What is Wellness?

Wellness is a real buzz word these days. Whether you turn on the tv, get online, read a magazine, everywhere you look there is information out there about health and wellness. However, as a wellness coach I struggled with the word wellness and what it really means. How was I going to help someone become “well” when the definition is so subjective?  Professionals in health and wellness, bloggers to life coaches all have great ideas about what we need to do to be healthy. Exercise more but rest, eat what you want but eat “right”, sleep more but don’t over-sleep, be social but have “me time”. I don’t listen to what all the experts say so why would I coach others to just do what I say or what someone else says is healthy. I have come to my own definition of what being well looks like for me individually. With that realization in mind, it dawned on me I don’t need to tell someone what they need to do to be healthy and well, I need to help people arrive at their own definition of wellness. Then I can help them develop a plan/strategy to attain it. If you are on your own quest to be healthier, happier, well, you too are probably reading and listening to all kinds of information hoping to glean some insight to help you get to that sought after place of optimal health and wellness. My question to you, however, is do you know what your personal definition of wellness is? If you do not have that definition, that is where you must start. Here is a tip to get you going. Ask yourself these questions. 1.) When in my life was I at my lowest mentally, physically, not feeling good, not feeling “well”? 2.) When in my life did, I feel like I was at the peak of feeling good, happy, on track, “well”? 3.) How do I currently feel? Then evaluate all aspects of your life during these time periods. Essentially you will use your very own life as a guide to help you navigate this thing called “wellness”. What was your job, children, relationships status, social life, physical health, family life, financial state, spiritual life, etc.  By looking at these things you will get a clearer picture of the aspects of your life that changed which took you either further away from a feeling of overall happiness and wellness or closer to it. By doing this activity you can create your own definition of what wellness means to you personally. When you know where you’ve been on the “wellness” journey and where you are, you’ll know where you want to go.