Step counts, sleep scores and calorie logs promise better health. But when health tracking fuels anxiety, guilt or a constant need to do more, how do you stop the numbers from running your life?
From tracking calories and determining sleep quality, to monitoring heart rates and stress levels, health metrics have become an integral part of modern life. Even if you think you are someone who does not care about the numbers, you might still get the occasional urge to check how many step you took during the day. Just to know.
After all, these numbers promise to help us better understand our bodies and take charge of our wellbeing.
Often, they do.
But what happens when the very numbers that are supposed to make us feel better leave us feeling anxious, guilty, or never quite good enough?
Why We Enjoy Tracking Our Health
We cannot deny how satisfying it can be to turn a goal into something we can see and measure – which is why we are so drawn to monitoring our own health metrics.
Want to become more active? Just count your steps.
Want to improve your sleep? There is a sleep score for that.
Want to be more fit? Check your heart rate while you are exercising.
However, the appeal goes beyond convenience.
According to Ms Eileen Goh, a therapist at therapy platform Talk Your Heart Out, in CNA: “We live in a hustle culture that values self-improvement and optimisation. Many people turn to tracking as a way to feel more in control, especially when the state of the current world is out of our control.”
In particular, this sense of control can be reassuring when we are trying to establish new habits or manage a health concern. When we can see how much we have walked, how long we have slept, or how many calories we have consumed, we gain concrete information that can help us make decisions about our wellbeing.
Furthermore, health metrics make progress more tangible. As human beings, we are often motivated by visible signs of improvement. The little numbers we see on a dashboard can encourage us to repeat these behaviours that support our health, turning an activity into a habit or routine.
As a bonus, the modern world we live in means that health tracking does not have to be a private pursuit. From posting fitness milestones to displaying running routes, social media has turned personal health goals into something we can showcase and celebrate with others. Sharing our progress can even have a positive effect, helping us feel connected to like-minded people while receiving encouragement and staying motivated through a sense of accountability.
Ultimately, enjoying your health metrics is not inherently unhealthy.
The problem arises when monitoring becomes an obsession, interfering with your daily activities or your peace of mind.
When Tracking Becomes a Red Flag
There are reasons why an act as innocent as tracking your own health can start feeling like you are falling into a toxic relationship.
What if you wake up one morning feeling refreshed – but your sleep tracker gives you a poor score? Or maybe you are having an enjoyable outing – and come home to see that you did not meet your activity goals for the day.
What of the doubt, disappointment and guilt it all inspires?
When your emotional state becomes heavily reliant on metrics, you may end up believing more in the numbers than what your own body is actually conveying.
Furthermore, tracking can fuel anxiety – because giving that much attention to something naturally means that we worry more about it. It can create a negative cycle in which we are compulsively checking, comparing and calculating our progress. Any assurance we feel is temporary, as the cycle starts all over again when a new concern appears.
In addition, you may become increasingly rigid with your routines in the name of health, thus creating a negative relationship with your own body. What starts out as good intentions can transform into overexercise, disordered eating or other restrictive behaviours.
“Tying self-worth to numbers can start to overshadow the meaning and intent of tracking,” said Ms Goh.
“It can create guilt around slowing down or taking a break because rest doesn’t always reflect in data.”
When metrics end up adversely entangled with body image and self-worth, it is time to consider stepping back and seeking support.
Regaining a Healthier Relationship With Health Tracking
Are we all just a little too obsessed with tracking our health now?
by
u/iCliniq_official in
QuantifiedSelf
The last thing you want is to let something that is intended to help you improve harm you instead.
As always in these situations, the goal is balance. Aim to use tracking in a way that supports your life rather than controlling it.
And the first step involves stepping back and reassessing your intentions.
Maybe your original goal was to feel healthier, but if you are now spending a considerable amount of time worrying about your metrics, something has shifted in a bad way.
Consider taking time off from the tracking apps.
“The break can provide some clarity on whether it’s enhancing your life or holding you hostage,” highlighted Ms Goh.
It can help bring the focus back to personal growth, and determine whether your current habits are serving you, or if they need some adjustments.
In addition, remember that the data is just there as a supportive tool. Practice flexibility when it comes to achieving your health goals, and learn to listen to your body again. Before checking your health app, pause and ask yourself how you feel. Over time, this can help you become more attentive to your body’s signals.
“There is no such thing as a perfect routine,” said Ms Goh. “There is only ‘good enough.’”
Let your goals encourage you, not punish you. After all, a healthy life includes days when you hit every target – and days when you put the device aside and just enjoy the very life you are measuring.
Read more
- Smartwatch Health Tracking: How Reliable Are These Devices?
- Is Calorie Counting Hurting Your Happiness?
External References
- Caddy, B. (2021, February 13). What to do when your health and fitness goals turn against you. Wired. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/fitness-trackers-goals/
- Humphreys, G., Jensen, S., & Gluchowski, A. (2026). “It’s like a toxic relationship”: Examining internal conflict experienced in wearable activity tracker users. PLOS Digital Health, 5(2), e0001136. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12923002/
- Ng, D. (2026, January 23). Why are so many people turning their health and fitness efforts into a numbers game? CNA. Retrieved from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/mental-health-matters/obsessive-tracking-data-health-step-count-5400201
- Nieslanik, T. (2024, October 4). Wearable fitness trackers are making us anxious—here’s how to stop it. National Geographic. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/how-wearable-tech-can-trigger-anxiety-and-how-to-manage-it
- Sachar, A. (2022, August 9). Why are we obsessed with tracking our health data? The Established. Retrieved from: https://www.theestablished.com/self/health/why-are-we-obsessed-with-tracking-our-health-data
