People often think that when a friend or relative is finding wellness in their life, they are pretending to be perfect but that is certainly not the case and it’s their lack of knowledge in the area which causes this perception. 

When we think of wellness we must view it as a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind and nurturing the soul. Of course it still includes striving for health but it’s more about living life to the fullest.

There are 8 interdependent elements to wellness: 

Physical: Caring for your body to stay healthy 

Intellectual: Growing intellectually, by valuing lifelong learning expanding your knowledge and skills. 

Emotional: Understanding your feelings, values and attitudes while appreciating the feelings of others and managing your emotions in a constructive way. 

Social: Maintaining healthy relationships.

Spiritual: Finding value, purpose and meaning in your life. 

Vocational: Finding work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment while contributing your passion, unique talent to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding.

Financial: Learning to live within your means and making informed financial decisions 

Environmental: Being aware of how your daily habits affects your physical environment and demonstrating commitment to a healthy planet.

Attention must be given to all elements as neglecting one will adversely affect the other. In my coaching sessions I coach my client to strive for a ‘personal harmony’ that feels authentic to them, as we naturally have our own priorities, approaches and aspirations, of what it means to live life fully. 

Sometimes change takes a long time as it requires repeated experiments which may be successful or not so successful. But for ongoing betterment, the attempts are unquestionably worthwhile and one success often lends to another. When thinking about habits, wellness and the life to which my clients aspire to be; I ask them to consider, “Are you going to accept yourself or expect more from yourself”, “Are you going to embrace the present or consider the future?” and “Are you going to care about yourself or overlook yourself?”

Wellness is a dynamic ever-changing, fluctuating process. It is a lifestyle individualised for each person to live in a way that allows them to become the best version of themselves day by day. The past is history, your present and future life are the choices you make today. Don’t worry about getting it perfect and what others perceive it to be, just get it going, and become a better version of yourself than yesterday. 

So when you see a friend or a relative burning sage, talking about crystals, meditating or suddenly bending their bodies into wonderful yoga poses. Don’t mock them, gently acknowledge their journey and support them, as it’s not a straightforward process, more like an internal emotional rollercoaster which needs determination, inner strength and lots of support.

Namaste

Christine 

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