Wellness Wednesdays: Healthy vs Wellness

Wellness Wednesdays

   Healthy VS Wellness

This is the first in, what I hope will be a regular Wednesday feature - Wellness Wednesday.  I know it sounds a little corny, but here's the thing - this is a huge issue.  Just look at the all the health and fitness magazines that have come on the scene recently.  The number of health clubs just within a five mile radius of my home is staggering. A new diet is being touted by a rail-thin celeb every other day.  Everyone is searching for the magic bullet to health and wellness.  But have you stopped to really think about what these two things are?  Are they two sides of the same coin.  Can you have one without the other?  These are the questions I want to explore and get your feedback about.  There is not going to be a "right" answer.  This is a very personal issue for people.  Genetics plays a part for sure, but if were the only deciding factor, why would anyone keep spending money looking for that "thing" that is going to keep them healthy and/or well.
So, today I start with a little exploration of Healthy vs Wellness.  

What is wellness?  Is it the absence of disease? Perhaps it’s a healthy report after your annual physical, where all test show that all the markers are within normal or acceptable levels?  Can it be no cavities at the dentist? How do you define wellness? Is it the fact that your joints don’t hurt?  Are you free of everyday aches and pains?  Is it define by the fact that you  have no debilitating stress or anxiety that plagues you on a regular basis?

            For some wellness is not measured by the metrics of lab results or the absence of disease.  I know people going through chemotherapy who will tell you they are "well" – they have a sense of wellness about them.  Conversely, I know people in “perfect health” who don’t have a clue as to what a sense of wellness is.

            I think wellness is a positive sense of self.  It is the ability to find or create harmony between your physical being, your emotional being and your spiritual being (spiritual does not imply religion, but your connection to your higher being).  It’s the cancer patient who gets up every morning and goes for a walk…grateful for the ability to do so.  She has faith in her doctors, faith in her higher being, faith in herself, that she is doing what is best for her in this particular moment.

            And lack of wellness – there are plenty of examples of that, too.  Lack of gratitude for simple pleasures.  Constant complaints about how hard life is.  The inability to find joy or happiness.  Working so hard that you forget to take, even a moment, for yourself. 

            Wellness and healthy are not the same thing.  The words are not interchangeable.   As the attached quote states "Health is a state of body.  Wellness is a state of being".  Wellness, to a certain extent, is a choice.  Don’t misunderstand; people can choose to be healthy. They can choose not to smoke or drink to excess.  They can go to the gym or run or ride a bike a few days a week.  But, even if you do all the “healthy” things, you are not guaranteed a life free from injury or disease. 

            On the other hand, you choose to be "well" - to create a sense of wellness or well being for yourself.  You choose if you are going to go through life seeing the glass as half empty or half full.  You choose to have gratitude.  You choose to be kind.  You choose to have compassion.  You choose to have an open heart and an open mind.  You choose to be accepting and you choose to live your life on your own terms.

            Admittedly, some of these attitudes are shaped by past experiences.  We are shaped by our childhood, negative experiences or trauma.  But, part of creating a life of “wellness” is learning from those experiences and wanting more.  Wanting joy and happiness.  Wanting peace and harmony.

            So, what is wellness?  I would define it is the ability see the best in yourself.  To want the best for yourself.  It’s about taking care of your body, your mind and your soul.  It’s about asking for help when you need it.  It is about showing up everyday and being the best possible “you” that you can be.

Let me know what you think. Remember, I want this to be a community blog, so I encourage you to share your thoughts. Let's start a dialog started about what wellness and health mean to you.  Are you more concerned about one or the other and do you think age plays a part in your feelings.  How do you stay healthy?  What do you do to create a sense of wellness for yourself? 
May you be well!💜