Conscious Consumption

Over the last couple of months, I’ve become increasingly aware of my consumption.  When I am more disciplined about my physical, emotional, and spiritual consumption I’m peaceful and productive.  When I lose sight of this awareness, I can easily spiral into negative thinking and experience anxiety.

Outlets are an important part of healthy and balance living.  We have some outlets like exercise which support our growth in a positive way. Working out can also provide a way for us to feel a small sense of control in an unstable world. Other outlets include binge watching Netflix, alcohol, or drugs. Our outlets are ways for us to feel a little calmer, a little happier and perhaps numb our anxiousness. What I’ve discovered from my own personal struggles is that I need to replace a negative outlet with a positive one or it simply isn’t sustainable for me.  For example, replacing smoking with water. Replacing tv with walking or mindless scrolling with journaling. We need outlets as an important part of our restoration and recalibration so we can show up on our a-game when it’s required.

Eliminating the news was one of the most powerful changes I made in my life in 2008. I literally have not sat down to watch the news in almost fifteen years! I’ve shielded myself and I’ve seen a tremendous positive impact on my mental health and outlook on life. I must admit that I’ve been sucked in lately on my phone. When I open my browser and an alarming headline catches my eye, I’ve been drawn in and it hasn’t been good for my outlook. I noticed that I began checking it almost like a dopamine hit of sorts. The irony of course was that it left me feeling anxious, feeling a lack of agency and I’m not going to lie, bitter about what is happening in the world around us. I’m back on a steady news diet and the instant shed of the weight of the world on my shoulders has been fantastic!

Social circles have so much of an impact on who we are, how we show up in the world and how we view the world. If we surround ourselves with positive, open-minded, and kind humans we will in turn display those same characteristics. If we surround ourselves with pessimistic individuals with a fixed mindset, we cannot help but be influenced by their attitudes and behaviours. Being conscious about your consumption includes being intentional regarding what thoughts and ideals and attitudes you will consume through your social circles.

Does your daily consumption serve your bigger dreams? What are your ultimate goals? Does the physical, mental, and spiritual food you’re consuming support your future self? If not, eliminate them. When I was unaware of just how negative I was becoming, I realized that I had lost a lot of courage. When that happens, I need to remind myself to be courageous enough to dream regardless of life’s circumstances. I hope you do too!

Media influences our consumption and peace of mind in a major way.  While I’m still active on LinkedIn to stay connected to the business community, I had to leave all other social media platforms. I found myself getting trapped by triggering posts and it was influencing the way I felt about clients, friends, and family members. Social media platforms for me became more of an addictive pastime vs. anything remotely nourishing to my soul so I made a commitment to leave for one week. It’s been four months and I don’t miss a minute of it!

Podcasts, and specifically positive podcasts, have played an important role in shifting my thinking. Listening to the experts that we once never had access to share how they stay motivated and positive about the future can be a great way to take inspired action.

When I audited how I was spending my time, I realized that I was scrolling mindlessly, I was consuming rather than creating things that contribute to the world like journaling, writing, and creating videos. I was going through the motions of each day rather than having a plan for what I would learn, how I would contribute and how I would connect with those I love. One of my coaching clients said it best when she noted that a fully planned out and disciplined week is much more freeing than spending time aimlessly chilling out!

Your inner dialogue matters so very much to your mental health and your success.  It’s interesting, I heard a podcaster this morning say that she feels uncomfortable verbalizing or even reading positive feedback online while she’s quite comfortable replaying the negative reviews over and over in her mind. This is so true, isn’t it? We are so critical of ourselves.  When we bring awareness to this dialogue and replace negative looping stories with positive and affirming words our life literally changes! Try it for one day.  Each time you say something negative about yourself, say out loud “cancel, cancel, cancel” then replace those negative words with something positive about yourself. It feels silly at first, but I promise you that with practice it can and will transform your life and self-confidence!

With that said, omit self-deprecation! If your inner dialogue is being nasty don’t give it power by speaking it out loud. Too often I see clients say, “This is probably a stupid idea but…” or “I’m an idiot.”  I used to do this, so I get it. It wasn’t until someone brought those self-deprecating phrases to my attention that I was able to stop them and eliminate them. Listen to your inner dialogue today, be kind to yourself and when you go to say something negative about your body, intelligence or worth put your finger to your mouth and smile. You’ve just caught yourself. Now replace it with a positive affirmation that is true about yourself now or about the future self you are working hard towards becoming.

A conversation around conscious consumption wouldn’t mean much if we didn’t address nutrition. While I’m no expert, I can tell you that I’ve been 100lbs overweight and I’ve been dangerously underweight and proper, consistent, and moderate consumption is critical for a high-performance life. After years of yo-yo dieting, massive self-image issues and a lot of therapy I’m here to tell you that slow, steady and mindful consumption wins the race. I count zero calories. I haven’t weighed myself in years and I’m proud to tell you that for the first time in my life, I’m in love with my body! It’s imperfect by society’s standards for sure but it’s strong, well-nourished, and changing daily to become the healthiest version of me!

Whether we’re fueling our bodies with nutritious food, working out to build strength and endurance or meditating or praying to provide ourselves with peace and stability, consumption matters.

How are you mindful about what you consume?