Wellness Burnout and Making Peace with Pleasure
In recent years, the term "wellness burnout" has started to surface, shedding light on an issue many of us didn’t even realize we were grappling with. It’s the paradox of chasing ultimate wellness so obsessively that it leaves us feeling drained and disconnected. This phenomenon speaks volumes about the relentless American hustle culture. If you’re not doing it all (and then some), are you even doing enough? This mentality can hijack something as inherently nourishing as self care, turning it into yet another pressure to perform.
But what if we stepped back and redefined wellness? What if we acknowledged that life isn’t about being on a constant upward trajectory of self improvement? Instead, it’s about cycles: seasons of intentional wellness practices and seasons where we let pleasure and play take the wheel. This balance is where true holistic wellness lives.
Defining Hedonism and Pleasure
Let’s start by making friends with a word that’s often misunderstood: hedonism. Traditionally, it’s been painted as a selfish pursuit of indulgence, but at its core, hedonism is about seeking pleasure. Pleasure is vital to being human.
Now, pleasure doesn’t have to mean mindless indulgence. It can mean taking a long bath with essential oils, dancing until your muscles ache, or savoring a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. I personally have danced until my muscles ached, jumped in a hot bath afterwards and eaten a juicy orange in the tub. It is amazing. It’s about allowing joy to flow into your life without guilt or overthinking. Pleasure reconnects us to our senses, to the present moment, and to what makes life feel alive.
Holistic wellness expands on this, reminding us to listen to our bodies more than the noise of our minds. Your body doesn’t demand perfection; it craves nourishment, rest, and moments of connection. When we prioritize listening to our bodies, we’re able to embrace a wellness routine that feels fluid rather than rigid. One that adapts to our needs instead of overwhelming us with expectations.
A Concept from Jaime Wheal: Hedonic Engineering
In Jaime Wheal’s book Recapture the Rapture, he introduces the idea of hedonic engineering: intentionally designing experiences that maximize joy, creativity, and connection. While not every concept in the book may resonate, this idea of engineering moments of pleasure into our lives is strikingly relevant when we think about wellness burnout.
Imagine approaching pleasure with the same intentionality that wellness culture demands but without the obsession. It’s about designing your life to include little moments of joy. Playing music and dancing around your kitchen, eating something delicious without spiraling into shame, or taking an entire day to do nothing but rest and recharge.
Shifting the Wellness Narrative
Wellness doesn’t have to be an all or nothing pursuit. It can ebb and flow like the tides. There are times for green smoothies and yoga retreats, and there are times for staying up late laughing with friends or enjoying a rich dessert. The key is listening to your body and giving yourself permission to live in the moment.
Here’s a radical thought: wellness can include pleasure. In fact, a wellness routine that ignores pleasure is incomplete. When we tune into our bodies, we’re reminded that joy, rest, and connection are as essential as discipline and structure. Let’s challenge the narrative that equates ultimate wellness with rigid perfection and embrace a more balanced, human approach to self care.
How to Start Making Friends with Pleasure
Reclaim small joys: Start with something simple, like enjoying a quiet cup of tea without scrolling on your phone. Notice the warmth, the taste, the moment.
Move for fun: Forget about workouts being purely for fitness goals. Dance in your room, walk barefoot in the grass, or stretch because it feels good.
Create a "pleasure menu": Write down activities that bring you joy or make you feel alive. It could be anything from painting to cuddling your pet. Sprinkle these moments into your week.
Rest unapologetically: Let yourself rest without guilt. A nap, a lazy day, or a moment to zone out is not time wasted, it’s time well spent.
The Takeaway
Wellness burnout is real, but it doesn’t have to define your journey. When we stop chasing an idealized version of wellness and start listening to what our bodies truly need, we open the door to a life that feels more vibrant, grounded, and joyful. Let’s give ourselves permission to honor all the cycles of life. The striving and the resting, the discipline and the indulgence and remember that true wellness includes making peace with pleasure.
