Let’s Explore what Real Wellness Is…

Isn’t it interesting how we paint the perfect picture of Wellness?

It’s:

• That nice walk on the beach with your loved one
• Enjoying a hot bath, with the lights dimmed and music low
• Getting a soothing massage at a spa with your friends
• A nice evening jog with the colours of fall around you
• A sip of warm herbal tea before bed
• Writing your hopes and dreams in your morning journal

The Wonderful Scene from the Dominican Republic, 2022

But in reality, wellness is also REALLY FUCKING UGLY.

Its:

• Walking alone to sort through your feelings after a hard break-up.
• Ugly crying in the shower when you’re feeling overwhelmed or filled with loss or grief.
• Having that hard talk with your doctor about the news you’ve been avoiding.
• The blood, the sweat, and the tears from doing a sport you love… and struggling every step of the way.
• Luke warm coffee to ward off fatigue while you are planning your next steps in life.
• Planning out that hot mess of a day and just hoping something… ANYTHING goes your way.

Let’s be a little bit crass on the subject, since sometimes the only way to get your message across is to use some colourful language.

These are the gritty parts of wellness… just not the pretty ones. It is the unglamorous side of the work, the parts that are HARD, the parts that BREAK us.

The parts we don’t want to do… but we do them anyways… because deep down we know it’s what is being asked of us.

Wellness isn’t about the easy road to a simple life, it’s the path least taken. It’s facing the RESISTANCE and becoming more than we once were.

It’s about taking the suffering and the joy and then realizing that both are needed to have true wellness.

They are two parts of the same story that make up your entire being.

It’s interesting, isn’t it?

If you are willing to share, I would love to hear your wellness stories below, the good, the bad and the ugly.