Wellness Weekly- How to Attain True Moderation đ
Updated: Sep 6, 2022
I know, youâve probably heard âeverything in moderationâ a million times- especially when it comes to diet culture.
So why is it still so hard to have everything you want while maintaining progress towards your goals?
I have a theory đĄ
Let me know if you can relate to the following scenario:
Youâve decided that you can have everything in moderation, so you start by working to find your version of moderation in the amount of time you spend on social media.
Youâve been spending 4+ hours a day on social media and you feel guilty because thereâs so much more you could do with that time.
So you decide to cut that time down to an hour.
You get started and things are going good⌠until you keep getting notifications that bring you back to your favorite app.
No sweat, right? Youâll just see what the notification says and close the app right afterâŚ
Except the first post to pop up on your feed catches your eye.
Thatâs okay, youâll just read the first post, check your notification, and dipâŚ
But after reading the post, youâve forgotten about this deal you made with yourself and scrolled to the next post, and the next one, and the next oneâŚ
Before you know it, youâve spent half your social media time for the day mindlessly scrolling- all because of one notification!
This is the vicious cycle most of our vices lock us into- whether itâs social media, food, TV, etc.
Why?
Because of instant gratification.
Instant gratification is âthe temptation, and often trend, to opt for a less rewarding but more immediate benefit over a future benefit,â according to Positive Psychology.
This is the principle that constantly makes us deviate from our true version of moderation!
Our brains are hardwired to want benefits NOW over wanting bigger benefits.
So, how do we rewire our brains to keep us on the path towards our goals while letting ourselves experience some instant gratification?
Itâs all in the habits đđť
Habits make it easier to stay on a trajectory, for better or worse.
To illustrate, if you come home from work every day and go right to bed, youâve built a habit of resting as soon as you get home. This may make it harder to work towards what you want to accomplish in the evening.
However, if you come home from work every day, throw on gym clothes, and do a workout, youâve built a habit thatâll bring you closer to your fitness goals.
In both cases, deviating from the habit will be harder than completing the habit because your mind is trained to perform this task.
This is where you can find your moderation without losing sight of your goals.
If youâre consistently working out, one day of deciding to rest isnât going to completely derail your progress.
Thus, you have a foundation to build your moderation on.
You can even schedule the other side of your moderation in! This is where we often see people talk about âcheat daysâ or âlazy days.â
I hate these terms!
These terms make it seem like what youâre doing is bad or something to be ashamed of when theyâre a vital part of building a balanced lifestyle.
Because without the âbad,â there would be no âgood.â
So, donât be afraid to eat what you want on a Friday night out with friends or take a day to lay in bed and get the rest your body craves.
Because the habits you build will sustain your progress through the days youâre not actively working towards them.
So, to sum it all up, here are the key principles you need to attain true moderation:
Trust me, itâs not easy to attain true moderation. You may feel defeated after âfalling off the wagonâ sometimes and may have to play around with what youâre doing to find your version of balance.
However, using these principles, itâs completely possible to achieve your goals while still receiving instant gratification from time to time.
And that, my friends, is the key to a balanced, well lifestyle â¨