When Good Habits Go Bad

“It is possible to have too much of a good thing“. – Aesop

I used to be firmly in camp “some is good, more is better.”
Like, a 15 minute workout is good, but a 45 minute workout is better!

It took me a long time to come around to see that a lot of my good habits were dose dependent—the right amount can bring about fantastic results, but more effort/time doesn’t always bring more or better results.

In fact, for some things, the old Brylcreem slogan had it right:
“A little dab will do ya.”

Hormesis is a concept in toxicology and biology that essentially says: “The dose makes the poison.”

The idea is simple: the amount of something can make it medicine or a mess. If we take too much, we can end up doing more harm than good.

Sometimes the harm is just time wasted. The law of diminishing returns means that after a certain point, putting in more effort gives you less and less payoff. But it’s not always just wasted effort—sometimes going too far can actually cause real physical, mental, or emotional damage.

Now, I’m not suggesting you should avoid pushing yourself or that discomfort is always bad. Building good habits requires effort and yes, sometimes it’s uncomfortable. The key is learning to distinguish between productive challenge and counterproductive excess.

Image by wirestock on Freepik

Here are a few good habits that can do more harm than good when we go too far.

1. Exercise
I am a huge proponent of exercise. So much so that I got certified as a personal trainer. The benefits are a laundry list that covers a range of physical and mental wins—think better sleep, sharper focus, and less stress.

However, there looms the dark spectre: Overtraining syndrome. Exercise is what we consider a good stress: it stresses the body in the short term, and we come back better and stronger when we recover.

But if we go too hard, too fast, too long, all those benefits start to drop off.
Common signs include:

Feeling constantly tired, even after rest
More frequent injuries or sore muscles that won’t heal
Trouble sleeping or restless nights
Drop in performance despite training hard

A simple way to put it: if your workouts start leaving you more drained than energized, and rest doesn’t fix it, you might be in overtraining territory.

2. Nutrition
Eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet is a cornerstone of health and critical for managing stress. However, “clean eating” can have a dark side too. In fact it has a name: Orthorexia.

Orthorexia is when healthy eating goes too far—when you get so focused on only eating “clean” foods that it starts causing stress and doing more harm than good.

Common signs include:

Spending lots of time worrying about whether food is “clean” enough
Cutting out more and more foods or entire food groups
Feeling anxious or guilty if you eat something “unhealthy”
Struggling to enjoy meals with others because the food doesn’t feel “safe”

It’s when food rules take over your peace of mind and make eating stressful instead of enjoyable.

3. Sleep
Getting 7–9 hours per night improves energy, mood, and cognition. Sleep is one of the body’s best stress relievers—it lowers cortisol and gives your brain time to reset.

However, the science shows that more than the base amount can actually increase fatigue. Just like too little sleep, getting too much (regularly more than 9 hours) can sometimes signal that something else is going on.

Common signs of oversleeping:

Grogginess and brain fog when you wake up
Low energy throughout the day
Headaches or body aches from being in bed too long
Mood changes — feeling more irritable or down

In some cases, oversleeping can be linked to things like depression or sleep apnea.

4. Hydration
Haha I can still hear the Seinfeld joke: “You gotta hydrate Jerry!” And of course, it’s true. Staying hydrated supports digestion, skin health, and energy. Hydration is important for stress management too because even mild dehydration can raise cortisol, sap your energy, and make it harder to stay calm and focused.

But drinking too much water at once can actually be dangerous.

I learned this the hard way when I suffered a very unpleasant condition: Water intoxication (hyponatremia). I had consumed roughly 4 litres in a short period. At first I felt fine, then threw up a little water. It wasn’t until later, on a very awkward first date, when I started going in and out of consciousness at the movie theatre. Terrifying—and I didn’t even know this was a health risk.

For most people, more than 3–4 liters in just a few hours can be risky.
Signs include: headache, nausea, confusion, and in severe cases: seizures or coma.

5. Mental Health Practices
I’ve spent hours learning meditation, journaling, mindfulness, and more. I believe that working on your own shit is the best thing you can do for yourself and the people you love.

But even here, there is a line.

When we become overly focused on “fixing” ourselves, we can forget to live.

Warning signs when self-improvement backfires:

You feel anxious or guilty when you miss a meditation, journaling or yoga session
You’re constantly chasing the “perfect” version of yourself and nothing feels good enough
You prioritize personal growth practices over spending time with loved ones
Practices meant to reduce stress actually become sources of stress

You are not a problem to be fixed. Sure there are things you can work on, but we don’t want to miss the forest for the trees.

Important note: If you recognize several of these warning signs in your own life, consider talking to a healthcare professional. I’m sharing what to watch for, not providing medical advice.

Know Yourself

Of course, some people struggle more with consistency than excess. If you’re someone who has trouble sticking to habits at all, focus on building the routine first. This advice is for when good habits start feeling like a burden rather than a benefit.

Finding the Right Dose

I truly believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to anything. Finding the right balance for you will be an individual experiment.

Start by asking yourself: Does this habit still serve me, or am I serving it?

Pay attention to how you feel – if a habit energizes you and feels sustainable, you’re probably in the sweet spot. If it starts feeling like a chore or leaves you drained, that’s your cue to dial it back.

However, if all else fails just remember:
Sometimes a little dab’ll do ya.

Ditch Stress