a large study of 385,541 people found that high consumption of ultra-processed foods increases depression risk by 22% and anxiety risk by 48%.

Example: It started with one soda to beat the 2 PM slump. Now you catch yourself watching the clock each afternoon, waiting for your daily fix.

How to fix?

• Stick to 80% whole foods.
• Rotate a few healthy meals to avoid decision fatigue.
• Keep your favourite ready-to-eat snacks, like fresh berries, medjoul dates, or roasted nuts, within reach. Choose treats you genuinely enjoy – ones you’ll look forward to grabbing.

Your brain runs on what you feed it. Choose accordingly.

And while processed foods fog your mind, there's another mental health killer: bottling up your emotions.

7. Emotional Suppression

You bottle up stress. Push down frustration. Hide anxiety. But emotions don't disappear – they build up.

Without a release valve, your emotions:

• Cloud your judgment
• Drain your energy
• Leak into decisions
• Explode at wrong times

Example: You skip your usual exercise class for three weeks straight. The stress piles up. Small irritations become huge. Until one day, you blast your team over a minor setback that you'd usually handle with ease.

How to fix?

• Take 5 minutes daily to note emotions without judgment.
• Build a regular release, like meditation or walking.
• Learn to NEVER act, speak or make a decision in a state of heightened emotion.

High performers know this truth: Suppressed emotions don't disappear. They surface later, often at the worst times.

Remember: Sustainable high performance requires protecting your mental health.

To making a difference,

Dr Yannick