What is wellness? Everything and its mom have their own definitions. Social media will tell you through framed, little boxes with words inside, or pictures of bodies in mirrors, that wellness is a cacophony of contradictory things. I looked up hashtag wellness and most of what came up had directly to do with physical health, or it talked about carving out some time for yourself. Both of those things are valid and add to a healthy lifestyle. But for me - honestly - physical health doesn’t have all that much to do with wellness. It’s a piece of the pie, but not a majority of it. 

I think if I had to find a synonym for holistic health or wellness, I’d choose balance. My wellness regiment - as in, this is what sustainably makes me feel good - includes: hot yoga, clean body and beauty products, salty potato chips with ridges, many cups of black tea, daily meditation, books on hold at the library (something to live for - just kidding), good playlists, a handful of supplements daily or weekly, sourdough toast with butter in the mornings (and often afternoons), monitoring my gluten intake, swinging on swing sets, Tate’s GF chocolate chip cookies (to be eaten in one sitting), shopping primarily used clothing, eating greens, applying sunscreen daily, walking my dog, owning only one pair of non-holy tennis shoes at a time, being in the company of interesting people and creatures, being alone, E.E. Cummings, eating a piece of fish every once in a while… I think you get it.

I guess I’d just like to remind us all that wellness doesn’t look one way. It’s about what makes you feel good while being yourself. Making healthy decisions is part of it, but - totally candidly - making some unhealthy decisions is part of it for me, too. I once heard someone refer to “loving their vices,” and I’ve picked that philosophy up for myself. (I also have a sneaking suspicion that if we do want to give up any of these vices eventually, it will be easier to do so from a place of love than from a place of combat.) 

Analyzing my every choice for health optimization doesn’t make me feel good. It makes me feel dissociated from myself. Allowing ourselves to look at the big picture shows us that the things that bring value to our lives are the things that have always brought value to human lives. An engaging, active lifestyle. Meaningful relationships. Making and interacting with art. Learning new things. These are the pieces of the delicious pie that is wellness. (Serve with ice cream.)

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash