Unnoticeable Mistakes We Make That Cause Us To Question Our Daily Habits

By Inioluwa L

As individuals, there are practices, routines, and habits that you have already become accustomed to. Some started as a result of what we saw everyone around us doing, and some we picked up on our own. They have become rituals so much so that we might not even know that there’s anything wrong in doing them. There are many minor errors or mistakes we make without being aware of them. Because we have been doing them over time and tend to follow the crowd, we assume this is the way things are supposed to go down. It is time we unlearn how we are currently doing everyday practices to relearn how to do them the right way. Knowing how to properly accomplish some of the seemingly little routines we carry out daily would save us from whatever harm may be impending. Keep reading to find out what these tiny mistakes we make are. 

Letting Go Of Every Form of Meat For Just Veggies

Many people have become conscious about their body weight, health, and diet. This is due to many factors prevalent in recent times, especially the high rise in terminal illnesses and diseases and the pressure of social media. Trying to eat healthily should always be a priority.  

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Because of this, many have completely stopped eating any form of meat. The fact and reality, however, is that eating only veggies doesn’t make you healthy. A balanced diet is what we need to be following. We can’t get all of our nutrients from veggies alone. 

Leaving The Stain For Wash Day

At some point, you must have had some sort of liquid or substance spill on your clothing. But let’s be honest, there are times you paid no attention to it and went on with your business. When our clothing gets stained, we just leave it until laundry day before taking care of it. 

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If stains sit on your clothing without trying to scrub some of it off, it will cause them to become very difficult to wash off, such that it can even cause the clothing to get damaged. It could also become permanent if you wash it without trying to use some elbow grease! 

Freezing Your Ice-cream The Wrong Way

The normal occurrence with ice cream in every home is that it becomes very hard to scoop when it comes time to dig in. This can be frustrating, especially when you have been craving some of it and you just want to dive right into eating your favorite dessert. 

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How you freeze your ice cream determines how scoopable it would turn out. The best way to store the ice cream in the freezer is by putting it in an airtight plastic bag to ensure no moisture will cause it to turn into an icy mess. 

Struggling to peel an egg

For some people, peeling eggs is worse than doing chores. When an egg is fresh, the white part or albumen has a low PH, which invariably makes the egg white glued to its shell. This is what makes the shell hard to peel. 

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To peel your egg easily, it is best to boil one that is not entirely fresh as the PH would be relatively high, making it easy to peel. You can also put a pinch of baking soda or salt in the water you use to boil it, and amazing hack that our grandmothers are sure to know! 

Leaving The Washing Machine Uncleaned 

We wash clothes in our washing machines all the time, so there is no need to clean the actual machine, right? Soap, water, and all sorts of detergents are dumbed into them weekly. That should be enough, no? Wrong!

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It has been scientifically proven that when you wash, residue and chemicals from the soap that you use become trapped, making it a breeding ground for bacteria. You should subsequently start cleaning your washing machine monthly by using trusted disinfectants. 

Leaving Food To Cool Down Before Refrigeration

Everyone is guilty of this. We have become used to leaving whatever meal we cook to cool before we put it in the freezer. The common belief is that if we put it in the freezer while it’s still hot or warm, it would spoil or collect harmful bacteria. 

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What we don’t know is that the longer food stays out, the more dangerous it is to consume it. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you shouldn’t leave your food out for more than two hours. Instead, place it in small containers and store it in the fridge once it has cooled slightly.

Viewing Your Gadget Screens Just Before Bedtime

You may have believed for the longest time that playing a game while you are in bed about to sleep or binging on a cheesy rom-com would help you fall asleep faster. On the contrary, this negatively affects your quality of sleep. 

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It has been scientifically proven that the lights emitted from these gadgets can suppress the sleep hormone known as melatonin and also affect the body’s circadian rhythm, thereby causing difficulty in sleeping. Instead, try reading a good book to help you fall into a deep sleep. 

Getting Little or No Exercise 

Life gets hectic, and it’s easy to get so carried away that we don’t pay attention to the important things that concern our health. Exercise is one essential activity that we should engage in to improve our overall health.

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Exercise helps our overall body function and well-being. To get through the day free of pain and feeling of tiredness, you should move those muscles. It doesn’t have to be every day. Twice, or even three times a week, is sufficient. 

Using Sunscreen The Wrong Way 

Once it’s summertime, people race to the store to stock up on sunscreen. We have been told to pile it on to protect our skin from problems that might occur in the future. Many people use it because of the sun’s negative impact on their skin in the long run. 

