When does it become too much?

When does it become too much? When does it become unhealthy and cause more harm than good? I’m talking about living a holistic, low-toxic, and natural lifestyle, specifically with nutrition and the products we use every day.

When you begin living a more holistic lifestyle, you have to understand that once you learn something it’s hard to “unsee” it. I always like to say that the more you know the better you do, but I also want you to know that sometimes I feel like ignorance really is bliss.

Sometimes you begin to learn so much that you go through these phases of confusion, frustration, anger, acceptance, and then eventually empowerment. You get confused about why we are told that tap water is safe when you’re learning the harmful effects and see direct tests proving those effects. Frustration that you’re now some conspiracy theorist or minority simply because you share this information with others. Anger because you realize living a holistic, natural lifestyle is controversial to some and not accepted by the standard health care system. You begin to accept that you are on your own path and empowered to care for your mind, body, and soul, based on your bio-individuality, in a way that feels good.

I’ve felt this way with learning about the food in our country, tap water, big pharma, experiencing the medical system as a nurse and a patient, the extremely toxic products and ingredients authorized, and the list continues as I grow and learn more.

Just like everything in life though, there is a sliding scale on where you’re at with the information you have. What I mean by that is you can become so hyper-focused on it all that it prevents you from living and enjoying life or you can use the information and move forward with balance.

Earlier I mentioned how I especially wanted to focus on nutrition. Have you ever heard of the term orthorexia nervosa? I didn’t until I was certified as a Health Coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Orthorexia nervosa refers to an obsession with eating only foods perceived to be of a certain status in terms of health, calories, or origin. The disorder is characterized by anxiety, ritualistic thoughts and behaviors, and excessive pickiness with food.

Now just like every mental condition, if you feel you could be struggling it’s best to talk to someone who can support and guide you. This blog is not meant to be medical advice or a diagnosis but rather an educational tool to better support you on your holistic health journey.

I am the first to admit that once I learned more about the ingredients and toxins in our foods, I became anxious. I would overanalyze every decision I made when going out to eat. I would have a ton of thoughts running through my head while looking at a menu like, “I wonder if the chicken is organic or pasture-raised”, “I should stay away from anything fried because they probably use canola oil”, “fish tacos sound good but I bet the fish is not wild caught”, “I shouldn’t have gotten ice in my drink because they likely use tap water” and I could go on.

I reflect on that time in my life and realize it was so easy to get caught up in wanting to be as healthy as possible. Those thoughts didn’t last long as I continued to learn to live with more of a sustainable and balanced approach while also working on my mindset and regulation of my central nervous system (all of which I now teach my clients).

You have to understand that while yes, it’s wonderful to be educated and aware, those types of thoughts are doing you more harm even with implementing an almost “perfect” healthy lifestyle.

Perfection is never the goal. It’s impossible, especially in our country and the type of world we live in, but when you are mindful 80-90% of the time about your habits, nutritional choices, exercise, products, and mindset, the 10-20% of the time your body can handle the occasional basket of fries cooked in inflammatory oils or non-organic dairy or chicken that isn’t pasture-raised.

When you live a holistic lifestyle and care for your mind and body consistently from an integrative approach, you become empowered over that 10-20% of your life. You experience more joy and less anxiety, and you feel in control, even proud that you know exactly how to support yourself.

So back to the original question I opened this blog post with- when does living a holistic lifestyle become unhealthy? The answer is within you, based on your bio-individuality. If you’re overthinking and having anxiety about everything you put in or on your body and experiencing ritualistic thoughts and behaviors with food, then it could be time to do some honest self-reflection and assess how you can move forward more empowered.