 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to another video. Have you ever wondered if you're doing things that are bad for your mental health? From day to night, you do things that affect your mental wellbeing for better or for worse. Oftentimes, you may not even notice that the things you do are harmful to your mental health. Before we begin, this video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional guidance, advice, treatment, or diagnosis. With that said, let's look at eight things that could be destroying your mental health. Number one, you're a perfectionist. Are you someone who constantly seeks perfection? Constantly worrying about failing to reach your expectations can leave you in a spiral of depressive, anxious, and guilt-ridden thoughts. The truth is, not even the best of us can achieve perfection. The higher your perfectionism is, the more likely it is that you'll suffer from more psychological disorders to help reframe your mindset. Start by being receptive to feedback and try not to compare yourself to other people. Number two, you're addicted to your phone. When you wake up in the morning, is checking your phone the first thing on your mind? We all love how technology allows us to reach information and entertainment in just a matter of seconds, but an over-dependence on technology comes with its own set of issues as well. Research shows that using your smartphone too much can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress. To alleviate your phone temptation, try to set up some chunks of time away from your phone. This can be hard at first, but as time passes, you'll be less prone to needing your phone once boredom strikes you. Number three, you're missing sleep. Do you constantly miss out on sleep every day of the week? Getting a solid eight hours is essential to your mental health. Sleep deprivation not only worsens your physical health, but also can cause fatigue, irritability, and difficulty focusing. Sleep may sound like a boring thing to do, but your body absolutely needs a proper sleep routine to be in its best shape. Number four, you stay in toxic relationships. Are you hopeful that your relationship with your partner, friends, or family members will change even though it hasn't in the past? Staying in toxic relationships can have a devastating effect on your mental health. You're dismissing your own well-being in mental health in favor of another person, and this habit tends to be heavily one-sided. Sabotage, gaslighting, and abuse are some of the effects of staying in a toxic relationship. Find the red flags, reach out for support, and give yourself time to process this traumatic event. Healthy forms of love still exist in the world, and you are absolutely deserving of it. Number five, you don't ask for help. Do you bottle up your feelings when you're going through something? Do you hate working on a team thinking you can do better than everyone else? The feeling of not asking for help is like drowning in a pool while people are just standing by the edges. The journey towards a fulfilling and mentally healthy life comes from both an individual journey and a shared experience. If you're struggling alone, opening up might seem terrifying, or like you're burdening someone, or even impossible if the cause of your problem is from the people close to you. If that's the case, contact an outsider like a mental health professional. Number six, you compare yourself to others. Do you look through social media and constantly compare yourself to other people, or do you compare your achievements with your peers at work or school with everyone sharing their highest moments on their Instagram stories or Twitter feeds? You might harbor a sense of insecurity because of the achievements of others. Understand that social media is a highlight reel. Everyone's lives aren't always as perfect and glamorous as they make them out to be. Instead, look inwards and focus on your own self-improvement rather than one-upping people who are dealing with their own journeys. Number seven, you sabotage yourself. Do you notice behaviors that you do that are destructive and cause pain in the end? These could be as simple as procrastinating your work or sleeping late. Oftentimes, your fears might get the better of you, causing you to be paralyzed in fear and uncertainty. By doing this, you're closing the doors to your own progress. To help reframe your actions, try to get to the root causes of your actions and take small, meaningful steps to better yourself day by day. They don't have to be big goals, just consistent. And later on, you'll realize how these steps snowball into making you a better version of yourself. And number eight, you don't practice gratitude. When was the last time you stopped to practice gratitude? Gratitude allows you to celebrate the positive things in your life. Robert Emmons of UC Berkeley found that gratitude comes with an abundance of mental health benefits. It improves sleep, makes you feel more alive, and can make you feel less lonely. One way you can practice gratitude is by writing down a small list of things you're grateful for in a journal. By listing things daily, you bring to light things that make you happy, which in turn improves your mood as well. So have you found yourself doing any of these habits? Taking care of your mental health, especially in a time like this is more important now than ever. We hope that you've recognized these things that hurt your mental health and look towards turning it around with small, incremental changes. Did you find this video insightful? Tell us in the comments below. Please like and share it with friends that might find value in this video too. Make sure to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more content. All the references used are added in the description box below. Thanks so much for watching and we'll see you next time.