Real Simple 7.23.2026 Article

Most harmful habits don’t actually feel all that bad in the moment. Scrolling before bed—which, let’s be honest, most of us do—or skipping breakfast because you’re busy can seem harmless enough, especially when they feel so common. Sometimes a habit even feels helpful, like going out of your way to give a friend a ride to work or unloading all your frustrations on your spouse before bed.

The problem is that even well-intentioned habits can start working against you if you aren’t careful. These behaviors can chip away at your energy, mood, focus, relationships, and even your long-term health without you even realizing it. We asked experts across several fields to share the “harmless” habits they wish more people would break, why they often backfire, and what to do instead.

Meet the Experts

• Alexandra Foglia, DMFT, marriage and family therapist and director of family programs at All in Solutions
• Andrea Marcellus, fitness expert and founder of AND/life
• Moriah O’Barr, PsyD, psychologist and co-clinical director at Cultivating Courage Psychological Services
• Arkadiy Volkov, RP, psychotherapist and clinic director at Feel Your Way Therapy

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Labeling Food as Good or Bad

With diet culture everywhere, we are constantly labeling food as good or bad. For example: strawberries good, white bread bad. But you’re missing a lot of nuance when you do this, and at worst, you could be fueling an eating disorder. 

“Food is food, and something our bodies utilize for sustenance,” says Moriah O’Barr, PsyD, psychologist and co-clinical director of Cultivating Courage Psychological Services. “Labeling food, or putting judgment on food, sets you up for feelings of guilt and shame. This guilt and shame can be extremely harmful by slowly eroding away your relationship with your body.” 

Most people don’t even realize that they have fallen into this habit. But according to O’Barr, one of the most realistic ways to change this behavior is to change how you talk or think about food. “When you notice yourself using language of good or bad, notice it, and rework your thoughts to drop the judgment about the food,” she says. 

Skipping Meals

You also don’t want to regularly skip meals like breakfast to save room for a “special” meal later that day. “I’m sure you’ve heard it before, especially around holidays,” O’Barr says. “Skipping a meal communicates to your body that its signals of hunger are not important, rupturing this line of important communication.” This habit can also set you up to eat past fullness, which can lead to feeling unwell and skipping even more meals or snacks. 

“This one choice has now created a rippling effect of disruption to eating patterns,” O’Barr says. “Our bodies love consistency and predictability. It needs food regularly to optimally perform.” The ideal way to break this habit is to always listen to your hunger cues and eat the usual three meals plus snacks daily, regardless.