If I told you there is a place near where you live that, if you went there, you would surely be killed, what would you do?

You wouldn’t go anywhere near it, would you? You probably wouldn’t go within ten blocks of it. You may even go miles out of your way to avoid getting close to that place.

But what if I told you that you do go there, multiple times a day? And rather than killing you all at once, you’re dying slowly over the course of many years?

What am I talking about? Bad habits. We all have them, and rather than running away from them and keeping them at a distance, we hold onto them and allow them to ruin our lives.

Here are 4 toxic, everyday habits that are killing you slowly:

1. Getting too little sleep. You know how much sleep you need, but you scroll through social media, check your e-mail, or worry about things you can’t control instead.

2. Drinking too little water. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. At best, dehydration causes low energy levels. At worst, it’s a factor in almost every sickness and disease.

3. Holding onto negativity. Negativity, worrying too much, and taking things personally which were not meant to be personal all lead to high stress, which is a factor in six of the leading causes of death in America today.

4. Always being busy. Will rushing about everywhere, always going to this party or that event kill you physically? Maybe not, but it will kill your soul. We need time to do nothing, to refresh, rejuvenate, and recharge our passion and energy for life.

Run away from the habits in your life that are killing you. Remove them from your life and never let them back in. And remember, don’t just be yourself… be the-best-version-of-yourself.

Matthew Kelly

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