We've Lost the Plot
a ramble about the current state of health and wellness
I have luckily found my little corner of the internet where I feel safe — but honestly, a lot of the time when I log on the internet is a place based in fear and stress. I log on and almost immediately see 5 things in my life that are causing cancer, that a bulk of my diet is actually horrible for me, that the way I conduct my exercise and morning routine isn’t actually good. Like ????? It is insane. & IT IS EXHAUSTING.
I understand why so many people are so turned off by health and wellness because it has become this unattainable thing. Impossible to keep up with. It has become all about restriction and fear. But I promise you, that is not what health and wellness truly is. I have learned that 99.999999% of what I see on the internet is noise.
It seems like the internet loves to tell you that everything in your life causes health issues. The crazy irony of it all is that you know what causes health issues more than anything else? Fear. Stress. The probability of that thing causing a health issue may be lower than the stress you’re putting on yourself about fearing that thing.
Let’s talk about the blue zones for a second….The hubs for longevity. Where people seem to live the longest and happiest lives. Yes we can talk about what they eat — but I believe what we really need to look at is the way they live their lives. They aren’t constantly stressed that the food that they are eating is causing cancer, instead they source local food, cook it with love and joy, and eat it with gratitude and presence. They aren’t overanalyzing everything that may have toxins and letting that guide their lives. Instead they are living their lives: spending time with family, spending time outside in nature, keeping to the routines that bring them joy and peace. Going back to the basics.
What if we just said fuck it — and lived presently and enjoyed our lives without the noise. Instead — we tuned into our own bodies. Found what brings us true joy and energy and peace. Made decisions with that in mind.
I am all about educating ourselves. But there is a big difference in learning something out of curiosity, and learning something and obsessing over that thing — allowing it to take control of your life. I’ve been there. Letting fear and stress take place of learning, and from personal experience I can tell you it did no good. I now am able to learn with curiosity, take what I like and leave what I don’t depending on how it makes me feel. I can accept it from a place of abundance, let it better and enhance my life. Or I can let it go. But I will not let it control me with fear and stress, that is not an option.
Health is not based in fear and stress. Health should feel freeing, it should be abundance. It should be ADDING things in to make life better, not cutting things out to make it more stressful.
The key is to stop outsourcing for all of your information, and start listening to your own inner voice. Begin to rebuild trust with your mind and body. Allow yourself to be inspired and curious by others, but don’t allow that to control you. Find what works for you. Take what you want, leave what you don’t. Find your unique health — because it is different from everyone else’s.
Health isn’t as black and white as it seems. Think about it this way. There are two people, person A and person B.
Person A: This person is hyper aware of everything that they put into their bodies. They decline going out to dinner with friends because they fear the ingredients on the menu. They have their alarm set every morning at the same time to do their 20 step morning routine. They wait until 12 every day to eat even though they wake up hungry — because intermittent fasting. They get up every day to workout not because of the way it makes them feel but because they believe they have to to stay fit and healthy. They bring their own food to Thanksgiving dinner because over time they’ve decided their family recipes contain ingredients that are toxic.
Person B: This person consistently nourishes their body. They usually buy seasonal and local produce and cook at home because they enjoy it and it makes them feel happy and nourished. They love to go out to dinner with friends and enjoy a drink and a meal and lots of laughs. They love to enjoy a slow morning, drinking their favorite warm tea and reading in bed. When they wake up hungry they make something that they are craving. They are active, trying to walk most places and stretch daily, but they often take days off when they are tired to rest and recharge, or just to lay in the sun and have a picnic. Their family recipes mean more to them than the ingredients — they are filled with love, nostalgia, memories and connection. They love hearing the stories about how they came to be around the Thanksgiving table.
Person A does things because they feel like they have to. They feel like that is what is healthy — they fear and are stressed about the inverse. Person B does things with intention based on how they are feeling, they listen to their body and make decisions based on that. One is based in rigidity and rules and one has more flow, living slow and present. Savoring and enjoying. BTW — this is a perfect example of if you are person A and feel good then FUCK YES. KEEP DOING THAT. Who tf am I to tell you what is better and what to do??? NO one. You know your body best. You know yourself best. I tend to find myself in between both. Trying to strike a good balance.
It is important to do things with intention. I think we let this noise of health and wellness overtake our minds. We start thinking with the mindset of restriction, scarcity, fear and stress because “health” — when in reality that is no intention at all.
The intention of health should be to feel nourished, safe, at peace, happy and healthy. When making decisions when it comes to health, tune into how those decisions make you feel and tune out all the rest. Let that intention guide you.
It should not be confusing. It should not be so stressful. Health should feel good. Health should allow us to thrive in our own bodies, and give us the opportunity to truly enjoy life and living.
We want to be healthy so that we can enjoy our lives. We don’t want to stop enjoying our lives just so that we can be healthy. Otherwise — we’ve lost the plot.
Thanks for listening to today’s ramble. Would love to hear your thoughts. Love ya.
XO - Ella
Ella I think this is my favorite post yet. And so needed for me. I have a colonoscopy on Monday. I work in healthcare and I’m constantly living in fear that something’s wrong with my body and something I’m doing is making me unhealthy. And looking on socials it’s like you said, so much fear and anxiety associated with health and what we are doing right or wrong. Thank you for this! Praying for good results Monday and then I’m going to try and live with less fear.
Amazing. Choosing to consume healthy articles and content like this is in fact, reading with intention. Health should feel safe. Whatever process of health you are choosing to perform, if it is making you healthy and you feel good doing it, stick with it.