7 Things people do that are nowhere near self-care

📍 Grid Location: Grey Grid City

There are seasons in life when everything feels heavy. You are moving but barely. Breathing but fogged. Functioning but emotionally MIA.

We call this the Grey Grid Fog - a slow invisible smothering that creeps into your mindset, your decisions and your definition of what healing even looks like.

And here is the thing no one likes to admit: not everything we do in the name of self-care is actually care – especially when we are surrounded by Fog.

In our workshops we name this pattern out loud. We call it what it is. When you are locked in the Grey Grid you might convince yourself you are “doing the work” when really you are avoiding it.

So here are 7 things people do that look like self-care but are nowhere close when they are engulfed in a season of intense Grey Grid Fog. 👇

1. Avoiding Hard Conversations and Calling It “Protecting My Peace”

Peace without honesty is a prison.

We all want to feel safe and 'protecting your peace' sounds noble until it becomes your go-to excuse for dodging confrontation and truth. Let us be clear: emotional avoidance wrapped in spiritual language is not peace. It is lockdown. It is quiet suffocation, and no, you are not keeping the peace - you are keeping the lie. Growth demands real talk, even when your voice shakes. Even when the outcome is messy.

2. Scrolling for Hours, Saving Quotes You Never Apply

If your healing lives in your saved folder but not your real life, you are not healing.

You are curating mood boards of inspiration while your actual life gathers dust. You are absorbing wisdom without turning it into wisdom lived. This is the illusion of growth. Aesthetic self-awareness. Digital journalling that never touches your nervous system. We see you saving quotes about boundaries while still letting everyone walk all over you. You are not lazy - you are in Fog. The fix is not another scroll. It is application. Real life practice.

3. Running to Wellness Trends Instead of Sitting with Yourself

You have the sage. The affirmations. The supplements. The playlists. The lavender sprays.

But have you sat with your truth?

Have you actually asked yourself how you feel?

Trendy rituals can become distractions. They smell good. They look good. They give the illusion of control but self-honesty is the only real wellness. Grey Grid Fog thrives when you wrap avoidance in pretty packaging. We want you to strip it back. Sit. Listen. Ask yourself the question: “What am I really avoiding?”

4. Cutting People Off Without Doing Inner Work

Yes, protect your peace. Yes, guard your boundaries.

But let us ask you this:

Are you cutting people off because they are toxic or because they hold up mirrors.

Sometimes, you are not editing your circle. You are avoiding your reflection. If every single person in your life ends up the problem, it might be time to pause. It might be time to ask if you are allergic to feedback. Grey Grid growth requires introspection. Not exile. Not ghosting. Inner work first. Boundaries after.

5. Overworking and Calling It 'Grinding for My Future'

We see you.

Hiding in hustle. Calling burnout ambition. Wearing exhaustion like a badge of honour. It is easy to confuse drive with direction. To convince yourself you are building your future when really you are sprinting from stillness.

Ask yourself: What would happen if you stopped? Would the silence scare you? Overworking is one of the most dangerous Fog distractions because it is socially praised, but purpose without peace is not success. It is escape.

6. Journalling Every Day but Never Telling Yourself the Truth

You are writing but it is a performance. You are journaling but editing as you go. You are processing – but not honestly. Grey Grid Fog will have you writing pages and pages without ever touching the real thing. Your pain. Your longing. Your resentment. Your guilt. Your envy.

You think you are journaling, but you are ghostwriting a PR campaign for a version of yourself that does not need saving. The only journal entry that will set you free is the one that tells the truth. Even if it makes you wince. Especially if it makes you cry.

7. Labelling Everything as “A Trigger” to Avoid Growth

Not everything is a trauma trigger.

Some things are just truth - and your ego cannot handle it.

It has become trendy to call everything “a trigger” when sometimes it is simply a correction. A call-in. A reality check and instead of receiving it, you stamp it with the trauma label and move on - unmoved. Not everything is trauma. Some of it is truth and yes, it stung. But it stung your ego, not your inner child. Growth means knowing the difference.

Final Word from the Grid

At Grid Society, we are not speaking from above. We are beside you. Walking through the Fog too. The things we say are reminders to us first – because the work is ongoing. The breakthrough is daily and sometimes the honesty is the medicine.