You’re Doing Wellness Wrong
Coconut oil will kill you.
Yep, that innocent plant-based oil from the tropics is definitely going to kill you.
But wait, hold up, actually coconut oil is full of healthy fats and you should put it in everything.
Definitely workout to get your heart rate up every day, though, and be sure it’s high intensity training because that’s the best way to lose weight and live longer.
No, scratch that, working out too hard will spike your cortisol levels and send you into adrenal fatigue.
On second thought, it’s actually eggs that are actually the killers.
No, that’s not right, eggs are amazing.
Eat them all the time. But only if they’re pastured. And organic.
For sure, though, never leave the house without sunscreen.
Actually, no, sunscreen is laden with harmful chemicals and you should skip it in favor of getting some vitamin D.
If anything, though, intermittent fasting is the way to go, it will cure all that ails you.
Nope, wrong again, intermittent fasting is dangerous and should be avoided at all cost.
Of course, definitely, one hundred percent, eat more vegetables.
But not canned, they might contain harmful BPA. And only organic. And local. And from the farmer’s market.
Don’t forget your reusable bags.
Absolutely eat grass-fed beef. Humans are omnivores and need high quality animal protein.
Wrong. Plant-based is the way to go. Any other option will kill you, and the planet, too.
Whew. Who knew wellness was so impossible?
And this, this is just a tiny sampling of the steady stream of conflicting wellness advice that is sprayed across the Internet on a daily basis.
By now it should be plainly obvious: You’re getting it wrong. Daily. Just like I am.
But that’s the point.
There’s simply no way to do this perfectly.
Seriously, let that sink in.
The idea that if you try harder, get more discipline, find more motivation, then you can finally win at wellness?
That if you push hard enough, listen to all the experts, then, and only then, you’ll finally be able to get it all right, figure out the perfect diet/workout/meal plan, and find the time to fit it all into your already very full, responsibility-laden life?
Yeah. That’s a lie. A big, fat lie.
No matter how many vitamins you swallow, wellness gurus you follow, fitness trends you adopt, or fad diets you try, there will always be mistakes in the process.
Which is totally fine. Because you are human.
And If you hit pause for just a second, this is something you probably already know intuitively.
Because being human means making mistakes.
Trying something, failing, learning, switching things up, trying again.
This mistake thing is part of life for all of us.
We are all here, trying to do the best we can, making mistakes, and figuring it out as we go.
And no matter how many books you read, plans you commit to, or gyms you join, there will never be just one right way.
This is the problem with wellness right now.
When we put striving for impossible ideals over true health, when we forsake progress and process in favor of perfection, when we try to follow every trend perfectly, then the pursuit of wellness is in itself unwell.
Caught up in perfect ideals, all-or-nothing thinking, and comparison, there is no winning.
And the striving leaves us completely miserable in the process.
Simply put: Wellness shouldn’t make you feel bad. It’s as simple as that.
It’s time for a change.
There’s far too much at stake here–your health, happiness, and well-being–to let guilt, perfection, and all-or-nothing get in the way.
Perfect is simply not an option. It never was.
To be clear, I’m not saying to stop trying, learning, or growing.
I’m just saying stop trying to get it perfect.
It’s time to stop feeling guilty about the impossible situation you’re in.
To stop trying to get it exactly right, and instead to figure out how to make wellness work your way.
To lean out of wellness as another set of impossible standards.
So let’s get it wrong together.
Make a million tiny mistakes. Experiment. Take a few risks.
Own wellness as a set of practices that actually works for us.
We can absolutely reject wellness guilt and lean into a different way.
You can get wellness right, in your way, on your terms.
Fill your life with imperfect wellness, and watch how every single thing begins to change.
So no, you’re not getting it wrong. You’re getting it exactly right.
