Wellness is supposed to form the center of our lives. Before we go to work in the morning, we’re each implored to sit for fifteen minutes, meditating about the coming day. Then, when we get to work, we must maintain an emotional distance from it, not allowing it to infringe on our inner wellbeing. Our relationships are supposed to be peaceful, and our diets packed with green leaves.
But there’s a fundamental problem with all of this – we don’t actually want to do it. Yes – we know there are scientific payoffs. We get to enjoy better fitness, more energy, and long-term positivity. But the process of getting there is ball-ache of the highest order and, ultimately, we fall off the bandwagon.
What’s going on here? Why do we rebel? And why might it be a healthy thing?
Why We Rebel
As people, we don’t like living in the presence of arbitrary rules, especially those threatening to get in the way of life’s basic pleasures.
We don’t want to go out on a jog on a cold, November evening when it is drizzling outside. It is unbelievably unpleasant. Similarly, we don’t want to come home after a hard day and chew on a piece of cucumber. It’s never going to satisfy.
When we feel like we have an obligation to do something, we ultimately wind up feeling trapped and frustrated. We’re obeying a bunch of rules that will apparently make our lives better in the future. But what we really care about is how we feel right now.
Eventually, the rebellion takes over, and we fall off the bandwagon – often catastrophically.
The emotional fallout from this can be dire. We feel ashamed and guilty for stuffing our faces with all the food that we shouldn’t eat. And we beat ourselves up for not having the willpower to go out for yet another jog that hurts our knees. In general, we feel awful when we fall short of the standards that wellness expects.
Why Rebellion Is Healthy
Weirdly, though, this sort of behavior can actually be a good thing. Rebelling is a sign of health. And in many cases, it is instructive. The problem is that we don’t know how to interpret it.
When you let a diet or guru dictate how you operate, you’re giving up power, personal autonomy, and boundaries.
So when you rebel, you restore your sense of individuality and take back control of your life.
Want to buy cheapweed? Do it. Want to eat steak? Go for it. Don’t put boundaries on what you can and can’t do.
Just focus on the next activity or meal. Enjoy it for what it is.
The trick here is to make conscious decisions based on what you want, not what other people think you should have. You’re never doing something because you have to. You’re doing it because it’s something you love.
Rebelling against wellness is healthy. It can’t be about somebody else’s expectations. That approach is always going to be unsustainable.
