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Wellness is very important to feeling good and being our best selves. But in the age of looking through the lense of social media, is wellness being made into something that it’s not?
I fear that all too often wellness is cheapened and shortened so that it can be seen through the eyes of social media.
If you were to think of wellness as being an image, what would it be?
A thin woman in a bikini, smiling and happy on a sunny California Beach?
A woman laughing as she eats her kale salad?
A women whose tight yoga pants hug her perfect curves but highlight her thin waist as she does yoga to the rise of the sun?
Now for a moment just stop.
Take a breath. Relax those shoulders that were tightening up as you were beating yourself up for not looking quite as good as her in your yoga pants, or feeling like you don’t eat enough raw kale. Exhale out that jealousy you feel that you can’t be in Bali in that bikini, as you shrink deeper into your sweater.
Let me tell you a secret….
Those things are not true wellness.
Gasp.
What?! No! That can’t be true Shannon, kale and yoga are scientifically healthy! Bikini’s are the trophy of wellness!
Ok, so let me explain….
Wellness is not about appearances. It goes much deeper than appearances.
In fact, I would actually argue that wellness isn’t about the outside at all.
It’s about what’s inside you.
I don’t think it was ever the intention of the wellness community to make it about appearances, but in a society overwhelmed by the appearances of social media, it can be hard not to misinterpret.
The sad part is, often this can lead to judging based on what someone’s body looks like. Women who are heavier or even just curvy are labeled unhealthy, while someone who is skinny is “healthy” and not allowed to complain about how they feel. You don’t know her story or what she’s going through inside. Let’s not fall prey to the old masogonistic objectification of women and just replace sex with “wellness”.
There are many women who feel better and are healthier when they aren’t as skinny as the starving photo shopped models in the magazine. Unrealistic ideals of skinny do not equal happiness. On the other hand, some women are skinny and that’s just how their bodies are made.
Everyone is made different and while I want to encourage health, which sometimes does mean losing weight, it needs to be not about appearances. This often just leads to guilt, discouragement, envy and even lack of motivation. Practicing wellness for yourself is a much better motivator than the anxiety of what people will think of you.
What Is Wellness?
Wellness is defined as, “the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort. (dictionary.com)”
I think this defines wellness accurately as it defines wellness as health both in body and mind. For complete wellness or holistic wellness we need to consider the whole person… bodily health, thoughts, feelings, awareness and all.
I like that this definition also acknowledges that wellness takes work. No one can #ijustwokeuplikethis wellness.
It can be a mental and physical battle with some unpleasant times that will sometimes leave you on the floor growling for snacks and chocolate…. so I’ve heard at least 😉
It can mean being intentional about your thoughts, listening to your body’s intuition, respecting your boundaries, and pushing your self-discipline.
Besides wellness taking guts and hard work, another overlooked aspect is that it’s a work in progress…
Wellness is a Journey
Instagram might want you to believe that if you just eat enough kale salads you will be given the trophy of that perfect bikini pic and also a lifetime supply of happiness.
But deep down we know this isn’t true.
There is no magic pill, special tea, cbd gummies, or essential oil that can make you radiantly beautiful, exorbitantly happy or perfectly healthy. Don’t get me wrong, I love my herbal teas and have my essential oil stash and supplement regime. But, these are merely tools we use to help us on our path to wellness, not quick fix solutions. Working towards wellness goals takes time and hard work – both physically and mentally.
Wellness is a journey…
A path filled with ups and downs.
It is not always linear. Sometimes it may feel more like you’re riding a bike up a hill. It feels never ending. You’re tired, you’re worn out, you’re discouraged. But sometimes you just need the right team, some snacks to give you energy, something to help you on your way. And you can work on getting over that hill. But even when you’re just biking on a straight path it still takes work and diligence to take care of yourself.
No matter where you feel like you are in your journey…
Hey maybe you’ve even fallen off your bike and are crying by the side of the road (I’ve been there).
You are always working to take care of yourself, to learn, to do the best you can where you are at.
And you can sweat and complain and have a miserable ride. Or you can crank up the music, see the beautiful scenery around you, find some friends to join you and enjoy the journey.
How Can We Seek Wellness?
Seeking wellness means finding ways to best take care of ourselves. For some this may look like seeking information, to others it may be seeking help, or some of both.
Either way you are taking the steps to taking care of yourself to reap the reward of feeling good or getting back to health.
Everyone’s steps are going to be different and that’s ok. For some seeking wellness could be just small steps as they work on their journey. You don’t have to be a VIP member of Whole Foods to pursue wellness.
Instead, it is thirst for knowledge or direction on how to take care of yourself.
So find where you want to start… whether that be as simple as cutting out soda, adding more veggies, cutting out sugar, going for walks, drinking more water etc… Or maybe right now wellness just looks like slowing down and getting some rest for you.
Make those small goals, surround yourself with information and encouragement, and keep working towards your larger goals.
What Motivates Us To Success?
Everyone is on a slightly different journey and each person’s path to wellness is going to look different. This means everyone’s motivation is going to be different.
But, the important thing to keep in mind is that you must be inwardly motivated to succeed and to enjoy the journey.
So, try to let go of guilt for not being as healthy as you want. Often when we’re not as healthy as we want to be it’s because we didn’t treat our bodies the way we should. Whether this means junk food, excess stress, bad habits, over working…. whatever, we’ve pretty much all done it. But that’s ok, our bodies will often tell us when we need to get back on track.
Let go of jealously and comparison as these will also not help you succeed.
Instead, look at your goals and find reasons that you want to be healthier for you.
Maybe this looks like doing things anxiety told you that you couldn’t. Or perhaps pursuing dreams that bad health has kept you back from. This could even be as simple as wanted more energy or owing it to yourself to feel the very best version of yourself.
I’m a big fan of journaling and when starting on a tough path of wellness it can be helpful to write down your why.
Listening or describing your goals gives you internal motivation that will last far longer than guilt or self consciousness. When you are doing something for you, it can be easier to choose the harder path to reap the benefits.
Be determined.
Be passionate.
Be hopeful.
Be relentless.
This is how you will reach your goals step by step becoming the very best you that you can be. Fear, shame and guilt have no place on the journey we are going on!
Reasons To Seek Wellness
You deserve to feel good. You deserve to take the time to take care of yourself.
You deserve to feel happy, calm, confident and healthy. These are the reasons to pursue wellness.
Recognizing self worth is an important step in really committing to a journey of wellness. You are worth taking the time and putting in the work to take care of yourself or rest and bring yourself back to a place of feeling good.
By taking care of yourself you can also be there more fully for others. You can’t give out of an empty cup after all.
So how about we focus less on body images and arbitrary social media standards of happiness and focus more on taking care of ourselves for us?
After all, you deserve it.
And while wellness may be more blood (literally you should see how many blood tests my doctor ordered!), sweat, and tears… and less happy kale eating on the beach, it is all worth it.
So continue on wherever you are at in your journey, doing your best, giving yourself grace, allowing for rest, and growing as you learn.
Mind if I join you?
Let’s connect and support each other!
It is an ongoing journey that you will never regret. I am your follower 🙂