"Ever since I can remember, perfectionism was in my vocabulary. I’d line up my stuffed animals according to size, practice my cursive until my hand cramped, and run through my dance routines on repeat well past my bedtime. Striving to be “perfect” later informed my workout habits where it became borderline obsessive—my life and scheduled revolved around getting the adrenaline rush (enter the start of my all-or-nothing mentality).
I fell into my wellness journey out of necessity; stomach pain, bloating, and mad dashes to the restroom were my norm, finally leading up to a Crohn’s disease diagnosis. I was forced to go through a trial-and-error of remedies, which, according to my high standards and self-doubt MO, meant I must be doing something wrong. Adding a double-edged sword, feeling the pull to keep up in the mecca of wellness that is LA: Erewhon smoothies that break the bank, Pilates classes where everyone wears the same size (Instagram-viral) leggings, and body scans that are a typical Tuesday. I’m not immune to impostor syndrome as a wellness writer either.
But while the Am I doing it right? Should I be doing more? Do I have enough? thoughts come with the territory, isn’t the whole point to feel better—not to be even more stressed out and self-critical? The steps to becoming your healthiest, best self are not linear, and it doesn’t come with a manual (because if it did, I wouldn’t gatekeep). In your wellness journey, you might have felt not good enough, lazy, or unhealthy because of perfectly normal things—simply because we don’t talk about how normal (and perfectly healthy!) they actually are. So here’s a list of nine things you may worry about, but rest assured, they are (usually) normal to experience when working on your healing. TL;DR: If you really want to be “well,” you likely need an extra dose of grace for yourself more than anything.
1. Bloating
While we have constant supplements and programs that promise to “banish bloat,” some bloating is actually inevitable and completely normal. Even if you wake up with a semblance of washboard abs, it’s not supposed to look like that all day or every day; your body’s appearance will naturally fluctuate from morning to night and even throughout the month or year. It’s usually normal and healthy for your belly to look different. Trying to reduce your distended belly solely for the sake of a flatter stomach around the clock is an unrealistic goal.
Our intestines are meant to slightly expand when we eat food, but particular foods or drinks like cruciferous veggies (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), beans, and carbonated beverages and hormonal changes during various phases of the menstrual cycle are common reasons you may experience some symptom-free bloat—your body is meant to do that. If you’re dealing with digestive discomfort like painful bloat or other symptoms, it could be your body’s way of communicating to you that it needs a gut check. But if your belly distends throughout the day, month, or even from season to season without other symptoms, it’s perfectly normal.
2. Lacking motivation
Motivation is like any other feeling; it comes and goes. One day, you might feel excited to wake up early, journal, walk 10,000 steps, eat a protein-packed meal, and do a DIY lymphatic massage. But then burnout and work deadlines happen, or your cycle phases change, and there goes your drive. You may find yourself stuck in a rut and just coasting to get by: workouts are skipped, healthy meals are harder to come by, and your confidence is waning. But that doesn’t mean you’ve failed or “fallen off”—it means you’re human.
Motivation may be what gets you started, but it’s the habits, consistency, and discipline that keep you going. And if that initial push isn’t there, it may simply be a white flag that you need to take a break (sans any guilt) and check in. But also, the body is not meant to be the same every day. As long as you’re not going through extended periods of lacking motivation, a few days off here and there is a perfectly normal part of any wellness journey. Sometimes, the body needs to prioritize rest or joy over fitness and nutrition goals, and that’s not only OK but healthy.
3. Never having a “perfect day”
If you scroll through WellnessTok, you’ll learn that to be healthy, we’re supposed to wellness stack with morning sunlight, grounding, and oil pulling, followed by strength training, cold plunge, and red light therapy—and that’s just the morning routine. Doing all the things can get overwhelming and exhausting. The truth is that most of us do not have a “perfect” day where we eat all the clean foods, remember our vitamins, have the perfect workout, have a full morning and night routine, fit in gratitude journaling, etc. Even the wellness influencers who love to do it all likely do not do it all on the same day.
And that’s OK. Wellness has many layers—fitness, mental health, nutrition, self-care, sleep, and more—you can’t expect every piece to fall into place every single day. You might forego a workout, eat an indulgent meal, or stay up too late, but one or two “off” moments don’t cancel out your healthy habits or progress you’ve made. Striving for a flawless day quickly leads to burnout. Some days your best is a killer Pilates class and protein salad; others, it’s staying hydrated and getting to bed early. It’s prioritizing your body in different ways over time that leads to wellness, not checking everything off the list every day. Honor each day as it comes, and show up accordingly.
4. Fluctuating weight
With fad diets and cleanses, super-strict challenges, and Ozempic dupes trending, the wellness industry has lost the plot: to feel good, prioritize your health, and feel confident in your own skin. When you’re consistently working out and eating nourishing foods, your body composition will likely change (you’re gaining muscle mass!)—and that’s not inherently bad. If you fluctuate dozens of pounds within a year or two, definitely talk to your doctor as this could signal thyroid, hormone, or other health-related issues. But your weight is meant to slightly fluctuate, and your health cannot be determined by a scale. Our bodies are made up of body fat and lean mass; a certain amount of body fat is physiologically essential, with females requiring a higher percentage than males to maintain healthy hormonal function and reproductive health. The number on the scale doesn’t give the full story.
