Are Your Daily Comforts Actually Low-Grade Addictions? What I Discovered About Mine

“Are you having another cheat day?” asked my health-conscious teenager when he caught me eating a strawberry cake.

“Yes”, I said. I needed it to deal with the stress of parenting, work, and other things.

He looked at me compassionately and replied, “Find another way to cope with stress.”

Find another way? These are simple but powerful words. That moment stayed with me.

It made me think about the habits I’ve formed. The ones that feel comforting at the moment but aren’t serving me well in the long run.

I started to realize that these aren’t just habits; they are low-grade addictions. Some have been with me for years, while others have crept in more recently.

Here are a few I’m wrestling with. Maybe some will resonate with you, too:

1. When Food Becomes Emotional Support

Over the past few years, I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight. Working from home, ordering in, relocating to a new state, and shifting careers contributed to it.

Even though I have a strong set of healthy habits I rely on like meditation, yoga, and workouts – I still turn to DoorDash when things get tough. It hit me recently – I haven’t hired a therapist to help with stress—I’ve hired Uber Eats and DoorDash.

As long as I rely on food to support me during difficult days, it will be hard to break the cycle. No amount of exercise can undo the effects of regular emotional eating.

2. Unwinding or Avoiding? My TV Habit

I love watching movies and TV shows. It’s a window into other cultures and is great for learning new languages.

No matter how my day was, watching TV for a few minutes has become my go-to relaxing method. I realized this is another one of those low-grade addictions – something I became dependent on as a daily activity. Occasional binge-watching steals precious time if I am not careful.

It has also become a tool to procrastinate and avoid important work that I need to do. Occasionally, I go through a screen detox where I stay away from TV on weekdays, but life keeps bringing me back to it.

3. The Compulsive Check

How many times a day do you check your email and other social media? I open my email, LinkedIn, and Substack multiple times a day. Am I waiting for something critical? No. It’s one of those habitual things you do out of compulsion.

Breaking Free from the Loop

I don’t have all the answers. As you can see, I’m still in it.

I don’t want to eliminate everything. I’ll still watch TV. I’ll still eat dessert. But I want to do it from a place of choice, not compulsion.

I am on the first step toward change – having awareness and recognizing my patterns. Each day, I try to find better ways to cope with stress, as my son suggested. I continue to learn what my mind and body need to live a healthy life and incorporate these into my life – whether on food or screen time.

How about you? What quiet habits have you formed over the years?

What do you turn to—not out of joy but of avoidance?

I would love to hear your story.