The Modern Day Caveman

It’s been nearly four weeks since I published my first blog post on The Modern Day Caveman, and honestly, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind of emotions.

I started September with a positive mindset and an aim to embrace my inner caveman, focusing on a whole-food, minimally processed diet. In fairness, I managed to keep this up for around the first week. I even fared well in a tricky situation, opting for a salad and water when out for a family member’s birthday meal at a pub. It took a lot of willpower to not order my usual burger and pint of lager.

Unfortunately, that was pretty much where my willpower for the month ended.

I was trying to avoid overly processed food, but soon found it harder than I thought. Almost everything on supermarket shelves seems to contain preservatives, emulsifiers, or sweeteners designed to make food last longer or taste better. I expected to be checking labels – I didn’t expect it to be nearly impossible to avoid.

Of course, trying to avoid these additives altogether is difficult at the best of times, let alone when trying to eat with other people in the household. It’s far more convenient to all tuck in to a big pasta dish than to spend hours in the kitchen making multiple meals for different people.

But in truth, food wasn’t my biggest downfall – alcohol was.

I’ve always had an interesting relationship with alcohol. As a teenager, I couldn’t wait to turn 18 and be down the pub every week drinking my body weight in lager. Perhaps it’s partly the British culture, where every weekend and social event is centred around the consumption of alcohol, but it’s also a coping mechanism for me, particularly when my depression is at a low point.

September was a particularly boozy month, with various gatherings and days out with friends. In fact, the past four months have been fairly boozy. Since coming back from travelling in June, I don’t think there has been a weekend where I’ve not had some form of alcohol. Granted, there have been birthday parties, leaving parties, and funerals to contend with, but the amount of alcohol I’ve consumed has crept into my everyday life.

As I approach the twilight of my twenties, I’m noticing it takes me a lot longer to recover from drinking alcohol than it previously did. A two-day hangover (and in some cases, a three-day hangover) now seems to be the norm. That prolonged state of feeling like crap wrecks my productivity, my gut, and, it seems, my willpower to make better choices.

Side note: I did read a fascinating article last week about how our very own taste for alcohol may have been inherited from our primate ancestors, who consumed a natural amount of it from ripe, fermented fruit!

Whilst all this has been going on, it’s fair to say my depression has become worse and worse. The last 18 months have probably taken the biggest mental and physical toll on my health, and recently, I’ve felt like I’ve reached breaking point.

Visions of the future are no longer as clear as they once were. Plans that were once filled with excitement and joy are now filled with anxiety and dread. It’s started to feel like all hope is lost.

That being said, I have always been very aware of my feelings, and whilst sometimes it’s hard to explain why I feel the way that I do, there will always be a part of me that will fight for a brighter future.

One of my favourite quotes is, “This too shall pass.” And I hope with a renewed mindset and some positive, actionable lifestyle choices, this too will pass.

The journey ahead isn’t just about what I eat. It’s about taking back control. My renewed mindset is focused on small, consistent choices that lead to bigger changes. The Modern Day Caveman journey continues, just with a new challenge to overcome.