A psychologist has warned against people turning January into a “fashionable” health month – saying the annual trend is “obnoxious and rooted in narcissism”.
Moreover, Dr Rebekah Wanic believes the ‘abstinence lifestyle’ which has gained popularity in recent years may be having a negative impact on others around you.
In a video, the 43-year-old psychologist explains why she is fed up with people jumping on the well-being bandwagon such as doing Dry January or Veganuary.
And why she believes it’s better to ditch this ‘all-or-nothing’ approach and “self-regulate” instead.
“There are people who have genuine reasons to cut things out completely like recovering alcoholics or people with coeliac disease,” Dr Wanic, from San Diego, US, told NeedToKnow.
“But for many, it has become a fashionable personal choice which ends up making everyone around them uncomfortable.
“They think they should be celebrated for giving something up and everyone else is expected to accommodate their choice.”
In the video, Dr Wanic expands on her controversial opinion.
She says: “…I feel like I’ve been encountering more and more people these days who’ve been adopting abstinence-only lifestyles.
“’I don’t drink, I don’t eat gluten, I’m vegan, etc.’
“So to be clear, choosing to be healthy is a good thing and regulating your intake of certain foods and drinks can be beneficial.
“However, the adoption of an abstinence-only type of diet or lifestyle is mostly inconvenient, annoying to be around and probably rooted in narcissism.”
The doctor adds that she believes many people are not educating themselves on the “pros and cons” of trying out a new lifestyle, but do this to feel a “sense of superiority”.
She adds: “There are so many issues.
“For example, although many abstinence types will say that they don’t care what other people are doing, there is an inherent judgement and sense of superiority, a message that what they are doing is healthier, more moral or showing more restraint than those around them.
“If you didn’t think this was the case on some level, why would you be doing it?
“This is of course not to say that somebody who has previously struggled with an addiction or has a real medical condition that precludes them from eating certain things should be looked down on or encouraged to do things that would be harmful.
“The problem is that for most people this is not the case.
“While there is of course not true for everybody, many of the people who make such extreme choices, do these things with a real lack of understanding of the true pros and cons.”