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There is nothing wrong with using it. The issue is how they apply it. It is better to load up on the sunscreen half an hour before you splash in the waves at the beach or even layout to get some sun. This will ensure that it has soaked into the skin.

Making Use of A Cotton Pillowcase

The last thing most of us pay attention to is the type of pillowcase we use. We have no idea how it has an effect on our skin, hair, and cleanliness. We just think as long it covers the pillow. We are good to say ‘sweet dreams.’ 

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Cotton pillowcases can cause more damage to the face than we think. Constant use of it can lead to minor traumas on the surface of our skin. It can also cause the collagen in one’s face to erode. Dermatologists advise that it is better to make use of satin or silk.

Waking Up At The Wrong Time

As humans, there are five stages we have to go through in our sleep cycle. The REM stage is where we sleep at our deepest level. When we wake up during the REM stage, we are putting out bodies through a lot of stress. 

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If you wake up feeling cranky or stressed, there is a 90% chance that you woke up at the REM stage. The best way to prevent this is to find a way to track your sleeping pattern. You can use sleep calculating apps that tell you when to sleep to avoid waking up during this vital stage.

Wrong Method Of Washing Hands 

One important thing to note when washing your hands is that it is not about how often but how well. The fact is that while growing up, we must be taught how to wash our hands properly. Usually, people only scrub with a minimal effort thinking that’s all it takes.  

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Properly washing your hands must not take less than 20 seconds to ensure that the hands are free from harmful bacteria and microbes. However, up to 70 percent of people skip this process and usually wash their hands at a maximum of 10 seconds.

Washing Your Blender Like You Wash Your Dishes

After blending our fruits for a delicious smoothly, the next thing we tend to do is to wash it with a sponge and rinse like we would our regular plates and cups. The truth is that this method of washing doesn’t clean the blender efficiently. 

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The best way to clean your blender is by putting a reasonable amount of soap and warm water in the blender and letting it sit for a few minutes to break down the leftover food. By the time you are done, your blender will be crystal clean on the inside. 

Making Too Much Use of Hand Sanitizers

Once people hear the word pandemic, they become more deliberate about the use of hand sanitizers. However, most of us don’t know that even though they kill harmful bacteria, overusing them could be detrimental to the outer layer of our skin. 

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Hand sanitizers are formulated to kill bacteria, but using them too much can lead to the killing of the good bacteria meant to fight the harmful ones.  It can also lead to the bacteria becoming resistant to it. The best way to kill germs is by washing your hands with soap and water.

Charging Your Phone While Making Use Of It

More times than not, when our phone batteries become low or unusable, we find ourselves charging it and still wanting to stay connected at the same time because we were chatting with a friend or because of something important we need to do.

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The best way to help your phone to charge faster than usual is by leaving it off or by putting it on airplane mode while charging. Using the phone while it’s charging will just prolong the process and put added stress on the battery.

Microwaving Food

You may notice that when you warm your leftover cold food in the microwave, you always have to put it in at least twice for it to get sufficiently hot. The reason we do this is that certain parts of the bowl or plate refuse to get warm.

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The problem is not with the microwave or how long you time it. The issue is with how you place the food on the dish you are using to warm it. To ensure that every part of the food gets warm, it is best to spread it out as much as possible on the plate or bowl.

Brushing Our Teeth Too Frequently

We were told while growing up that we should always brush our teeth twice a day. Some of us do so before eating, while some prefer after eating. There are, however, people who brush their teeth each time they finish eating.

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We understand trying to remove food particles stuck in between the teeth, but maybe try using floss or a toothpick instead. Brushing your teeth more than twice a day is harmful to your dentin with is the layer below a tooth’s enamel.

Throwing On Any Type of Pajamas To Sleep

The last thing on your mind after a very stressful and hectic day is picking out a good choice of pajamas. Many of us believe that as long as it is not tight, soft, and freeing, then we are good to hit the sheets.

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The reality is that your choice of sleeping attire contributes to how well you snooze at night. When the pajamas you wear cause you to be too hot or cold, it will affect the regulation of your body temperature, therefore, causing you to become restless and not get enough sleep.

Snoozing Your Alarm

The default thing we all do when our alarms go off is to click on the snooze button. The interesting part is that the alarm will keep ringing even a few minutes after putting the phone on snooze. Each time it happens, we keep falling asleep and waking up at different times. 

