Everyone wants to be well. And at first glance, the definition of being well seems obvious. It is the opposite of being unwell. That said, wellness has become a buzzword that sounds a lot like wokeness. No one can say for sure what that is. Who gets to define wellness? Do we each make our own definition? The human animal does not come with an owner’s manual that tells us how exactly humans are supposed to be. So we don’t exactly know how humans are when perfectly well.
Consider all the debates we have about body size and shape. Is it okay to carry a few extra pounds? Extra compared to what baseline? Should your hips be a certain size or do you have some work to do? There is certainly a health component to wellness. The only people qualified to answer such questions are you and your doctor. It is fair to say that you have not achieved wellness if you are in fact not well. But bodily health is only the beginning. As you venture deeply into the wellness idea, you will discover that it is a lot more than health. It is a mindset and even a lifestyle. Here are a few ideas about what it is and how you can achieve more of it:
Freedom from Addiction
In the old days, they used to call it having a monkey on your back. Whatever you call it, being addicted to a substance is no one’s idea of fun. Getting that monkey off your back is a part of what it means to achieve wellness. Thankfully, we have many examples of successful experiential therapy for achieving just that.
In the old days, they used to call an addiction “having a monkey on your back”. Whatever you call it, being addicted to a substance is no one’s idea of fun. Getting that monkey off your back is a crucial step in reaching overall wellness. Thankfully, we have many examples of successful experiential therapy for achieving just that.
When you don’t have complete control over your impulses, it can feel hopeless, as if someone or something else is in control of your body. People who have never experienced it cannot possibly understand what it is like to be addicted to something. The thing for you to remember is that there is always a path back to wellness.
It might not be a chemical addiction. It could be gambling. You can’t watch sports without seeing ads about the latest sports book app that will guarantee your first bet up to $500. It is a classic ploy to make your first taste free, especially when it is something addictive. If you have had that first taste and are having trouble cleansing your palate, take the first step to wellness and call for help today.
Social Wellness
It is not just about what happens with your body. Wellness also extends to your social life. Part of that social life is being socially aware and being actively involved in the solution. As they say, if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. Grab a few friends and become a part of the solution.
Being a part of the solution can mean different things to different people. It might mean you take up a cause and donate time, money, or energy to that cause. It might mean you find something that bothers you about your particular community and do something positive about it. It could mean that you become more socially available to the people around you so that you can more easily stand up and be counted, or just be a part of someone else’s plans. Some people don’t have a creative or inspirational bone in their body. But they are always the first ones to volunteer. Be that person and enjoy a greater degree of social wellness.
Relational Wellness
Sometimes, it seems like social media companies are competing to see which of them can be more toxic. What you should know is that most of these companies make their money from advertisers. Those advertisers just want eyeballs for those ads. As we know by now, controversy and turmoil attract eyeballs. There is actually an incentive for social media companies to be more rather than less toxic. It is okay to break your relationship with the not so very social networks and people on them that make your life worse instead of better. You can achieve more wellness by going through and cleaning your feed.
Wellness is just a buzzword to some. But it can be a real thing in your life by addressing addictions, becoming more socially connected, and purging unnecessary toxicity from your life.
