IT’S A BAD HABIT. If you know something is bad for you, why don’t you stop doing it? We all have bad habits, such as sleeping less than 8 hours a night, binge eating, excessive money spending, etc. When asked what his bad habit was, eighth grader Rilo Shill replied, “My bad habit is chewing my fingernails. It started happening when I was around 7 years old and it hasn’t stopped.” Chewing fingernails could be considered a bad habit because it can bring germs into your mouth. However, bad habits release a chemical in our brain called dopamine. That is why we enjoy doing bad things.
“My bad habit started when I was about the age of ten, eating a little bit too much and not eating enough the next day. Although I continue to do it, I think it is pretty unhealthy. It’s definitely a little harder to break than all my other habits,” said Connor Buskirk, freshman. It is not easy to break habits because the routines can become hardwired into our brains.
Another bad habit is being over using social media. Too much screen time is considered a shared bad habit amongst teenagers. More than 45% of high school students are addicted to their phone. The brain's reward center keeps us craving the things we are trying very hard to resist. But how do you cut back? Adam Schreiner, P. E. teacher for Valley Heights offers this piece of advice, "If you have fifteen minutes of "bored" time it can help reduce how long you are on your phone and you mght just decide to do something instead."
Article by Kadence Pierson