The McNicholas Milestone

Everyone has bad habits, whether it’s putting things off until the last minute, or staying up too late at night and not getting enough sleep. With the new year, it can also be a good time to shed some of those bad habits. If you can shed some of these 5 habits, chances are 2025 will be one of your best years ever. 

1. Phone scrolling: Have you ever started watching TikTok or other reels, and then when you look at the time, it’s been several hours? This is one thing that we all have been guilty of at least once. It takes time away from our days when we could be doing something productive, and also, sometimes gets in the way of our work. “I just have time I could be spending doing other useful things, and sometimes I have to stay up later doing my homework because I’ve been scrolling for so long” sophomore Ryan Koch said. Also, reels can do real damage to your brain, affecting attention span, cognitive load, concentration, and other neurobiological effects such as over release of dopamine (IJIP). This is how an addiction is formed. Dopamine is a part of the body’s reward system. It gives you a good feeling when you achieve the release of it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in our reward system”. By providing a constant stream of stimulating content, it releases dopamine into your system, giving you a feeling of pleasure. This can cause you to want more and more, until you can’t stop, and it creates an addiction. Even partially cutting yourself reels would not only help you spend your time better, but it could also normalize your dopamine levels. Cleveland Clinic – “As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in our reward system.” By providing a constant stream of stimulating content, it releases dopamine into your system, giving you a feeling of pleasure. This can cause you to want more and more, until you can’t stop, and it creates an addiction. Even partially cutting yourself reels would not only help you spend your time better, but it could also normalize your dopamine levels.  

2. Procrastination: Procrastination is when you put off things until the last minute, and it can be one of the most dangerous habits to have. It can create extreme stress once it finally reaches the time to do it, and it can also cause you to not end up finishing everything you were hoping to accomplish. It’s something that we all struggle with, and it takes hard work to actually get yourself to do it, but it can have positive effects if you just do what you need to do early. 

3. Spending free time: As the world modernizes, we now have more time for leisure activities, but it’s important how we use that time. Instead of playing video games for 4+ hours a day on weekends, maybe just play for 1 hour and then spend the other hours doing something else. Try going outside, taking a walk or hike, practicing for a sport, or completing homework. Take the extra time you have and use it to better yourself. There are many productive things we could be doing rather than wasting away doing sedentary activities. 

4. Going to bed late: Many people, especially teens, regularly go to bed very late at night. The typical time a teen goes to bed is 11 p.m. or later, according to the Child Mind Institute. According to Harvard Medical School, “Only about half of them (teens) regularly get more than seven hours of sleep, with older teens sleeping less than younger ones — which, given that the recommended amount is eight to 10 hours, is bad news.” This is indeed bad news, as chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and mood swings. It also increases your chances of getting heart disease, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. It also ruins your focus. But it is also not entirely your fault. Many people are forced to work late into the night to finish homework or for their jobs. Others simply are over scheduled, and many schools start prior to 8 a.m.. McNicholas High School, for example, starts class at 7:40 a.m. This makes many students must get up for school prior to 7:00 a.m., with some having to commute from distances ranging from 30 minutes to an hour, making them have to get up even earlier. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Something that could change is the time you choose to go to bed. Give yourself a bedtime if your parents haven’t already given you one and make it your goal to go to bed at that time, at least during the week. Allow yourself to be accountable, and your body will thank you. 

5. Eating unhealthy food: In our country, “junk food” is a very big problem to our national health. According to the CDC, 41.9 percent of Americans adults are obese, and 9.2 percent are severely obese. Additionally, the CDC reports that “14.7 million US youths aged 2-19 have obesity.” This is why it is important to make good decisions about what you eat. That bag of Doritos in the pantry may taste good now, but it’s not worth it. And it becomes another issue for athletes. A large portion of the McNicholas student body are athletes, and eating bad food can have a negative effect on your sports performance. “As a football player, I can’t have the mindset going into the new year eating whatever I want, by eating stuff that’s high in sugar and high in fat, I can’t wake up the next morning expecting results,” said sophomore Ben Tucker. You can’t expect results if you do nothing with your diet. 

To round off this list it is important to remember that all of these things aren’t bad, as long as they are in moderation. It’s okay to enjoy watching reels, as long as you don’t end up watching them for hours. It’s also okay to put off things for a couple of days, as long as you don’t wait until the night before it’s due. It’s also okay to play video games or watch TV for a little while, if it also doesn’t turn into your entire day. The same goes with going to bed late, which is okay every once and awhile, but if it’s every night, that’s where the problems arise. Finally, even junk food can be acceptable once and awhile. It’s okay to have a candy bar every now and then, if you don’t overdo it. Leaving these habits behind in 2024 as we move to 2025, or at least doing them in moderation, will have your body thanking you for it.