Love this so much. I was considering getting a wearable to look into my health, but I know I'm going to get super into the data. I'm mostly doing fine on my own. I also like your inexpensive wellness hacks. I'm a huge believer that wellness does not need to be expensive or extremely time-consuming!
Yes! As someone who apparently gets very little deep sleep, I dread my sleep scores. Also, when my ring tells me I have major or even minor symptoms of distress, I don’t know if I feel bad or if I just think I do! It messes with my head for sure 🤍
The moment we started measuring rest, we stopped experiencing it. That is not optimization. That is just a more sophisticated way of not trusting yourself.
I love this Lara. The wellness industry has done such a good job convincing us that more data means more control, but you are right that it often just means more anxiety. I had never heard the term orthosomnia before but it explains so much. I have absolutely felt worse about my sleep after looking at my tracker than I did before I checked it.
The point about using these tools as a starting point instead of a report card is so important. A nudge to move more or sleep earlier is helpful. Feeling like you failed because your numbers were off is not. That is not wellness.
Also the recovery environment part is something I have been thinking about a lot. Your home should be the place where your nervous system can finally exhale. If it is not, that is worth looking at before you buy any other gadget or tracker. Thank you for this one.
Great post, Lara! When health because just another thing on your to-do list and spikes your cortisol even higher, it’s no longer health 🙈 I remember when my sleep tracker broke, the first nights it felt so weird..I would wake up and wonder what score I might’ve had, instead of actually checking in with my body to see how I feel. I’m not against wearables at all, they’re super useful, but we’re walking a thin line between usefulness and dependence
totally agree! i love my wearable but its good to have a break every now and then. i rarely check my sleep score now because i am so in tune with my body. i only really check my “readiness” score when I’m going to the gym and want to know if my body is ready for me to push hard!!
Occasionally I find myself delaying going to bed so that I can charge my watch to track my sleep, etc... definitely means it’s time for a tracking break!!
i used to do exactly this!! i would even sit completely still whilst my watch was charging because the steps didn’t count… life is better when you’re not pressuring yourself to track it all.
Love this so much. I was considering getting a wearable to look into my health, but I know I'm going to get super into the data. I'm mostly doing fine on my own. I also like your inexpensive wellness hacks. I'm a huge believer that wellness does not need to be expensive or extremely time-consuming!
Yes! As someone who apparently gets very little deep sleep, I dread my sleep scores. Also, when my ring tells me I have major or even minor symptoms of distress, I don’t know if I feel bad or if I just think I do! It messes with my head for sure 🤍
The moment we started measuring rest, we stopped experiencing it. That is not optimization. That is just a more sophisticated way of not trusting yourself.
Such an important piece, Lara.
thank you so much! you’ve worded it so well here i wish i had written it myself. it really does come down to distrust in your own body and self.
That is exactly it. And the fact that you named it so clearly in your piece is what makes it possible for the rest of us to finally see it.
I love this Lara. The wellness industry has done such a good job convincing us that more data means more control, but you are right that it often just means more anxiety. I had never heard the term orthosomnia before but it explains so much. I have absolutely felt worse about my sleep after looking at my tracker than I did before I checked it.
The point about using these tools as a starting point instead of a report card is so important. A nudge to move more or sleep earlier is helpful. Feeling like you failed because your numbers were off is not. That is not wellness.
Also the recovery environment part is something I have been thinking about a lot. Your home should be the place where your nervous system can finally exhale. If it is not, that is worth looking at before you buy any other gadget or tracker. Thank you for this one.
a recovery environment is exactly how i picture my home! i’m so glad you enjoyed and you learned something :)
Great post, Lara! When health because just another thing on your to-do list and spikes your cortisol even higher, it’s no longer health 🙈 I remember when my sleep tracker broke, the first nights it felt so weird..I would wake up and wonder what score I might’ve had, instead of actually checking in with my body to see how I feel. I’m not against wearables at all, they’re super useful, but we’re walking a thin line between usefulness and dependence
totally agree! i love my wearable but its good to have a break every now and then. i rarely check my sleep score now because i am so in tune with my body. i only really check my “readiness” score when I’m going to the gym and want to know if my body is ready for me to push hard!!
This resonated, thank you.
Occasionally I find myself delaying going to bed so that I can charge my watch to track my sleep, etc... definitely means it’s time for a tracking break!!
i used to do exactly this!! i would even sit completely still whilst my watch was charging because the steps didn’t count… life is better when you’re not pressuring yourself to track it all.