There is only so much introspective work you can do.
I could walk around with this phrase in bold letters and stamped on my forehead.
I should make those artsy wavy letter sweatshirts that I see all of the time with a big smiley face on them promoting some small optimistic phrase.
But no, that would be contributing to the problem.
There are so many “wellness” routines, hacks, lifestyles, programs, brands, campaigns, you name it, surrounding us these days it is crazy-making.
What does wellness even mean? Keeping yourself alive? Not falling into a pit of despair?
If that is the case, I think that it is the most genius, evil and marketable idea that humans have ever had.
No duh, we all want to be “well.”
At what point does it turn into overcompensating for just being a human?
What I mean by this is that I feel there is a point where we just have to shut out all of the hoopla about what can improve our lives and just be okay with living.
I swear I am not just a pessimist in this stance. I think that some things are really helpful about this trend as well.
But, as someone who is very impressionable, it leaves me feeling like I will never have the ideal level of wellness that I want.
I know that is the point of it all or else it would not have taken off as it has.
I have read probably hundreds of self-help books, I’ve bought the trendy planner, I’ve started the meditation subscription, I’ve subscribed to the email chains, I have even bought the wavy-lettered sweatshirt (shhhhh), and in the end, I feel the same as I did before.
It always ends this way except for a brief feeling of bliss and put-togetherness.
That is how they get you.
There is something about it that is so debilitating as well.
It makes it seem like the constant that you have going will never be enough.
I pose a question, what if we just feel like we need to attend to our own wellness because all of this noise is making us think we need to?
I have really taken this question seriously.
I apologize, but I do not have any room in my life to feel sh*tty about myself and how I run.
Actually, I don’t apologize.
It takes a lot to not be swayed by the factors that are in your face in EVERY aspect of your life.
We all know it and we all live it.
This is a hard truth and one that takes practice to adopt, but it is worth everything to not feel like there is a constant improvement to be made about something so unpredictable, whirling and beautiful as life.
As I reflect on this journey of navigating the tumultuous sea of wellness trends and self-help mantras, I am reminded of a simple truth.
There is only so much introspective work one can do before it transforms into a relentless pursuit of an unattainable ideal.