Less is More: Celebrating the Benefits of Sleep over Consumption
So often in our consumeristic culture, when we want to make something happen in our lives, we default to buying something.
One prime example of when this occurs is with our society’s fetishized goal to lose weight.
On a daily basis we are bombarded with before and after photos of seemingly sad people who have miraculously transformed into a jubilant and joyful version of themselves. The archetypal “before” photos depict subjects with unflattering attire, poor lighting, a dismal facial expression and a closed-off pose. The subsequent “after” photos are the polar opposite. Individuals are in well-fitting clothes and flattering lighting, and they assume a radiating facial expression and confident pose. These pictures promote the cultural thesis that we can’t be happy or fulfilled people if we are not a certain pant size or BMI.
And what is the driver behind these photos? They are not coming from a compassionate friend seeking to help you love or improve yourself. They are not created to make people more self-loving, authentic or fully alive. No. They exists to make money. They prey off of our fundamentally human fears of isolation, rejection and worthlessness.
By the time we see these photos — whether it’s earlier today, yesterday or last week — they are already confirming conclusions about ourselves that we accepted years ago. That we are not enough.
We have accepted these conclusions for so long that they feel like truth. But we don’t have to accept these images, and they are in fact, not true. We are wholly perfect and lovable just the way we are.
I not only reject the validity of these photos and claims, but I also firmly believe they are downright dangerous. To question the very vessels that house our true and beautiful spirits is a way of perpetuating self hate.
And if we can’t love ourselves, how are we supposed to love others? How will we be compassionate with our children? How will we be kind to our neighbor? How will we truly, wholeheartedly support our partners?
I believe these types of images serve as poison to our society. Poison that can quickly spread to the world around us. To counteract this poison I want to serve up my version of truth serum.
But before I do, let me first say it would be naive to expect these images to fully disappear from public view in our lifetime. While we may have accept that we are going to see these images, we don’t have to take them personally.
In many ways they are as natural to our modern existence as falling leaves are a part of Autumn. While it can be sad to see the alive green leaves fall from their majestic home on the branches of a tree, it’s a preservation tactic by the tree to survive the cold and harsh winter months. In many ways, constantly making people feel bad about themselves is a way for an economy based off of materialism and consumerism to perpetuate and survive.
The good new is, we already have customs for turning these cast away leaves into something positive: we find beauty in their change of color, we collect them from the ground and collage them into art projects that we display around our life. In many ways, I am doing just that with these brand artifacts. I’ve collected them off of the Internet, cutting and collaging them to turn them into something new and beautiful.
So what else can we do now that we know we have to accept their presence? Besides seeking to balance out their visual dominance through imagery with opposing viewpoints, we can also consider this truth: our bodies are the manifestation of the divine light within each of us. To love, honor and respect these sacred forms, we don’t have to buy anything.
In fact, I have found it’s what I don’t do that honors my body best. It’s when I don’t take the new opportunity to step up at work. Or when I don’t go to the party. Or when I don’t do something for a family member that they can do for them self. It’s all the boundaries I put up around myself to protect my state.
And the free choice I do decide to make? The thing I am metaphorically buying into? It’s none other than: Sleep.
Sleep has no corporate sponsors. It has no logo or brand manager. While not supported or incentivized by the outside world, I have found that when I am fully rested I am able to take on the day with a fully stocked energy reserve. With my tank full, I don’t need to overeat, consume caffeine or added sugar in order to cope. In many ways it’s so obvious it feels ridiculous to say, but yet it is one of the hardest things to put into practice in our busy, over-scheduled lives.
My hope is that the next time you want to honor your body, don’t think about what you will need to add to your life. Don’t think about the workout DVD to buy or the new fad diet shake program to sign up for. Instead, think about what you can take away. What boundaries can you set that will minimize the complexities of your life and get you back to honoring that which is most important?
Because the brand managers for the $586B global weight loss industry (that’s a whole lot of billions) are incentivized to grow year in and year out, I am not going to hold my breath that they will change their tune as fast as what I deem as necessary (Plus, from having worked in the industry, I know they are highly sleep deprived themselves). Accordingly, today I am going to add an honorable job title to my resume — Brand Manager for Sleep. And here is the message I want this brand to communicate to you:
Your friend in radical self love,
Lauren