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It is best to set your wake-up alarm at a reasonable time that works for you. Our bodies work with a sleep cycle, and once you wake up, the cycle ends. Sleeping and waking up at numerous intervals would cause you to go through the day feeling tired and weary. When your alarm rings, get up immediately.  

Holding Your Pee And Poo

At one point or the other, you must have had to put off going to the restroom even when you needed to go. Next time you feel pressed to use the bathroom, please do so immediately, for it can be dangerous if you already have a habit of doing this.  

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If you make a habit of holding on to your urine or number two instead of using the toilet, you are causing gradual harm to your body. It could cause urinary tract infections, kidney stones, unbearable pain, and many more unwanted health problems. 

Drinking Water Only When Thirsty

It has been scientifically and medically proven that we should drink at least two liters or half a gallon of water a day.  You probably already know this, but you have already formed the habit of drinking water only when you are thirsty.

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Water has a lot of health benefits, and drinking the required amount causes our bodies to function at an optimal level. To prevent getting dehydrated, you should make it a habit to drink lots of water. It also helps in building your immune system, which fortifies you from getting sick.

Stalling Work You Have To Do

It can be very tempting to keep stalling and putting away the work that you have to do. There are many distractions around us that make it hard to resist. For certain tasks, we feel they’re not so important or that the deadline is still far away.

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We can guarantee that doing this always results in anxiety, being overwhelmed, and stress. This is because all the work you left pending will become piled up, meaning you have to struggle with meeting deadlines and doing it properly.

Maintaining A Bad Posture

When we sit, stand, bend, and do other activities with our bodies, many of us do not pay attention to our posture. Now that we have the entertainment of our phones constantly distracting us, it’s easier than ever to forget this overlooked vital step for optimal health.

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That is why a lot of people end up having all sorts of body pains and nerve damage over time, especially in their back and necks. When you find you’re in a sitting position, for example, you shouldn’t slouch. Try to be mindful and sit up straight instead.

Putting The Volume of Your Headphones On Full Blast

As much as you may want to listen to every beat and sound effect of the music playing, you don’t have to do it at the highest volume of your headphones. This will cause a lot of damage over a long period of time.

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The continuous use of headphones at a very high volume can result in the eventual damage of your ear nerves. In the long run, you could either become partially or permanently deaf if you’re not careful. Try going down a couple more notches than you’re used to

Driving With The Windows Rolled Down

When driving in town, except when it is raining, we love to leave our windows rolled down so we can just feed our eyes with what is going on around us and to get some to get fresh air on a hot and breezy day.

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The irony is that leaving the windows rolled down can be damaging to our health. The exhaust and smoke from all the cars commuting on the same road enter into our bodies and can end up damaging our lungs over time, especially if you live in a big city.

Chilling Your Drink With A Bucket of Ice

When we have a bottle of wine, champagne, or soft drinks we want to use to celebrate, we try to make them icy cold quickly so everyone can enjoy them. The mistake we make is thinking that putting them in a bucket of ice will do the job.

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The fastest way to chill your bottle of wine or cans of cola is by putting it in a bucket containing salt and ice water. You can also leave them in the fridge for a few minutes or wrap them in cold towels if you really need to get the job done quickly! 

The Overuse of MouthWash in A Day

People use mouthwash for different reasons. However, the main reason is to get rid of or prevent mouth odor.  Medically, mouthwash is recommended for a healthy dental routine and is not made to strictly take away a bad smell. 

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The issue that arises is when you use it too often in a day, it kills the good bacteria in your mouth that helps to regulate your blood pressure and insulin in your body system. If you keep overusing it, you can end up susceptible to diabetes. 

Carrying An Overweight Backpack 

If you keep waking up with aches and discomfort in your neck, back, shoulders, and even spine, you may need to check the weight of your backpack. It is normal to always want to carry a backpack, especially one that can fit all your stuff.

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We tend to always put what we don’t really need into it and keeping these items there for an unnecessary amount of time. To avoid having an overweight bag, learn to carry only the essentials to protect your back in the long run. 

Keeping Only Your Head Warm During A Cold Weather

During winter or any other cold period, we tend to just throw on a jacket and focus on keeping only our heads very warm. The idea behind this is that we believe that once our head is kept warm, the heat will spread to the rest of the body. 

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This is a myth and not a fact. You should keep your whole body warm; don’t just wear a hat or head warmer. You should wear a thick jacket, a pair of thick socks, and gloves to feel cozy, even if you are outside all day long. 

