Wellness means more than keeping myself from getting sick or burnt out, overwhelmed or just getting by, it means feeling good about myself, finding balance, nourishing the spirit and soul and being a good steward of the earth.
12 ways to BE WELL, in body and spirit.
1. Get 8 hours of sound sleep (give or take what feels right to you). See last week’s sleep post here.
2. Exercise regularly (3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes), some of my favorite forms of exercise are Yoga, walking and Dancing (Nia)
3. Eat lots of organic and local produce. Same goes for meat and dairy if you are not vegetarian (which I am not but was for quite a few years).
4. Take time to do something that gives you Joy each day. This might mean quality time with loved ones (pets, family or friends) or taking time for a personal hobby you love doing.
5. Drink water as much as possible every day.
6. Use natural and non-toxic cleaning and beauty products in your home and on your body (that are not tested on animals and that do not contain parabens and other carcinogens)..
7. Keep houseplants and get out and garden if you can.
8. Volunteer and help others out when/however you can. Online is great but in person is even better!
9. Breath. Stop, notice your breath through your day and just bring your breath back to you.
10. Have FUN and Play more!
11. Be KIND, and I mean to everyone. This certainly takes practice but it’s worthwhile and will lead you to…
12. Don’t forget to Smile! Smiling can change our attitude and thoughs, give it a try regularly.
These may all seem like really basic practices and I commend you if you already do all of these (they are all a part of my regular routine at this stage in life). If you feel like some or many of these goals are not attainable please stick with it, you can change habits but it takes time. Find the ones that seem the most EASY or the most REWARDING or the most FUN and start with them!
I will be share more ideas about wellness and self care throughout February and I’d love to open this up for discussion. If you would like to join me, please connect on my Facebook page.
How do you define Wellness?
looking at your list it seems I have a lot of work to do!! I fail on almost every one! Yikes! Thankyou so much for your comment too, I have started another but….not sure about that either!! Maybe trying to be an artist will be the finish of me!!!
I hope you feel better soon.
Karen, I would love to hear how you define wellness because I’m sure you don’t fail by your own definition. We all have our own. There are so many more ways to create wellness, smile and laughter come to mind…It just depends on you. My list hopefully will not discourage you. Thanks for your kind wishes, I’m currently in bed feeling worse but I know I’ll be better soon. Keep up the gorgeous embroidery!
I define wellness as making the best choice as often as possible. It’s the second by second decisions that cast the net for happiness.
I absolutely agree Mary Carol! Those small decisions add up to define your legacy!