Touch Grass

I spent eight hours on Instagram today. It’s funny—the same tool that we waste so much time on loves to seemingly throw our bad habits back in our faces. But wait, it gets better! Tucked between the (literal and figurative) landmines on our feeds are well-meaning niceties claiming to have cracked the code of living an unburdened life.

Balance your hormones.

Bake everything from scratch.

Balance your nervous system.

Go no-contact.

Touch grass.

These are presented as non-negotiables, and it doesn’t help that such advice often comes from a place of condescension. I tend to bristle at these types of posts, even the ones that could be genuinely helpful if I dove deeper. When it feels like the world is falling around all of us, the last thing I want or need is someone telling me that if I was just doing everything “right”, life wouldn’t be so hard. Life is not feeling heavy because you’ve failed to check off all the self-care boxes—it’s feeling heavy because it is. And sometimes, you just need a damn break.

Now I’m not suggesting that spending an entire day on social media is great for your health, or that it will make you feel good in the long run. What I am doing is begging you not to tear yourself apart for needing to shut off your brain. Taking a walk when what you need is a nap is not going to end world hunger. Being diligent about your skincare is not going to stop wars. In the same way, a day spent spaced-out will not dismantle your virtue or worth. You are not bad. You are not lazy. You are not careless. You are exhausted.

It is good to build healthy habits that enhance flourishing. It is also good to protect yourself. Self-preservation isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t photograph well or lend itself to trendy phrases in the same way that (the absolutely insufferable) “How to Be That Girl” videos do. But I fear that every day we are watching our priorities become more and more skewed toward fashion over functioning. I see it in myself. I see it in those I love. I see it in strangers online. I see us all hurting, and trying to do so in an “acceptable” way.

Please, unplug yourself from the wall and let yourself be human. Retreat into your cave, even just for a little while. “No man is an island”, nor is be built to me enmeshed with the world at all hours. I promise you that all the conflict and turmoil will be there for you to ruminate on when you return. The difference is whether or not you will care for yourself enough to be fortified against it.