Why WellBeing?
/Wellness is a term that is becoming ubiquitous in our newsfeeds, as wealth and lifespans both rise in America more people have both access and interest in living a healthier life. Baby boomers are interested in maintaining their vibrancy while younger generations, often influenced by the social media culture, are seeking health, beauty and fitness. Being well is big business, 3.7 trillion estimated in the Global Wellness Institute's 2017 study. But what does it truly mean?
When I was first starting my massage therapy education there were 2 key concepts that jumped right out to me and inspired my passion for wellness. The first is Dr. John Travis' model of the wellness continuum. Before seeing this, like many people, I always considered the lack a disease to mean one was healthy. In actuality that's just the neutral point and there is so much you can do move towards higher and higher levels of wellness. Wellness here is about really taking control to prevent illness and increase health.
The second chart that captured me, I resonated with it so much that I photocopied it from my textbook and kept it up on my refrigerator through 5 house moves. I look at this chart with the distinct aspects of wellness as an opportunity to reference and check in with myself, where am I doing well and where do I need to place my time and attention. There is always at least one, usually many, of these aspects of wellness were I can improve.
Can you look at this list and see any area where you would like to improve your wellbeing?
And on the subject of improving many people fear that creating a healthy lifestyle will mean giving things up and depriving themselves of pleasures. But I'll actually be presenting the opposite. As you add healthy and well practices to your lifestyle you will find that old habits naturally fall away. I hope you'll follow this blog to discover more!