Living in a city with such intense seasons, it becomes very apparent when winter is upon us.
The air is cold, the daylight too short, and the habits of baking and reading become more appealing than they did in July, when all you wanted to do was soak up the sunshine.Â
Social media, as always, can be counted on for trying to convince you that you need to add one more program, plan, or challenge to your schedule. This is what will give you true satisfaction. This is what will allow you to finally feel like you are “taking control of your life.” I have a few issues with this mentality.
First, I want to make it very clear that I do not think that there is anything implicitly wrong with taking on a challenge that focuses on healthy eating habits and daily movement. This is a great goal and very effective for some people. The concern I have with these types of branded challenges is that they are adaptations of social media, in that they are short, quick, and make you feel as though you have no choice but to do it. Social media feeds you discontentment and then sells you the “cure.” The goal needs to have a name, you need to video your progress, and you need to be seeing progress for it to be worth it at all.
It’s always all or nothing.
The truth is that it doesn’t need to be this way. If you want to make a real change, the most effective way is probably also the most boring way. Consistency, consistency, consistency. Plain and simple. Do it motivated and do it unmotivated. It doesn’t mean that your life will suddenly skyrocket into the land of success and fulfillment. It does mean, however, that you will create meaningful habits that will become a part of your life rather than short-term challenges that consume all your life. Lean into the season of warm fires and cozy baking. Integrate your goals into your life rather than integrating your life into someone else’s goals. Â
Social media is really good at getting us to be in a constant state of discouraged striving. You see all the influencers engaging in certain habits which leads you to feel discontent and perhaps think that if you also engage in the same habits, you will somehow feel better. The reality is, the creators of the content themselves are likely not content with life.
Reject the echo chambers demanding self-improvement at any cost and lean into the season slowly: embracing life while also creating healthy habits. But please do not become overwhelmed by the world of self-improvement because it will not satisfy you. Â