What is Wellness Anyway?
Hey there! Gather ‘round because I want to talk to you about wellness.
That’s the whole point of this blog anyway. This is a huge topic because so many people are talking about wellness and the word itself covers a lot of ground. But let’s keep it simple. I’m going to do a little churchy-style thing here so bear with me:
Webster’s Dictionary defines wellness as: “The quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal…”
Those last three words are critical because it gets to the point of what it takes to really be well. It’s a journey you take as an active participant. It’s intentional, a everlasting pursuit with energy! But I want to add another piece to this.
Wellness is not the absence of sickness, stress, or chaos.
It’s your resiliency when those things happen.
It’s a set of skills and it all starts in how you think about yourself, other people, and the world around you. It starts with the mind and heart. What you think and feel internally has a great impact on what you do, who you surround yourself with, what paths you choose, etc. It doesn’t always feel like you have choices, but if you really think about it, you are making choices all the time- from the very mundane to the very impactful.
Our emotional and mental wellness (which I sometimes use interchangeably) is central to how we exist in the world. We have to intentionally preserve it each and everyday. We have to teach our partners, friends, children, and everyone in our lives how to do it too, through our example. I want to share with you what I have learned over all these years of my training and living about how to cope with your stressors, your children’s stressors, your family’s stressors, and the WORLD’s stressors that interfere with the emotional health of us all. This first blog post is, hopefully, a step forward to accomplishing that goal.
So ask yourself these questions:
What are the three things that are interfering with my emotional health right now? (work issues, lack of sleep, poor eating habits, difficult relationships, etc.)
If I could pick ONE of those things, which one is the easiest for me to start changing right away?
Do I know how to change it?
Don’t worry if your last answer to that question is “No.” You don’t have to have all the answers. Coming to this blog is for you to get some information, raise your awareness, and then either share with others, or make a move to connect with a therapist, a support group, or grab a self-help book or journal to start the path to increase your wellness.
Let me know what you have questions about too! I want to hear from you.
See you next time here at the Spot. Let’s continue to get well…together!
