Why disruptive wellness may be the better approach
As a society, we’ve become obsessed with the concept of wellness. When I look up wellness influencers on Instagram, I see morning turmeric shots, green smoothies and yoga turned pilates turned lagree workouts, fitted with brand name matching workout sets. I see more organic, more expensive, more inaccessible. That’s what’s being constantly pushed as wellness. However, I believe that this obsessive push for wellness is actually counterproductive and can even be harmful, which has led me to take on the idea of disruptive wellness instead.
In preparation for my 2nd speaking engagement on Practical Self Care this week, I saw the event flyer one organizer had created for my workshop. It featured pictures of people doing yoga and I was so confused. Yoga had nothing to do with my presentation. My presentation was really rooted in mental wellness and things people could do at work to practice self care. Why were yoga images presented? I don’t even like yoga. I don’t know who decided that yoga would be the ultimate symbol for wellness. This assumption, this stereotype of what wellness is, really confines us to a box. It’s difficult to practice wellness when you don’t align with the mainstream representation and definition of wellness.
The pursuit of other people’s definition of wellness can be draining. For example, some wellness routines take 2-3 hours, and that’s just the morning. I remember watching two different celebrities document their morning routines on Youtube. Both videos were so long and involved so many steps, products and tools, I stopped watching. Other people’s wellness routines involve them spending a lot of money on treatments, memberships and services. If that works for them, great, but so many people look up to celebrities as role models or “goals” and don’t realize their practices are often not realistic for many members of society.
So, what's the solution? Well, for me, it's to adopt a disruptive wellness mindset. A mindset that centers wellness based on your needs, your goals, your values. This mindset rejects society’s narrative of wellness and empowers you to create your own understanding and framework of wellness. There is no right way to approach wellness. You’ve got to do what works for you and you can only learn that through self awareness. You’ve got to get quiet with yourself and ask yourself what you’re in need of at that moment. True wellness and self care is about understanding and doing intentional small practices that help you feel supported in your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Feel empowered to choose wellness practices that work for you. As I heard a fellow educator, Dr. ABC, say at a conference the other day, for him, sometimes wellness is watching Netflix and eating chicken wings.
Resist feelings of guilt or comparison of what you think you should be doing for wellness based on society’s messaging. Instead, focus on being fulfilled, joyful and living authentically and taking care of yourself in holistic ways. Embrace where you’re currently at, and consider what changes you might make in support of your wellness that move you closer to the future version of yourself you want to be. Make wellness choices because you want too, not because you have too. Strive for alignment, balance, harmony and pay attention to what makes you feel good, both physically and mentally. We can live sustainably and joyfully, without the pressure to measure up to an idealized standard of wellness.