What is wellness to you? There is a vast answer to this and many answers that personally relate to people and guess what? None of them are wrong! I am going to explain what wellness is to me. This is a journey we continue to learn and grow from while on the path to a holistic approach to wellness. The small consistent steps in each area of a wellness journey are what lead to great rewards! Some of you may say YES! And others might not resonate with the words below which is why we are all unique and have different understandings which I find to be great attributes of each other.
“Wellness is not just surviving, it’s thriving”. This is a statement some of you may have heard before; it has always resonated with me deeply. The definition of thriving is to grow or develop well or vigorously. Think about this for a moment. What does this mean to you? What areas of your life are you thriving in? What areas in your life would you like to be thriving in? Can you thrive in all areas of your life? Yes. You. Can.
Wellness in the holistic approach has pillars of wellness which consist of physical wellness, nutritional wellness, emotional wellness, social wellness, spiritual wellness, intellectual wellness, financial wellness, and environmental wellness. You might have heard of being in balance and aligning the mind, body, and soul. In reference to this statement tending to these areas of wellness is what we are aiming for when connecting and strengthening our relationships with wellness. The objective is to take small steps to be moving in a forward direction improving our wellness in the pillars we see needed in ourselves. This is one way we thrive! Perfection is not what we strive for, so I invite you to take the pressure off yourself and allow compassion for doing the best you can in this world.
What is physical wellness?
This is wellness in the physical of your body which does include movement/exercise, however, is not limited to. How do you care for your most prized possession a.k.a. your body? Nourishing our bodies with foods that help us thrive, allowing appropriate restful sleeping times to recharge, what types of hygiene products we use on our skin, and movement all fall under this category. Also listening to what our body is telling us is important because the body is always communicating with us.
What is nutritional wellness?
Eating a diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats helps fuel our body properly and can form at optimal levels. The acronym S.O.U.L food which stands for Seasonal, Organic, Unprocessed, Local is a great guideline for supporting your nutritional wellness journey. The less processed and sprayed with chemicals the better our bodies know how to use the nutrients. I also like to suggest when eating food listen to how your body reacts and what your body is telling you. We are all different and so is our microbiome. Some foods that make me feel great might not be the same for you. What are you eating that is feeding wellness and what are you eating that could be feeding disease?
What is emotional wellness?
Being able to identify and process our feelings can be challenging at times. Emotions are energy in motion! We have approximately 34,000 different emotions we can experience. Emotional wellness is becoming more aware of your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Being able to recognize and accept not suppress the positive and negative of each area. Some ways you can handle your emotions could be having a support system to talk with, journaling to release and become clear about your thoughts, meditation, or asking “what am I feeling right at this moment” to begin the connection.
What is social wellness?
We are social beings naturally and wired for meaningful relationships. Getting to know yourself is a great start to improving social wellness. What do you like? What do you stand for? What will you accept and not accept from others? What do you value in yourself and others? Having quality relationships with friends, family, and groups helps us improve our social wellness. Treating others with respect, and compassion, being honest with your words and feelings towards others, enjoying the people you surround yourself with, and being your authentic self are a few examples. This should also be reflected in you. Treat yourself as you want others to treat you and as someone you love.
What is spiritual wellness?
Spiritual wellness is about finding purpose and meaning in your life. It is the values you live by, your morals, and your ethics. It is that higher connection that helps guide your actions through life. This can be through prayer, yoga, and meditation, to name a few. What is your purpose, your true calling that resonates with you, and your “why” in life? Having spiritual wellness gives us faith, beliefs, understanding, principles, and trust in how we are choosing to live our lives.
Understanding the foundations of Wellness allows you to begin taking steps to thrive on your journey. My wellness journey began in 2015. I was tired of feeling depressed, disgusted with myself, not having healthy connections with myself and others, and relying on the western medical field to temporarily fix my ailments. It was years of small starts and consistent effort that led me to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts which was where I educated myself to make changes and improvements that reward me daily. The knowledge I have gained from the courses at this college helped me deepen my understanding and practice holistic wellness. From this, I have gained more balance within myself, walk the wellness journey every day proudly, and been able to share the information to support others.
I invite you to ask yourself what each topic above means to you. What areas of wellness do you want to thrive in? Are you ready to take that next small step and begin the journey or have you already begun? Wherever you are in your journey, I hope gaining these possible new perspectives on wellness helps support and empowers you!
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