When practicing moderation becomes dangerous

“Everything in moderation including moderation” — Oscar Wilde

When we think of moderation, most people think of diet or screen time. We’ve heard “Eating sweets is okay in moderation.” or “Using social media is good in moderation”.

But what happens when we take moderation too far?

Let’s dissect Oscar Wilde’s quote.

“Everything in moderation” means it’s beneficial to avoid extremes.

Don’t completely avoid yummy foods, but don’t binge eat sweets either. Don’t create an inflexible schedule down to the minute, but also don’t be disorganized. Don’t spend every second out in the sun, but don’t completely avoid the sun.

“…including moderation” reminds us to maintain a healthy amount of balance. We can get too extreme or obsessive about moderation itself, and that isn’t healthy either.

The point is to not take moderation to the point of restriction. It’s okay to occasionally fast or overeat. It’s okay to take a lazy day and have a movie marathon. Everyone has a vice!

How do we know when we’re taking moderation too far?

The end goal is to enjoy your life doing things that are good for you.

Moderation turns into restriction when we go from a mindset of self-love to a mindset of self-loathing. This is where it gets tricky.

Restriction needs to be perfect ALL THE TIME and feels guilt and shame if it’s ever not.

Moderation knows it’s okay to occasionally indulge (in screentime, food, sleep, etc.) and doesn't feel guilty or shameful.

One way I’ve practiced moderation is knowing my vices. I have an extreme sweet tooth and know if I try to cut it out completely, I binge. But if I don't monitor it at all, I’ll consume more sugar than I thought.

So, I’ve found sugary foods that satiate my sweet tooth that don’t have an extremely high amount of sugar. Some examples are vanilla Greek yogurt with chocolate chips, Go Macro oatmeal chocolate chip bars, and 1 York peppermint patty.

How do you practice moderation or what are some ways you’ll start implementing it?