Lifestyle is the overall pattern of decisions and behaviours that determine a person’s health and quality of life. The modern lifestyle of excesses in eating, drinking, and the fast-paced good life has led to the violation of basic principles of health regarding what we eat, think, or do with our lives.

Stressed individuals often develop poor nutritional habits, sleep less, and engage in health-risking behaviours like smoking and alcohol abuse. These behaviours act as unhealthy escape routes to handle stress.

The primary reason we are unable to change our behaviour is that these health impairing behaviours develop gradually. They are accompanied by pleasant experiences temporarily, which reinforces the negative behaviour and makes it difficult to quit.

Furthermore, we tend to ignore their long-term damaging effects and underestimate the risk they pose to our lives. Because the severe negative consequences, such as cancer and coronary heart disease, take time to manifest, the immediate temporary relief or pleasure outweighs the perceived future threat in our minds, preventing us from changing our behaviour.