Being an addict isn’t just about a drug like cocaine or heroin or even marijuana. It’s also about being “an enthusiastic devotee of a specified thing or activity.” Not all bad, as you can see about that definition, but it could be.

Some of us get high on shopping, while others get high on adrenaline and being competitive. Adrenaline, such as from working out on a regular basis, is a pretty great one. You feel good, and that feeling can become addicting. You want more of it. You want to feel damn good all the time. So it’s not just about the fact that it has health benefits, and makes your body stronger, but it provides a mental boost and ability to be a better you. That’s awesome.

But does it ever turn the other way?

Listen to your body, but don’t let it trick you. Addicted to desserts, find a healthy version. Addicted to high-risk activity like sky diving, consider a balance so you aren’t going through withdrawal and choose to do something just for the sake of it.

Don’t let your body/mind think you need to buy that pair of shoes to feel that high and feel better. I used to resort to shopping whenever I didn’t feel that great or felt lonely. It was a present to myself, but for the wrong reasons. Because as soon as the high of the purchase wore off, the underlying feeling I had to resolve was still there. In the end I had to find a new way to resolve those feelings, head on. And finding a healthier balance and healthier activities to focus on was so much better for my well being, as well as my wallet.

Balance.

Knowing when your high doesn’t need to be overdone; and that it’s about quality rather than quantity. Knowing that if you got one great workout in, you don’t need 3 more that day. That one workout could carry you for the rest of your day, maybe even to the next.

Find the healthy highs, and the right doses.

What’s your poison?

#radiatedaily