Have you ever heard of the term destination addiction? It is one of THE MOST common “disorders” of our modern day society. And it is especially prevalent when it comes to our bodies and health!
Last week I had 2 destination addiction quotes cross my path in a matter of 2 days and it made me realize how much of our modern lives divert our mentality & beliefs to the future ESPECIALLY when it comes to our bodies. I am sure you will recognize at least one the following:
“When I am 10lbs lighter I’ll be happy”
“when I am a size 8 pants I’ll be satisfied”
“When I meet my perfect partner, I’ll love myself”
“When I have six pack abs, I’ll be worthy”
“ When I have a 8% body fat, I’ll be confident”
There is ALWAYS something we are telling ourselves that is still to come in order for us to be happy within ourselves! I have believed each one of those destination addiction statements above. For a very large part of my life I believed a number, size or person would bring me happiness within my body.
It’s so easy to get sucked into destination addiction. Just open up your social feed and you will see an endless supply of perfect pictures of happiness. Perfect bodies, with a perfect partner, reflecting perfect health. Society’s definition of happiness has become that and it is causing huge problems…immense unhappiness and dissatisfaction are 2 of them. We start to tell ourselves “If I look like that, I’ll be happy”!
Here’s the thing, all those “when I” statements DO bring pleasure HOWEVER it is NOT happiness and it WILL NOT “fix” a little hole inside of us that is creating this deep desire for happiness & self acceptance.
Turns out happiness can be achieved no matter where you are on your journey to health & wellbeing. It is NOT a destination but a state of mind and being.
Being present in the moment is the first step to achieving contentment and removing yourself out of the destination addiction mindset.
Being grateful for what you do have is the 2nd step to achieving abundant happiness.
And when you are PRESENT in the moment and GRATEFUL for what you have, you can start to learn how to love yourself completely. Self-love is the key to achieving happiness. Because when there is self love, there is self-respect. There is an immense appreciation and gratitude for the body. You naturally want to follow your passion & surround yourself with people who make you feel good. You will naturally only want to eat foods that bring your body wellness. Working out will be something you do because it makes you feel good NOT because it changes the number on the scale.
Turns out when all of this starts to flow, your body naturally transforms itself into it’s best version. The body has no other choice when in such a state of complete awareness, happiness and self love.
When there is self love, that external needing for validation, love or completeness fades away because what we need is within us. We are complete and beautiful in this moment.
We have to realize (and believe) that happiness is within us in this moment. Happiness comes from the heart, the feeling. It does not come from the head which is the thinking. It is up to us to CHOOSE how we want to feel in this moment. If we truly believe that this future stuff are the only things that can bring us joy, then your belief of happiness will be manifested that way. You will always be wanting more stuff to make you happy.
My little bit of advice is to learn how to be present in the moment & grateful (and I mean truly grateful) for what you have been blessed with in your body.
It might not be where you want it to be, and yes, it’s totally normal to want to lose those extra 5kilos and tone up the thighs, but KNOW that it’s not that end goal that brings you happiness. It’s the self-love you have for yourself that will guide you to nurture and love your body through healthy choices. And with these healthy choices, your goals will be achieved, guaranteed. Happiness is NOT a destination, it’s a choice that becomes a process & then an entire journey.
“There is no path to happiness, happiness IS the path” ~ Buddha
Even though body positivity is a by-product of the writing we do together in this course, it’s honestly not the point. At the end of 6 weeks, you won’t just click your heels and love your body forever. You will arrive at the end of our 6 weeks together with a clearer, deeper relationship with your body. You will feel more confident in putting your own experience into words. And you will have a greater sense of freedom to live life in the body you’re in.