Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about wellness. I find that it’s a buzzword mentioned in all sorts of health articles, magazines, podcasts, products, marketing, you name it! Especially with the increasing interest in health over the recent years, wellness is talked about more than ever. While the word itself is non-uniquely and usually associated with health and health-related topics, the meaning of wellness is unique to everyone. If we were to lit·er·al·ly define wellness, it could be said that it’s the active/conscious process of choosing life and lifestyle choices that overall fulfill and improve one’s health (emotionally, spiritually and physically). Alternatively, if we were to ask what wellness means to you as an individual, we’d be able to capture a variety of answers.
Why should we care about wellness? Well, a person’s level of wellness affects everything in their life. Wellness is directly related to health, stress, mentality, emotions and so on, so if any one of these components are out of balance, it affects your well-being. By achieving optimal levels of wellness in your life, what subsequently increases will be your energy, productivity, gratitude and health. The journey to maintaining and acquiring wellness is a cycle!
Here’s what wellness means to me:
- Finding self love and self care. Listening to what my body needs.
- Taking purposeful breaths to remind myself to de-stress, stay calm and refresh.
- Finding gratitude in people, the daily things and the little things.
- Allowing myself to love deeply and be loved.
- Being goofy and not caring what others think.
- Maintaining work-life-family-friends balance.
- Nourishing my body with nutrient-dense foods regularly, but also being okay with eating some not-so-healthy foods/treats in moderation.
- Getting adequate rest and waking up energized. Slowing down and taking a power-nap when I need to.
- Remembering my purpose as a wife, daughter, sister, friend, professional.
- Accepting, reflecting and learning from the past. Looking forward to the future.
- Planning ahead, but also accepting the unknown’s in the future.
- Financially preparing for today, tomorrow and the future, but also reminding myself that money does not bring happiness.
- Appreciating nature; taking the time of admire the beauty and its amazing scents.
- Taking mindful breaths; enjoying fresh air.
- Smiling and laughing like crazy, and not caring how silly I look.
So, if you have a few minutes, take some time to reflect on what wellness means to you.
Julie Tang Nutrition 