Pressing Your Smartphone Throughout The Day

The whole world is on social media these days, and technology has taken over how we go about our days. It has become the norm to constantly be fixed on our phones all day. Experts have talked about the advantages and disadvantages of this growing phenomenon. 

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One issue people don’t pay attention to is how it affects our posture. Many times, you have to tilt a bit over when using the phone, creating a bad posture and backaches. While it is impossible to stop being on your phone, take reasonable breaks from it. 

Overindulging Eating Snacks

Many people always find themselves snacking between meals just to avoid being hungry or binging later on in the day. You don’t have to snack on junk, like cookies, candies, and chips. Fruits are always available to snack on and are also a cheap option. 

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When you constantly snack on too much junk, you are opening the pathway for you to become unhealthy and gain weight. This also leads to bad habits. We’re not saying not to eat these things, but everything you eat should be in reasonable proportions. 

Having Little Or No Knowledge About Eating Etiquette 

Eating out in a restaurant or an outdoor event requires you to have knowledge about dining etiquette. Many of us have been taught at one point at the other, but it could still get confusing. We may even have issues with how to hold the fork and knife.

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When we are served different meal courses, the cutlery that we should use for each one may get confusing. It is best to learn dining etiquette as much as we can and also practice using them in real-time before you step out for that special dinner date. 

Leaving Online Shopping Sites Without Logging Out

Buying things online is always cheaper to a reasonable extent and also very easy. As advanced and as easy as technology is, it has its downsides. One of them is that people’s personal data and information can get hacked.

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The right thing to do after buying all you need from an online store is to log out after making your purchases. A lot of these online stores save your credit card and other personal information to which hackers can easily get access.

Taking Too Many Showers In A Day

As good as taking a shower is, enjoying too many of them in one day is not so good for your skin. You would end up drastically reducing the number of good bacteria needed on your body for it to function well and for your skin to renew itself. 

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Too many hot showers can cause breakouts like Eczema on your skin since hot water melts away the outer protection of your skin. It has been recommended by experts that you should bathe just once a day or even once every two days. 

Spending Too Much On Online Products

The temptation to always purchase things online instead of going to a physical store is very high in this day and age. We find it easier and faster to just browse the net for online stores and buy what we need. Most of these stores pose discounts and other enticing offers, which tend to attract us even more.

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If you sit down and actually calculate what you spend on purchasing these online products, you would realize that it is a lot of money. It is better to go into a physical store and spend a reasonable amount of money on what you need. 

Adding Your Washing Detergent Directly On Your Clothes

You’ll be surprised that not many people pay attention to how the detergent is added to their clothes when washing them. You should evenly distribute it by evenly pouring it and not just dumping it on a section of the clothes.

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If you are using a top loader washing machine, this concerns you. It is best if you allow your washing machine to run water into the clothes before you add the detergent to make sure that it’s evenly distributed throughout the load. 

Holding Back A Sneeze

Sneezing in public can be a bit embarrassing, especially when we are at a very important meeting or occasion or when we sneeze really loud. What many of us do is to try and hold back the sneeze and let it pass. 

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Doing this over time can cause damage to our diaphragms. Also, In the process of trying to hold it, a blood vessel can become ruptured. The best thing to do is get tissue paper and sneeze into it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is your body carrying out its normal function. 

Permanently Setting Your Fan To Blow In A Single Direction

Ceiling Fans help in cooling and warming your house both during winter and in summer. Many people do not know this. Most of us buy and install our ceiling fans to help circulate the air, so there is always a draft.

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How you position your fan to blow would determine if it would make the house cool or warm as well. To get a cooling effect, it should rotate anti-clockwise. To get a warming result, it should rotate in a clockwise direction.  

Keeping Your Dairy Products In Your Fridge Door

Storing our dairy products in the fridge by placing them in the door of the fridge seems like the right thing to do. However, the fridge door is the least cool compartment since it is constantly exposed to the warm draft of the kitchen.

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Your dairy products will spoil easily and faster when you place them in that compartment on the door. The best place to store your dairy products in your fridge is on the lower shelf, where it tends to stay cooler.

Holding Your Wine Glass With Your Palm

If you find yourself at dinner or any event where wine is being served, learn to hold your wine glass with your fingers. Even if it’s you sipping wine in your own house, the same applies. Because of the fragility of the wine glass, we always tend to hold and support it with our palms. 

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Holding your wine glass with your palms will make the contents of the glass warm up quicker than normal, and this may invariably affect the taste of the wine and even ruin it if you’re not careful. Use all your fingers to hold the stem of the glass to make sure it is stable.