Most people have at least one pet peeve. If you give it some thought, you should be able to think of one thing that other people do which really annoys you.
Sure, every person is different, so the bad habits that annoy you most might not bother your friend or coworker. However, there are definitely certain bad habits that are annoying to large numbers of people.
1. Nose picking
Everyone picks their nose at times. Not everyone picks their nose in a public place where others might see them, though. Many people really dislike seeing someone pick their nose. It is particularly offensive when the nose picker picks with relish, as though they were embarking on an exploring expedition to some unknown land.
If you need to pick your nose, do it in private to avoid upsetting those around you. Bear in mind that your car is not a public place. If you decide to pick your nose while commuting, people in other vehicles on the freeway will see you digging for gold.
2. Nail biting
Perhaps it was my worst habit, but thanks God I managed to kick it. My fingernails were always short and made my small hands look tiny.
One of the best tips to help with this habit is to paint your nails. If your nails have pretty polish on them you are less likely to bite them. If you do not use nail polish, then try to use special anti-bite and nail growth nail polish from the drugstore.
3. Gross eating
A lot of people cannot abide bad table manners. They get offended if someone chews with their mouth open, talks while eating, clangs the cutlery against their teeth, or makes vile noises when masticating.
No one wants to hear the noise of food slopping around inside your mouth or listen to a sound that is reminiscent of someone stirring a pot of soggy semolina. Nothing you have to say is so important that it justifies showing other people the chewed piece of steak you are currently attempting to eat. If you are eating in the presence of other people, it is worth using some manners if you do not want to annoy anyone.
4. Eating junk food
We all know junk food is not healthy, but we continue to eat it. Once in a while, it is not bad to eat junk food, but if you eat it every day, you will not only put on weight, but also feel much slower and you might even have a stomach pain. This is one of the bad habits you need to break.
5. Snacking
If you are snacking when you are bored, having any reason besides being hungry, or nothing better to do, this can also be a bad habit. Limit your snacking to one or two times a day, and try also to limit the amount of food you usually snack on. Never eat any snack food out of a box and always be aware of your food choices when snacking.
More: 15 Healthy Snacks to Tame Your Sweet Tooth
6. Repetitive noises
Some people have a bad habit of making some kind of repetitive noise. For instance, you might tap your foot, flick your teeth, hit your pen against the side of the desk, sniff, or make a funny throat clearing sound.
If a person has to listen to another individual make the same noise again and again day after day, it can start to get on their nerves fairly quickly. The repetitive noise you like to make may comfort you on a subconscious level, but it is not soothing for anyone else.
7. Picking your split ends
While this habit seems entertaining at the time, you are doing a terrible damage to your hair. When you pick at your split ends, they split more that will make all your hair split. Moreover, you are ruining the strand from tip to root so it will take a while to get your hair to repair the damage.
8. Stinking farts
Everyone has to pass gas at some point, but that does not mean that other people want to smell the contents of your colon. No one likes to smell a fart. This is particularly true of a fart that is smelled in the public domain.
Nothing is worse than walking down the aisle in a department store and finding yourself immersed in a cloud of someone else’s ghastly rectal gas, or standing in an elevator that smells like a recently-used toilet. If you have to break the wind and you know you are probably going to stink, go to the bathroom or at least do it in an empty space.
9. Saying the word “like”
This is another bad habit you need to break since it can make you look somewhat stupid and never helps you in your workplace. I know it is not easy to stop saying the word “like,” but try to be aware of how often you say it.
10. Constant interruptions
Some people just love to talk. They love to talk so much that they cannot let anyone else finish a sentence, or watch a movie in peace. When you are trying to say something and someone else cuts in all of the time, it gets annoying very quickly.
If you interrupt someone in mid-sentence, you might as well tell them to shut up because what you have to say is more interesting. When you talk during a movie, you stop other viewers from being able to relax and enjoy it. Is what you have to say really so important that it is worth annoying others and giving the impression that you are thoroughly rude
11. Lying
You might think a white lie is not too bad, but it can actually become a habit. When you are constantly lying, people can stop trusting you, since they will not know when your white lies end. Always tell the truth in every situation. After all, people may thank you for your truthfulness rather than you telling them that little white lies.
More: 10 Common Misbeliefs about Women
12. Shouting down the cell phone
Cell phone technology is not new. It is now unusual not to have a cell phone. Thus most people have encountered at least one individual with an inclination to shout conversations down their cell phone while in a public setting such as an airport departure lounge or a restaurant.
Cell phone shouters can be very irritating when you are trying to relax and enjoy your day. It almost seems as though they think their personal business is so enthralling that everyone wants to hear about it when the truth is that no one else cares.
When you must answer your cell phone in public, try to move to a quieter setting. For instance, if you are in a restaurant, go outside to take your call. If you cannot go anywhere else, at least try to keep your voice down.
13. Mindless chatter
There are some people who are obviously uncomfortable with silence. In fact, silence makes them feel so uneasy that they feel compelled to fill it with the sound of their own voice, even though they don’t have anything remotely important or significant to say.
For a person that likes their own space and reverse peace and tranquility, such mindless chatter can be incredibly vexing. If you sometimes feel inclined to converse about nothing in particular or repeat something you said ten minutes ago just because nobody has said anything for a while, then don’t. Go and read a book or find something else to do. There is such a thing as companionable silence.
14. Staying up too late
No matter how difficult it can be, it is one of the worst habits you need to break, especially if you don’t live alone. You know your body needs 7-8 hours of a sleep per night in order to function properly.
And if you are staying up too late and waking up early in the morning for a class or a work, it is not possible to get that amount of sleep. Make sure you plan your schedule so you do not stay up too late.
We all have both good and bad habits. However, some of them are so annoying that people might simply start avoiding hanging out with you. Pay a closer attention to your habits and make sure you eliminate the worst ones.
