What is the lens you bring to your health and fitness? Does your lens help or hinder you? Give you perspective or make you “shitty should” all over yourself?
It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle of more. Just look around – it seems like everyone is doing more, doing better, has it figured out.
Take for example your social media newsfeed. As you scrolled to this post – what did you see?
If it’s anything like mine it’s a steady stream of sweaty selfies, healthy food porn and happy family moments.
No one posts a pic of them hitting snooze, skipping their workout, the meal from the drive through they ate hastily and their kid freaking out in epic proportion.
If they did we’d likely call them “negative” and unfollow them.
But what does that do for our lens, how we view our world – and OUR LIFE?
Does it help us? Does it inspire us? Or does it leave us feeling like we’re failing…Never. Quite. Enough.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think the “highlight reels” of social media need to be turned down.
I do my best to “keep it real” but I’m guilty of it too. I don’t post the shitty moments (and yes, I do have them, if you’ll recall…I’m a human too). Because I don’t necessarily want to add to the downward vibe that creates.
So what is the answer? I can’t say I know. But perhaps it’s just turning UP the volume on our vulnerability. Allowing ourselves to be a bit more real without becoming negative and dragging our social vibe into the gutter.
A friend of mine posted pics of her family “off on an adventure” but openly admitted the pictures didn’t quite capture the “next-level whining.” Bravo.
FUN family pictures…and HONESTY.
It’s not just social media either, but I think social media is a microcosm of society. We’re all so bloody BUSY that our opportunities for connection are fewer and when we do have those opportunities to connect, the level of intimacy and vulnerability is often turned way down.
So, what can we do?
Keep it real. Be open and vulnerable without “floodlighting” people (aka airing your dirty laundry). Honour YOUR path. Give up shitty shoulds and comparison. And find perspective.
Perspective is what this all comes down to. Knowing that we all struggle. That no one has it all figured out. Everyone has shitty days. And this too shall pass.
And on THOSE days…try to take off the lens of never-enough-ness and put on your lens of gratitude.
It really does shift everything.