Stealing away some time on a Friday afternoon for a few sneaky beverages is less of an open secret in Australia than it is a national institution. But though you might assume the habit is unhealthy (and physically, it probably is), could there be some mental benefits to it too?
After seeing some of the the world’s foremost celebrities promoting Friday self love – while also wondering what they are switching offi from (Massages? Fawning fans on Instagram?) we thought we’d ask some experts if getting lit on a Friday counts as meditation.
This was inspired by P. Diddy. A man in need of little introduction, P. Diddy, otherwise known as Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, or, on Instagram, Diddy, is a 51-year-old rapper, record producer, actor and clothing designer who founded an entertainment empire in the 1990s, which sustains him to this day (alongside many new projects and collaborations).
Earlier this year he made a habit lately of posting Friday afternoon videos of him living his best life. From a couple-week-old clip of him running up the beach towards a bottle of tequila with the caption, “KK did I get any messages?” to the latest “IT’S F*CK IT FRIDAY!!!!!” video, P. Diddy has been showing us how to relax in style.
“Check it out it’s f*ck it Friday,” Diddy said in one Friday afternoon clip.
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“F*ck all the bullshit the week gave you. F*ck all the negativity and anxiety… the negative energy. We going to a higher frequency. It’s f*ck it Friday. I love you. Enjoy,” P. Diddy says, while smoking a joint and receiving a massage and listening to music, in a pair of white underpants.
P. Diddy is not the only celebrity who has taken to sharing their end of week exploits. American singer Kali Uchis has also been reposted on Instagram account Complex for her “Sunday kinda mood” antics.
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At the time of writing, the ‘f*ckitfriday‘ hashtag on Instagram has been used 98,553 times (up from the 89,550 times it had been used in March) .
Setting boundaries and dedicating time each week to look after yourself is an important self-care technique we can all learn from. However, the exact methods these celebrities are using to achieve their aims isn’t optimal for your health, especially not in the long term.
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In light of the difficult 12 months many people have just had, DMARGE asked Luke Macleod, mindfulness expert and founder of Soul Alive, Australia’s first live stream meditation platform, whether having a beer or smoking up can really qualify as meditation. He told us, though learning to property switch off is a valuable skill to learn, doing so chemically is not as healthy (or reliable) a method as traditional meditation.
“I’m not against having a drink or smoking etc. I enjoy a cold beer with my mates now and then. I don’t smoke, but if someone wants to do that, then that’s their choice. I do think celebrities have a responsibility to try and be mindful of what they are sharing online though. A lot of kids look up to people like P Diddy and I’m not sure that shottin’ whisky is sending the best of messages.”
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“This type of ‘release’ certainly isn’t a type of meditation. There are many different ways to achieving an objective, each having an equal level of consequence tied to them. For example, if you want a lot of money you could go and rob a bank and you’ll achieve that objective. However, you’ll need to deal with the consequences that come along with that. Or you can find something that you love doing, think of a smart way to commercialise it and stick at it. Each may lead to the same objective but have very different consequences.”
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“Sure this an extreme example but the point is that just because meditation is seen as a release or a way of relaxing certainly doesn’t mean it’s the same as having a drink.”
“A deeper look at the differences in how they do this may help. Alcohol achieves this by suppressing stress. It may feel like it’s relaxing you but what it’s really doing is just putting a plug in it for the time being. Meditation achieves its feeling of release through awareness (the complete opposite of suppression). You observe the stress and notice it for just what it is, a reaction stored in the body and mind to previous situations or potential events happening in the future. You can then release this attachment to it via different methods of connecting to the present moment.”
Something to mull over your next cocktail…
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The post Does ‘Getting Lit’ Count As Meditation? appeared first on DMARGE.
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