Because we are such an ad-driven society, we hear a lot of advertisements that tell us we are flawed, lacking, and deficient in many different life qualities. Got a new face wrinkle? Botox! Feeling a few pounds over what you might want to weigh? Ozempic! And if you sometimes feel sad, there are countless drugs to consider that are designed to improve upon your depressed mood state. Setting aside for a moment any questions around whether these products “work,” the bigger question is why we would even consider them in the first place? In other words, is it abnormal to experience wrinkles as we age, additional body weight as we move less, and sad feelings as we process tough periods of life? If these things are actually normal (they are!), then why would we ever want to mess with Mother Nature? For improved mental health, it may be worthwhile to critically examine the problems advertisers constantly tell us that we have.
Normal, healthy human development
Sometimes in life we create problems that really aren’t there, but they are appear to be problems by the ways in which behaviors and measurements are framed. Take for example the following issues that humans commonly experience, but lets examine each concern using knowledge and critical thinking, rather than simply relying on slick advertising:
- Mood state changes. Regarding our mental health, feeling sad is a normal human experience, and while we sometimes experience depression for reasons unknown, tamping down these symptoms by means of prescription drugs may actually open an entirely new can of worms. Often drug advertisements portray a very unrealistic view of life, one where people skip through flower beds filled with elation, and not a more realistic image of people on the go trying to balance family, work, and other responsibilities successfully. Yes, stress and mood fluctuations are largely normal experiences that can be controlled by learning healthy coping methods, and not things you want to snuff out by means of medications.
- Wrinkles. As we age, we experience wrinkling skin, less muscle density, and even compromises to our bones. Advertisements often sell the image of products — like Botox — that seemingly reverse the aging process. Why get caught up in what society tells you about how you should look, rather than simply embracing your aging and working well with what you have?
- Weight loss. Yes, the tried and true approach to eating less food and moving your body more still works when it comes to losing weight, but increasingly more people today would prefer to bypass all of that in exchange for a faster, though possibly more potentially dangerous, way to lose weight. If you are middle-aged, should you still expect to look how you did as a teenager? By better calibrating your expectations, you might find less of an interest in pursuing quick-fix ways to correcting a problem that really doesn’t exist.
- Low testosterone. Similar to adding wrinkles and weight, men worried about their low testosterone are fighting against something the body normally does over time. Can you correct this condition? Maybe, but what new problems might you experience by artificially increasing your testosterone? Would it be better to accept how we naturally age, or chase down controversial approaches to increasing — and sustaining — higher testosterone levels.
Final thoughts
We are constantly told about all the things we need in life to become fulfilled and experience better mental health, but often it is how we frame our “problems” that determines our vulnerabilities and whether we choose to pursue things to help. If, on the other hand, we employed a more responsible view based on critical thinking, we might feel very content — and even happy — with what we currently have. The human aging process includes wrinkles, weight gain, and mood fluctuations, as none of us age backwards like Benjamin Button! Embrace inevitable changes, and feel good about yourself rather than pursuing answers to problems that might not even exist.
drstankovich.com
