What are you doing right now? Checking emails? Having a bite to eat? Wondering what the next hour or day or week or month might bring?
On the other hand…
What are you being right now? Anxious? Frustrated? Annoyed?
Or
Kind? Grateful? Empathetic? Generous? Calm?
Hello Friends. As I type this, we are up to our bellies in the holiday season. (pun totally intended!)
Yep. This time of year can produce a mishmash of feelings that leaves us stranded in a tumultuous sea of stress, swarming with ravenous, distorted emotions that make navigating the holidays healthfully a real act of courage; requiring insight, balance, and incredible patience.
I’d ask you to take just a few seconds – right now – and ask your heart and body how it’s going for you. Are you feeling calm? Rested? Sane? At ease?
What is ‘Wellness’ anyway?
As you know in my book From Overwhelmed to Inspired, I use the definition of wellness I’ve come to love,
“Wellness, it’s the best in each of us, a natural mix of elements that makes us unique. Wellness is a conscious commitment to growth and improvement in all areas. Only then does the larger picture emerge.” ~ Anonymous
A few organizations have attempted to define what is meant by ‘a commitment to growth and improvement in all areas.’ One of the largest of these is the National Wellness Institute (NWI) which promotes six dimensions of wellness: Physical, Emotional, Occupational, Intellectual, Social and Spiritual.
Yep – It’s November. The one month out of 12 that we’ve set aside for gratitude. And because of that, I’m certain your inbox is full of everything from blogs like mine to holiday sales that invoke the spirit of being thankful.
A quick internet search will reveal that there’s a LOT of science that supports a practice of gratitude to improve overall health and well-being. I found this nice little blog that lists 31 actual science-based benefits of practicing gratitude!
Some of the most fascinating research being conducted in the field of “Wellness” is in the topic of “Mindfulness”.
In fact, we are seeing some pretty amazing health benefits achieved by simply practicing “Mindfulness”. These benefits include reduced stress, improved immune system, reduced depression, improved sleep, decreased blood pressure and more.
This is great news for our overall health and well-being right?
