Practicing Wellness

Wellness is ongoing.

So what is “wellness”? The lifestyle and word alone can be confusing so I’m going to try to simplify it until it is hopefully 100% un-intimidating. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy life. It is about change and growth toward the goal (of being in good health). It’s about making choices, one at a time, that positively affect your well-being. Everything you do, every action made and emotion felt, is directly related to your own wellness. Most importantly, it should be understood that wellness is a practice. Once you take the first step towards building a healthier lifestyle, you have begun to cultivate wellness. 

There is no doubt that at first, the idea of “being healthy" and living a life geared towards wellness can seem intimidating and possibly overwhelming. How can I possibly know that I’m making the right choices every day? Should I eat this or that? What exercises should I do? Who should I spend my time with? Is this job right for me? Is my life fulfilling? All of these questions are wellness-oriented and have the potential to make your head spin. Know this: if you actively look to become informed about your options, think about them, then, in turn, make healthy, informed decisions, then you are already practicing wellness. Like anything in life, practice makes everything easier, and eventually, it may become second nature.  

To get technical for a moment, wellness actually has eight different dimensions that are interrelated - emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual. The beauty of this is that once you begin and continue to make choices while practicing wellness, these choices and actions will snowball and will benefit many areas of your life at once and also down the line. Think of wellness as an investment in yourself, your family, and your future. 

There is no doubt that awareness is an essential component of wellness. Be aware of what you’re doing to your physical body, what you are feeding it, who you are spending time with, how your job makes you feel, what makes you feel fulfilled, and so on. Sometimes it is truly uncomfortable, but allow yourself to reflect on all of these aspects of life and practice making decisions that will positively affect each one.

So, as I said earlier, wellness actually is simple in nature. I see it as a state of mind and a personal journey. Being healthy is feeling good, enjoying life, striving for a better quality of life. Strive to be the best version of yourself, stay positive and spread positivity to others to aid them along in their own wellness journey. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong and how you can fix it, focus on what makes you feel good and do more of whatever that is. Make choices that will have positive effects on your body, mind, and emotions in the long run as opposed to choices that may give you instant gratification.  It will most likely be worth it. Most of all, listen to your body, it’s smarter than you!