Consumption Inventory and how to do it.
Yes, I get it. If you have to read one more article on how increasing your water intake, nightly journaling, and going to yoga three days a week is the only way to improve your self care, you’re going to binge Hulu while eating Taco Bell; that’s the easier option, right? Self care has become a buzzword in recent years causing the mental health world to become oversaturated with “do this, change that, add this, fix that.” I am going to bring self care back to basics and show you just how simple it is to create real change in your life. Welcome to your consumption inventory. I am talking about what you consume in the forms of food, music, books, social media, and relationships. We are talking about how what you consume through these different outlets will impact your thoughts, feelings and actions. You become what you think, so let’s walk you through your consumption and turn your frustration with self care into real results.
Pull out your notes app or a notebook as you read and bullet point the answers to the following questions. I want you to take an honest inventory on the following points so that you can identify areas where you’d like to make change a priority.
Food: What you eat contributes to how you feel. Eating a lot of sugar? Your thoughts will be more likely to race and be inconsistent. Eating a diet high in unhealthy fats? You are more likely to feel lethargic and slow. Eating a lot of artificial and chemically processed foods? You are more likely to feel foggy and unmotivated. If you decrease these types of foods and increase your consumption of organic, whole, and raw foods, you are better able to have ambitious, energized, and healthy thoughts. You will be proud of how you fuel your body and you will be motivated to pay attention to the other ways you can control other consumption.
Music: Is your genre preference heavy on depressive and suicidal lyrics, glorifying violence, sexual gratification, or illegal acts, or do they fixate on another failed relationship? Pay attention to how your thoughts may be influenced while listening to this content. Remember, everything in moderation. You can create a balance of enjoying all genres while making positive, energetic, and uplifting music genres your focal point. What you listen to can contribute to the thoughts you have.
Books: What are you reading? Do you enjoy fantasy or perhaps murder mysteries? Do you like to unwind with a great fiction novel? While this fantasy and storytelling content is comforting and entertaining, it can keep you in a fictional place focused on the “others” and their lives. Where are you at in yours? Practice consuming articles on self esteem, how to bring more happiness to you life, or how to increase your self-care *wink wink.* Again, everything in moderation. Making self growth articles or books the focal point of what you consume with a mix of fiction, fantasy, or crime is a great balance.
Social Media: Take a scroll through your timeline. Tell me how you feel as you are scrolling. Do you cringe at every picture that pops up because another ‘Jessica’ is pregnant? Are you body image obsessed because every post that you see on your page is of an impossibly thin yet toned body? Do you dread each story you tap through because it’s another article about a terrible thing happening in this world? Your social media belongs to YOU. Notice how you feel as you scroll and if you aren’t liking those feelings, change what you see. It’s your phone, no one or thing should bring you negativity on YOUR phone.
Relationships: Pay attention to who you surround yourself with and with whom you exchange your energy. Human beings are energetically charged by the large universe around us. We radiate that energy in our interactions with people each day. Pay special attention to how the relationships in your life make you feel. Do you regularly feel tired and drained from an interaction with a friend? How about knowing you dread speaking to Kate because she is so negative and you find yourself irritable afterwards. Remember that you could be the happiest little ball of sunshine and the wrong person can come into your space and deplete you of all of that light if you allow it.
Energy: If you are feeling uninspired or unable to recognize the aforementioned areas to give attention to, let’s check on your energy. Are you heading straight for the couch after work each day? Is your dog not getting walked as often as they should? Are you spending your free time binging Netflix and doom scrolling your social media apps? How you consume your energy can have a direct impact on how you feel about yourself which directly impacts the food, music, books, social media, and relationships you consume, positively or negatively. Your energy is the simplest way in which you can take inventory of your consumption hence it being our final area to discuss.
Time to revisit your bullet point list. How are you feeling about the points you listed? Are you proud of the words or thoughts you have documented or have you identified areas you’d like to give some attention? You become what you think. Thoughts become feelings, become actions. When you become grounded in this belief and know it to be true without question, you rarely question yourself and in turn, you become more self assured. When your thoughts are assured and abundance focused, you become passionate about your self care and protecting that energy you so intentionally built. You are in complete control of the life you are living, even if things are feeling completely out of control. Taking inventory of your consumption and following through intentional change will result in positive and intentional self care.
In Health & Wellness,
Miranda
