Healthy isn’t eating all-organic, gluten-free, perfectly portioned meals all the time.

Healthy isn’t consistently choosing crispy lettuce and crunchy cucumbers over chocolate cake with a sea-salt caramel sauce.

Healthy isn’t exercising until we’re flat-out exhausted.

Healthy isn’t pretending we’re Superman or Superwoman.

Healthy isn’t waking up at the crack of dawn to compulsively check off every item on our to-do list and collapsing like zombies into bed at night.

Healthy isn’t stuffing our lives so full that they burst at the seams with buzzing bees of busyness.

Healthy isn’t straining our lips and hearts to stay locked in a permanent happy-go-lucky smile.

Healthy isn’t drowning ourselves in deep, dark pools of shoulds and have-to’s.

Screw those prickly shoulds and addicting have-to’s.

Healthy means being human.

It means indulging sometimes, oversleeping sometimes, being positively unproductive sometimes.

It means allowing ourselves rest and mistakes and messiness.

It means taking a day off and not feeling guilty.

It means trying hard most of the time—but not trying at all sometimes.

It means biting into a juicy burger and licking clean an entire container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, smacking our lips in complete satisfaction.

It means saying fuck yes to an afternoon-long bubble bath with a huge glass of red wine.

It means taking time to play outside and feel the sun kiss our cheeks while the dishes are left dirty, piled high like leaning skyscrapers in the sink.

It means listening to ourselves, valuing ourselves, and learning to kiss our flaws on the mouth.

Healthy means being human.

It means being fully alive.

It means accepting how imperfect, real, fucked up and downright brilliant we are.

It means accepting you—yes—you, and honoring the shit out of what you need today.

 

Relephant:

16 Sweet Reminders to Slow Down & Savor This One Precious Life.

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Author: Sarah Harvey

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr/Alexander Bolotnov

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