Many years ago, I tried a food elimination diet due to some unexplained health issues I was experiencing. (Side note: I don’t recommend doing this on your own, and I don’t use a restrictive approach with my clients—for reasons I’ll explain below.) For a few weeks, I ate according to a small list of foods deemed “safe” and felt dramatically better—for a little while, at least.
I followed the protocol and started adding foods back in, one by one. It seemed that every time I added a new food, symptoms returned. This went on for several weeks. I felt doomed to eat only a handful of foods for the rest of my life. It created a memorable moment of anxiety while shopping for groceries.
Standing in the grocery store, I had a light bulb moment. “I wonder if stress has something to do with this?” I pondered as I connected the dots. I was scared of food! Every new food I added created more anxiety. As I focused on decreasing the stress around eating, I was able to add most of the foods back in.
The reason I share this story is because I believe that if your pursuit of wellness is causing you a great deal of anxiety, it may be time to rethink your approach.
Stress works against us and can create its own set of symptoms. Expecting perfection on our health journey is often a significant source of that stress.
In our high-productivity culture, constant stress can feel like a normal part of life. I could earn a collection of gold medals for all the times I’ve “pushed through,” ignoring my body’s cries for help as I put discipline ahead of listening. It came at a cost. What is common is not always what is ideal. Living in a constant state of stress is normalized simply because it is so prevalent.
If we were like cell phones, we would just shut off when our “body battery” reached 0%. But bodies don’t work that way. They were wonderfully created to handle stress, and they always fight for balance.
There are systems in place to keep us going during times of great stress—but at a high cost. When our bodies prioritize dealing with actual or perceived stress, other systems suffer. When this stress response is overused and recovery is inadequate, imbalances can develop.
I don’t bring this up to create more stress. Trust me. I bring it up to create awareness. My hope is that you’ll offer yourself more grace. God loves us too much to watch us suffer, carrying heavy burdens we were never meant to carry. This also applies to our approach to wellness. When we aren’t aware, it’s easy to get swept up in the norms of our culture.
One of my favorite biblical passages comes from Jesus’ own mouth in the Gospel of Matthew:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30, NIV
Living within our means and nurturing our nervous system creates an environment where we can thrive. Our bodies can prioritize healing, producing adequate levels of hormones, digesting food well, and keeping us grounded so we can think clearly and have the energy needed to function day to day. This starts with grace—the same grace God offers us daily.
Perfection is not a requirement for pursuing wellness. What makes the most impact is what you do most of the time. Focusing on one or two health behaviors at a time will take you much further than trying to change your whole lifestyle overnight—only to stop when it becomes too difficult.
What my past experience taught me is this: it is worse for my health to be fearful of food than to enjoy it. Pursuing extremes and perfection works against me. The same rings true for any health-promoting behavior.
Liberated wellness means letting go of fear, pressure, and the relentless pursuit of perfection—and embracing a rhythm of grace, nourishment, and trust in the way God designed our bodies to heal and restore. When we approach our health from a grounded, nourished, and spiritually aligned place, healing is no longer something we force. It becomes something we create space for.
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