Signs Your Wellness Routine Is Actually Stressing You Out

Wellness routines are meant to support your health and well-being, but sometimes they can unintentionally become another source of pressure.

Signs your wellness routine may be causing stress include:

Your routine feels rigid and inflexible.
If your schedule doesn’t allow room for rest, spontaneity, or life’s unexpected changes, it may be too restrictive.

Building your habits and routines in a way that provides flexibility can do wonders for your mental health and the achievement of your goals.

Instead of saying you must work out 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, shoot for 150 minutes of activity a week. That way, when 4 days of the week are too chaotic to add in activity, you can still accomplish your goal with 50 minutes of activity in the 3 days that is available to you.

By reframing your goal this way, you don't miss 3 days of the week and then throw the entire week away, because you can still achieve your goal, even if you skip 3 or 4 days. It's built to be flexible, so it can fit into your life instead of overwhelming you.

You feel guilty when you miss a workout or habit.
Instead of feeling supported by your routine, you feel like you’ve failed when you can’t stick to it perfectly.

You’re doing it out of obligation rather than care for yourself.
A routine that once felt helpful may start to feel like something you “have to do.” How can you mix it up so it feels exciting and fun again? If it's exercise, maybe you need to try out Zumba instead of that intense HIIT workout you've been doing for months on end.

If it's eating, maybe it's time to switch up your 'go to' meals. If it's about connecting with people - maybe you haven't found the right people that make you feel valued and energized.

You’re trying to do too many things at once.
Following multiple wellness trends, routines, or recommendations can quickly become overwhelming. If you're a mom who is trying to add a perfect skin care, red light therapy, sauna, exercise, perfect eating habits, friends, meaningful present time with your kiddos, while also juggling your standard life requirements (work, kids school and activities, regular house chores, etc.) it might be time to sit down and really think through your priorities. Maybe you can do it all, if you hire some help. A house cleaner? A meal delivery service? Somebody to drive your kids to/from school? It's possible you CAN do all of these things, but by doing so, are you helping or hurting your overall wellbeing?

You feel more exhausted than energized.
True wellness should support your energy, not drain it.

Are you adding items to your wellness plan because you feel you need to, or because they align with your values and add meaning to your life? Maybe you need to reconsider what you truly need when it comes to your wellness. It might not be another workout or a serving of vegetables; maybe it's a new hobby or a coffee date with a good friend.

A healthy wellness routine should feel supportive, flexible, and sustainable rather than something that adds pressure.

If you need help figuring out your values, mindset barriers, and setting up a sustainable system, let's chat!