Is Wellness Culture Killing Fun?

The other night, I started to feel a little bit of that seasonal depression kicking in.

It’s getting dark earlier. My entire family has been sick on and off for about two months. My husband and I haven’t been on a date night in probably that same amount of time. The house was a mess. You know the drill.

I hadn’t had a drink in, like, eight days (but who’s counting?!) and felt weirdly guilty about indulging in a glass of wine after such a “good run.” But I did. And honestly? I felt immediately better.

I’m not pushing mommy-wine culture, trust me. But in a country where mothers are largely unsupported and constantly told what they should be doing to optimize their physical, mental, and emotional health, I want to say this: it’s okay to have the occasional cocktail — especially if all that “wellness” is coming at the expense of joy.

Whenever I tell my husband that drinking isn’t healthy, he says, “Neither is stress.” And he’s right. Life isn’t always about discipline. Sometimes filling your cup means having a beer with your partner after a long day, or celebrating a friend’s promotion instead of hitting the gym.

It made me wonder: are we overthinking wellness to the point that we’ve squeezed out all the fun? When did trying to feel good turn into trying to do good? When did a glass of wine, a Diet Coke, or skipping strength training become a moral failing?

Maybe it’s not that we’ve lost control. Maybe we’ve just lost the plot — forgetting that feeling good is part of being well in the first place.