Thursday Thirteen - Bad Habits

We all have them - bad habits. They're the crazy things we do that we know we shouldn't, but it seems we can't stop. I started wondering if I had 13 bad habits, so let's see what I can name:

1. Nail biting. Yep. I have chewed those suckers ever since I was a wee lass. Nowadays I keep them clipped close and try not to bite them but let me get a little hang nail and see how fast that fingernail finds my teeth. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to break this habit.

2. Overeating. I'm a stress eater, and I tend to reach for something when I am alone and feeling bored. Give me a great article to work on and a deadline, and I can work all day without thinking about eating, but on days when the things to do are boring and unappealing, then the 'tater chips beckon.

3. Procrastination. I think sometimes I am the Queen of Procrastinators. I have a long list of things I should be doing but I don't do them. Mostly I don't write on long projects that I think I should be doing, but don't.

4. Avoidance. I prefer not to engage in angry anythings, including arguments, fistfights, or yelling of any kind. I stay away from difficult topics not because I don't have an opinion but because I don't want to have to stand up for myself. I mean, isn't it enough that I exist? Why should I have to defend what I think, too?

5. Playing video games. This probably falls under the procrastination and avoidance umbrellas, but I also really enjoy video games. I am particularly prone to play games that have puzzles to solve. Quests also intrigue me. However, I have been known to put the video game first and the housework second.

6. Not exercising. I have always been sedentary. Even in elementary school, I seldom made the straight "A" honor roll because I always received a "B" in gym. These days my exercise is physical therapy whilst we try to straighten out my issues from my 2013 surgery - going on two years now. I am doing better with the exercising at the moment. I hope it's not a phase.

7. Cursing. Yep. I have a foul mouth. I come by it honestly - both of my parents, at least when I was growing up, tended to curse like sailors. My mother in particular could let loose a string of words that would make the Pope run and hide. I try very hard to control this but let me get a little angry or worked up and the words roll out like a wave in a hurricane.

8. Sniffling. I am afraid I do this more than I care to admit, and maybe more than I realize. I have horrible allergies and while I keep tissues with me at all times, it seems there is an uncontrollable urge to sniff the stuff back up. This is especially true when I'm driving or both of my hands are otherwise occupied (such as typing).

9. Checking the curling iron. This probably is a bit of an obsessive compulsive behavior, but I always have to come back in the house and make sure I've turned off the curling iron. I do this even though I have a curling iron that turns itself off! Sometimes I have driven a mile away before I turn around and come back to check. It is always unplugged.

10. Buying (and eating) chocolate. I go to the store with no intention of buying chocolate, but it ends up in the basket anyway. It's like a magic beast follows me around and slips it into the cart.

11. Trying to be perfect. This is another lifelong issue. I have tried all of my life to be the perfect daughter, the perfect sister, the perfect student, the perfect wife, the perfect employee - you name it, and I've tried to be perfect at it. I hope I am getting over this one, because obviously I am not perfect, and the idea of "perfect" is subjective, anyway. Still, perfectionism often leads me down the path to procrastination. I can't mess it up if I don't do it to start with.

12. Negative self talk. I can cut myself to pieces in a heartbeat without even thinking about. My inner voice fusses at me constantly. "Why haven't you done the dishes? So what if you're in pain? Get up and do it?" And yes, there are curse words in there.

13. Taking too long to make a decision. I can think about something until the issue has past, if I am not careful. I listen to all sides, weigh the consequences. It's like when I play solitaire on the computer, I sit and figure out the moves to seven or eight places before I decide if I should move a card. I win most of the games but my deliberation is a sight to see.

How about you? What are your bad habits?


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 387th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.