Must Read: 30 Toxic Habits To Let Go Of Before You Turn 30

What are human beings if not a knotted bundle of strange disarray, toxic habits and self-doubt? Our individual journeys of empowerment are far from being as straightforward as we would like them to be. But as social creatures, we never stop growing. Constant self-improvement is what we strive for in life as we go along picking up new knowledge that finetunes our belief systems into something more evolved.

For women, especially, the road to redeeming ourselves is a rocky one since it is peppered with patriarchal paraphernalia that hampers the total realisation of our dreams and lives. In running the obstacle course of oppression, women but naturally pick up on social conditioning, learned behaviours, self-harming sexism that constricts them within a bubble that echoes they are not good enough. They will never be good enough.

As we take on years and maturity kicks in, we sure shed some of these toxic habits we have picked up. But it's all potluck. You drop some, you keep some. After all, patriarchy is a culture we're brought into and brought up in as a natural way of the world. And is it ever easy to let go of something as ingrained as that all at once?

It's a process, one that we can slowly but surely chip away at till it erodes.

Start Your Journey Here: Toxic Habits You'll Be Better Off Without

1. Internalised misogyny

2. The pressure of log kya kahenge 

3. Defining yourself within society's limited beauty standards

4. Self-censoring your thoughts for fear of criticism

5. Relying on a man for your financial needs

6. Limiting your dreams within gendered boxes

7. Relationships that aren't helping you grow

8. Denying your body the space to feel pain to avoid appearing 'weak'

9. Indulging in hustle culture without pausing for rest

10. Not eating that slice of pizza you so want, fearing weight gain

11. Comparing your accomplishments to other women's

12. Not being able to say NO

13. Estimating your worth basis patriarchal standards

14. Letting friends and partners walk over you

15. Turning babysitter or therapist for toxic men

16. Unwilling to learn from mistakes to be a better feminist

17. Thinking you don't deserve pleasure in bed

18. Not seeking mental health help when you need it

19. Allowing people to &t=4s">gaslight you, your life, your choices

20. Trying to control and get everyone to like you

21. Invalidating your own emotions before someone else does it

22. Negative self-talk punching yourself down

23. Feeling shame in asking for equal pay at work

24. Thinking of marriage as a backup plan in case career doesn't work out

25. Not calling out gender inequality among family

26. Valuing other people's opinion of you more than necessary

27. Earning validation through likes on social media

28. Feeling guilty while reclaiming your rights

29. Living by double standards of gender

30. Under-estimating your value at the workplace

Views expressed are the author's own. 

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