What is Wellness?

Wellness. It’s been a hot topic over the last few years. There are wellness retreats, wellness colouring in books, wellness diaries, wellness foods, wellness meditations, the list goes on.

Most wellness activities target taking time for yourself. Time to reflect on your journey.  Time to find your inner peace – that is if you can find it!

But what does wellness really mean? And does it mean that you need to focus solely on yourself? Or can we find forms of wellness in our life on a daily basis that include others?

The wellness industry has evolved as our lives seem to get busier day by day. Our schedules are overrun with activities. The concept of a work / life balance seems to be one of those things that is high up in the clouds. Does anyone ever get there? Often we feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious with too many things in our life.

The wellness industry has done a marvellous job, marketing to us that we need them to help us get the balance right, making over 4.2 trillion dollars globally.

But do we?

Is wellness only for yourself?

To be well, do you need to do something just for yourself? Spending our hard earned money on luxury treatments, activities and products?

I believe in taking time for one’s self to nurture the body, mind and spirit in whatever format that may take. In fact, I’m all for it!  I love a massage, taking time to read a favourite book, meditate, or take a yoga class. But at some point, do we also need to be well with others? Help others and connect with them? Like volunteering, something which can be so incredibly worthwhile and fulfilling.

Without connection, we can begin to feel isolated and alone. In Australia in a 12 month period over 2 million people will suffer from anxiety and 1 million will suffer depression. Perhaps if we stop, just for a second, and take a moment to breathe, to feel and be human, can we choose a different path? Instead of thinking about our crushing diaries and our never-ending scheduling, we thought about how much more rewarded we could be if we fulfilled our natural need to be with others?

A conversation with a friend, helping another, being apart of a group or community all working towards the same cause, can bring a whole new dimension to wellness. Feelings of joy, fulfilment and calm can be brought about by spending time with others.

With people now often considering online connections a form of connecting, and yes it is to some extent, but what about our human need for face to face contact? Are we really connecting? Are we feeling wholesome? Are we feeling well? Or are we just scrolling mindlessly on our devices as life keeps moving onto the next thing and then we forget what we just read, heard, experienced?

It’s no wonder the wellness industry is booming. 

How can we bring our world closer to us if we don’t participate as human beings, not human doings?

How can we make those moments of every day more meaningful? How can we incorporate wellness into our daily life with others, around us and feel connected, to feel wholly well?