Every time you want to buy new skincare, drink a quart of water - 5 Year Update
I can’t believe that it has been 5 years since I posted my idea to drink a quart of water every time I wanted to buy skincare. My old post has more background, but essentially I was spending a lot of time researching skincare to the detriment of other hobbies. Purchasing products was less of an issue for me, but I was still recovering from the beauty box era and had enough of most product types to last 6-12 months. Since I didn’t actually need anything, I realized that this research was helping me to feel socially connected and potentially intellectually stimulated. Aka I was lonely and bored.
Well, I am here to tell you that this water drinking method actually worked. If you don’t believe me, compare how much I was posting and commenting on Reddit 5 years ago vs now. Here’s why I think it did:
* I recognized that this habit of researching was a symptom of unhappiness. This took some of the fun out of it immediately.
* I directly addressed the need that this research was meeting, which was social connection. This required me to push myself a little bit, but I started texting people more once I was researching less, and that led me to find my current friend group.
* To address the boredom, I read more physical books and got a physical newspaper subscription. When I did have leisure time on my phone, I tried to divert it to industry news. I deleted the Instagram and Reddit apps whose content often sparked my curiosity about ingredients. I still don’t have the Reddit app and I rarely have Instagram.
* Drinking a full quart of water takes a long time to do, so it allowed that initial impulse to pass while also letting me feel like I accomplished something positive.
* Drinking a full quart is also slightly uncomfortable and I started to associate mild discomfort with researching, like Pavlov’s dog. This was my intent but I didn’t think it would work so well or so quickly, given that I was self-aware.
Something about replacing the habit of mindlessly researching and checking Reddit with the habit of drinking water genuinely did something to my brain. I encourage you to try it - it’s free and you can adjust the amount of water to suit your body and how often you get the urge to purchase/scroll.
Quick disclaimer: it is possible to drink too much water, but spacing it out is the most important part. Drink no more than a quart/liter per hour. Most people should drink about 3 quarts (about 3 liters) per day, more if you’re exercising or in a hot climate. You can start with a cup or two if a quart sounds like too much.
I am much happier and healthier now. Looking back, this small change was one of the first steps I took to give myself a better life. Please let me know if you try it!