When was the last time you felt on top of the world?
What did that look like for you? Maybe you were at your ideal weight. You had a regular exercise program. You had time for your hobbies. You were eating healthy. You were spending time with the important people in your life. You were in a job you enjoyed. Everything seemed to be going right and even though there were bumps in the road, you seemed to be taking everything in stride. How did it feel to live in that place?
If you can’t remember a time like this or it’s been a while since your view was from the top, keep reading!
You might be thinking “I want all of what you just said. How do I get it?” Let’s take a closer look at what living in this way means first. It’s highly beneficial to know what you need before learning how to get it. So, what does it mean to live with wellness or to live a well-balanced life? Wellness is a term becoming increasingly more visible in today’s world. A quick Google search will tell you wellness is “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.”
…but what is good health?
What comes to mind when you hear someone is not well or in poor health?
What image pops into your mind’s eye?
It is not uncommon to think this someone is ill or injured. Maybe this someone is struggling with a disease or facing a medical challenge. Regardless, you most likely come to the conclusion that something is not going well. A broken bone? A disease? A surgery? An infection? An accident? But what more could it mean to be unwell?
Many people associate the word wellness with attributes of physical health. Diet and exercise are commonly the main components when thinking about health and wellness. It is often mistakenly measured solely by a person’s physical appearance or the amount of exercise a person does. Have you developed an image of what a physically healthy person looks like or how a healthy person exercises? Do you use this image to evaluate your own level of wellness. The answers to these questions are worth investigating now, but better served in a future conversation on belief and behavior. Consider your answers to these questions as something interesting to notice about your thought process. They may begin to shed light on your habits, patterns, inner monologue, and behavior. For now, let’s take a closer look into what the term “wellness” includes to gain a better understanding for proper evaluation.
Diet and exercise are only two of the multiple aspects in living well. So, what else does “wellness” encompass? In thinking beyond diet and exercise, mental wellness may come to mind. Mental health is a hot topic in the nation right now and is often referred to as a crisis. Mental health is top of mind for many people today, as it occupies many media headlines. Diet and exercise are popular topics at the beginning of a new year when people are designing their fresh start. Is there more to wellness than the physical and mental aspects of a person? Digging a little deeper in your research will provide you with a plethora of definitions and explanations on wellness that go beyond the physical and mental. You will learn that wellness is:
“…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
– The World Health Organization
“… the active pursuit to understand and fulfill your individual human needs – which allows you to reach a state where you are flourishing and able to realize your full potential in all aspects of life.”
-Wellness Council of America
“…a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential.”
– The National Wellness Institute
You might be thinking:
“I just wanted to lose a few pounds and now I’m supposed to reach my full potential to achieve wellness?”
You might also be wondering what social well-being is, what all of your human needs are or what are all aspects of life. What does wellness actually mean? Is this process hard? Are you even cut out for wellness? Where would you even start? It seems overwhelming. It would be easier to just keep doing what you have been doing even though you know changes need to be made. You’ll just eat a few carrots today. That’s a start, right?
Living well embraces all of the most important aspects of your body, mind, heart, and spirit. Finding a balance physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually in an ever changing world is the path to your full potential. It involves becoming aware of imbalances, discovering needs and desires, taking action in growth, and continuous reflection. Accepting that wellness is a journey, not a destination will help you enjoy the process. Understanding that your needs and desires in each area will change as you grow allows for flexibility. Living well is a process of gathering the tools necessary to practice changing unhelpful patterns, habits and behaviors.
Wellness is a practice that leads to permanent change and growing levels of full-potential.
Each person’s wellness journey is uniquely individual. Everyone has different needs at different times. Your health and wellness are as dependent on your career and relationships as they are on your diet and exercise. Achieving better wellness means meeting yourself where you are and moving forward from there. Understanding that making healthier choices in all of the important areas in your life will pave a more effortless path. The success is in learning what your individual mind, body, heart, and spirit needs. For many people, going through the motions day after day (surviving) has softened the ability to listen to the body’s needs. We are breathing for survival, not to intentionally provide oxygen for proper brain function. How are you breathing? Is it just enough to get by? Are you waiting for your body to take the oxygen it needs from a deep breath during a stressful moment, followed by a sigh? Are you buying a new water bottle in hopes that it will be the magical one that makes you drink the water you know you need? Do you fill your shopping cart with vegetables and great intentions, but end up throwing them out when they rot? Are you saying yes to everyone else and no to yourself? Is there any room left in your schedule for you? Are you listening to yourself? You may be listening, but are you doing? Who are you? What do you want? It is time to start living intentionally!
What can you do RIGHT NOW to improve your wellness?
- Decide to choose yourself.
- Commit to the effort it takes in creating new habits.
- Believe what you desire is possible and attainable.
- Choose 1 area in which you desire to grow.
- Make a list of 3 small things that will move you toward this growth.
- Schedule those things in your calendar and DO NOT CANCEL.
- If you fall, get back up as many times as it takes.
- Be patient.
- When you are ready, add another area in which you would like to see growth.
- Repeat this process
ASK FOR HELP!
Sign up for my newsletter to receive a FREE LIFE BALANCE TOOL that will help you gain clarity on your current state of wellness. You will take a look at the most important areas in your life. Through this evaluation, you will clearly see where your imbalances are so you can begin taking action in making necessary changes to feel more in charge of your life. Awareness is the first step in creating lasting change. There is no better time than now to begin!
If you only have one life to live, why not choose to live it well?
Are you ready to make some changes? Not sure where to begin?
If you would like to talk through how to begin your journey in living well, consider scheduling an in-depth Health and Wellness Consultation. I will ask you questions, answer all of your questions and provide honest feedback during this 45-minute Facetime, Skype, Zoom or phone conversation.