It also doesn’t factor in muscle mass, strength, energy, digestion, mood, or sleep quality—all of which matter more than a number. Gaining weight can be a natural step in becoming healthier and stronger, a sign that you’re healing your metabolism, regulating hormones, or building muscle. Also, it is natural for your weight to fluctuate throughout your cycle, as well as throughout the day. Especially if you’re obsessing over a difference of 5 pounds, you are likely stressing over natural changes in your body that are perfectly healthy.
5. Not making everything from scratch
“Just cook more” is tossed around as a “simple” solution to healthy eating, as if we all had the time and resources to always cook from scratch. And the wellness industry often villainizes everything that’s not homemade. But as an apathetic cook, even an easy, one-pot meal can be asking a lot on some days. If cooking every meal causes stress, overwhelm, or resentment, that’s not wellness, and it can do way more harm to your health than heating up a frozen Trader Joe’s meal.
Wellness comes down to what’s sustainable for you. And BTW, even Martha Stewart relies on store-bought items and packaged ingredients for some of her recipes. Look at the likes of pre-made sauces, pre-cut or frozen veggies, and canned goods as tools to make eating healthier on the reg easier. Maybe you buy a rotisserie chicken and roast your own veggies, boil a box of pasta, and throw in a simple garlic and olive oil sauce, or UberEats the healthiest, tastiest option available to you because it’s been a day. You can still nourish your body without spending hours in the kitchen. Striking a balance of homemade meals and convenience that fits your lifestyle is healthy.
6. Feeling like you’re “doing it wrong” when trying something new
Anytime you step out of your comfort zone—trying a different workout, taking on a new hobby, practicing a popular manifestation method—feeling awkward at first or not getting the hang of it right away is expected. Wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all, and there’s no one “right” way of doing something; it’s a process of experimenting, figuring out what feels right for you and your goals (hi, learning and growth). Comparing yourself to the girl next to you in your Pilates class who makes it look easy and to the TikTok creator who has manifested a solid relationship and a six-figure career isn’t fair to yourself or seeing the full picture. Chances are, they’ve been going at it for far longer than you have, and you’re just starting out. Everyone stumbles, especially at the beginning—you just might not see it. Not even the wellness-y wellness influencers felt confident at their first workout, their first meditation, or cooking their first plant-based meal. It’s perfectly normal and natural not to be sure if you’re doing it right when you’re trying a new wellness practice.
7. Forgetting to take your supplements
Maybe you swear by your multivitamin and bank on your protein powder, or you think you can’t go a day without your collagen coffee and electrolyte water. But whether it’s because you overslept and had to do an abbreviated version of your morning routine or you got away for a few days and forgot to pack your trusty pills, it’s perfectly OK to take an (even unintentional) break from your supplements. Supplements are just that—supplementation. They’re not intended to replace a nutrient-dense, balanced diet but rather support it by filling in the gaps, so it won’t make a difference to skip a day or week here and there.
And it can even be beneficial to hit pause on your supplements; doing a supplement reset can help you tune into your body and determine what’s actually serving you and what’s not. Taking periodic breaks from your supplements can also help prevent yourself from overdoing it or building tolerance to them, especially if you’re taking high doses or using them long-term (the same can be said about all wellness practices).
8. Counting “watching TV” or “drinking wine with friends” as self-care
When did self-care become so boring or… hard (looking at you, everything showers and extensive night routines)? It’s not enough to simply feel better; we’ve become accustomed to seeking outside validation (think: social media or wearables devices) to affirm that we are doing the (self-improvement) work. But if meditation feels like “work” and something you have to check off your to-do list, it defeats the purpose. Sometimes, what we need to do to not only feel better but actually improve is take the less is more approach. If watching your favorite show helps you relieve stress and reset your mind, that is self-care. If sharing a glass of wine with friends brings joy, connection, and laughter, that’s self-care. Bottom line: If it feels good and fills your physical/mental/emotional cup, it counts as giving yourself TLC. Sometimes, even more than a full nighttime routine or contrast therapy would.
9. Changing your routines
If I were to tell my younger self that in 2025, I wouldn’t be doing HIIT workouts, let alone working out every day, she’d roll her eyes at me. But then I’d explain to her that what worked for me five years ago, last year, or even last month might not work now. Your energy levels, schedule, goals, and needs aren’t static, so your wellness routine shouldn’t be either. You might go from lifting weights to walking, from a vegan diet to high-protein meals, from 5 a.m. wake-ups to prioritizing sleeping in. That doesn’t mean the previous wellness practice wasn’t serving you, it just means your body has evolved—and that’s a good thing.
Wellness means adapting and evolving based on the season you’re in (literally and figuratively); it means you’re paying attention to what you really need. As you grow and learn more about yourself, you’ll outgrow certain habits or practices, and tweaking them is equally necessary and beneficial. Fresh routines can stir up excitement, creativity, and renewed purpose. A 2020 study in Nature Neuroscience found that adding variety to your daily routine can boost activity levels in your brain and promote well-being. Again, isn’t this the whole point?
Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer
Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through expert interviews and studies, and she’s always first in line to try them firsthand.