The 19 Mental Wastes You Need to Overcome to Take Control of Your Emotions, Mind, and Life

Noam LightstoneSelf-Improvement Leave a Comment

There are things that you’re doing that are draining you of life.

In fact, they’re slowly killing you.

You’re probably doing some of them right now, you did some yesterday, and you’ll keep doing them unless you break out of the mindless sleep you’ve fallen in to.

Because of traumas from your past, you’ve developed habits and mental wastes that keep you safe from:

  1. Bad feelings.
  2. Troubling past events from supposedly happening again.
  3. Things you just don’t want to deal with.

But with awareness, you can change.

Here are 19 mental wastes you need to conquer to wake up from that sleep and be happy:

1. Regret

Feeling sad that you missed out on or didn’t do something. Feeling bad about a decision you made.

2. Remembering

Continuously living in the past and “good times.” Refusing to move on.

3. Projection, Fortune Telling, and Fantasy

Trying to predict what will happen, day dreaming, thinking about how bad an event could be.

4. Fear

The general state of feeling scared when attempting to do something. Or, refusing to do something at all because of the troublesome feelings.

5. Anxiety and Worry

Predicting negative outcomes in the future and a general state of negative thinking.

6. Complaining

Thinking things SHOULD be different. Refusing to accept what is in front of you, instead of taking action to change things if possible.

7. Excuses

Making reasons why you can’t or won’t do something.

8. Churning and Spiraling

Continuously multiplying your thoughts, staying stuck in your head, ruminating.

9. Trying to Remember Everything

Thinking that you can keep everything organized in your head, leading to excessive stress, and forgetting important items.

10. Jealousy and Envy

Feeling anger or hatred towards someone who has something that you want but haven’t obtained yet.

11. Perfectionism

Thinking something has to be PERFECT and refusing to move on, take action, or release or do something until that thing is up to an arbitrary (unattainable) standard.

12. Procrastination

The act of filling time with busy work or time-wasting activities instead of doing what needs to be done.

13. Self-Criticism and Negative Self-Talk

Talking harshly to yourself and being self-critical, finding flaws about yourself no matter what. Assuming you will always screw up and fail.

14. Blame

When something goes wrong, moving the fault to anyone but yourself.

15. Pessimism, Negative Thinking, and Limiting Beliefs

Always assuming and focusing on the negative in a situation. Being chained down by beliefs in the world that do not serve you.

16. Guessing What Someone Is Thinking About You and Trying to Please Others

Assuming you can predict how someone feels about you and trying to do everything to make others happy, even if it is at the cost of your own needs.

17. Assuming the Present Will Never Change and Over-Identifying with It

Becoming extremely sensitive to acute emotions or events in the present and making a huge deal, versus knowing that all things will end and change.

18. Comparing Yourself to Others

The act of comparing your physical or mental attributes, life events, or possessions to that of someone else.

19. Rushing

Moving from one thing to the next either in work, relationships, events, and in general, in life, without stopping or being able to appreciate what is in front of you.


Nobody’s perfect and each of us will do these things from time to time, but the point is to eliminate them as much as possible.

You can become aware of how you’re shooting yourself in your own foot, stopping your own progress, or limiting your potential of achieving more.

As you do this, you’ll significantly relieve yourself of useless stress, anxiety, and sadness.

To do so, you’ll need to learn new habits and tools to eliminate each of these mental wastes and root them out, which is why I wrote Mastery Of The Mind for you. Learn more here.

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