What is “Wholesome As F*@k February?"
A community supported exploration of what wholesomeness means to you, during the shortest month of the year.
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Back when I was still drinking booze, my friend Tim proposed that our crew spend February getting wholesome AF together. Basically, a group of friends banded together to support each other in our individual wellness goals. Socializing, FUN, accountability, and mutual support were the key factors. The goals of this group were as individual as we were: some wanted to meditate daily, some planned to run a certain number of miles each week, some wanted to stop smoking weed, some decided to smoke weed #calisober. All of us wanted to cut out, or cut back, our alcohol consumption. We had potlucks and we texted encouragement to each other, and our friendships grew even richer because of that month. Since I was our designated bartender, I made the drinks—my first “mocktail” recipes. It was great!
Now, we at For Bitter For Worse would like to share Wholesome As F*@k February (WAFF) with you!
WAFF is different from Dry January (or other “dry” months), because it’s less about abstinence, or about one particular substance, and more about centering community and relationships, while fostering “wholesome” habits. “Community” can take many forms and expressions: it can be virtual check-ins, picnics that embrace everyone’s “wholesome” challenge (i.e. vegetarian options, booze free options, etc), and an email thread or text thread where you can drop lil’ challenges, wins, and just check in about your experience.
It is also important that ”wholesome” is defined by YOU! Take some time to contemplate what you can do for you to help yourself thrive. Need some inspiration? Maybe wholesome is an exercise or outdoor activity goal, an alcohol limit, a cap on screen time, a dietary change, or embarking on the 100 mile food challenge! Maybe it’s adding a sweet treat or home spa day to your weekend. Perhaps you are already sober, or alcohol isn’t really a factor for you (great!), but you want to try going plant- based for a month as a personal and environmental experiment.
Maybe your partner’s definition of a PERSONAL “wholesome” challenge is booze-free, and yours is running x miles a week—great, support one another. Maybe they join you on a few runs and you abstain from booze a couple evenings—go team!
Finally, “wholesome” is not “one size fits all,” and is in direct conversation with all the cultural pressure and body shaming that tends to go down in January (looking at you, Diet Culture). Wholesome As F*@k February holds mental health as a key pillar of “wholesome,” but it’s cheeky and playful too. Wholesome is not about “can’t;” it’s about ADDING to your life. It could mean ADDING books and enjoyable exercise to your life, ADDING purposeful rest, or ADDING more outdoor activity, and it definitely means ADDING more purposeful community time!