Wellness

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Please consider this free-reprint article written by: Charmaine

Saunders

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Article Title: Wellness

Author: Charmaine Saunders

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet

Word Count: 1593

Article URL:

http://www.isnare.com/?id=2354 & ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Format: 64cpl

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Wellness is the buzz word for health these days and I like it.

It implies a much wider scope of fitness than a balanced diet,

regular exercise or a well-toned body. It speaks of an

wholistic approach and attitude to living, taking in emotional

and psychological factors as well as physical.

So, what does wellness entail?

1/Positive living.

Thought is where it all begins but there must also be practical

action in order for a truly positive life to be lived. People

often think that `positive thinking’ is fantasy-land,

especially in the current world climate. It would be if this

philosophy only encourages generic, bland attitudes but, in

actual fact, positive thinking is about awareness and

aliveness, not burying one’s head in the sand. It is a choice,

a way of life that truly believes, in all circumstances, the

glass is always `half-full.’ Positive life means searching for

the gift in every and any tragedy; not to smile inanely through

adversity but to choose hope over despair.

With this attitude in place, life becomes more prosperous in

general, brighter and less fearful. Demons can be vanquished or

at least, disabled. A positive life is one in which `bad’ things

can and will still happen but can be overcome more easily with

the courage and joy that this form of wellness brings.

2/Health.

Health in all its forms is requisite to an overall sense of

wellbeing. It’s impossible to feel good if we’re tired, ill,

cranky or in pain. Balance is the key to this as to many other

life-skills. The things that damage health are excesses of all

kinds, addictive behaviour, discordant relationships, poor

diet, inadequate sleep and lack of physical fitness. As boring

as it sounds, moderation is necessary for all forms of

wellbeing. We need, each day, to honour our emotional,

spiritual and physical needs. We need to feed the soul, nourish

the body and work the mind - every day, not just occasionally.

Most of us are taught early in life to do the basics like

cleaning our teeth, washing our bodies, using the toilet,

sleeping and eating but of course, there is more to physical

fitness than that. My feeling is `no pain, plenty of gain.’

Exercise should be fun, easy and never excessive. If it takes

over and becomes punitive then surely we‘ve added stress to our

daily routines rather than reduced it. So find something that

you enjoy doing, whether it’s just walking round the block or

playing social tennis, and do it regularly.

Emotional needs are catered for better by some than others.

We’re all emotional creatures whether we show our feelings

outwardly or not. Letting them flow naturally is the secret;

it’s important not to let them choke on themselves, especially

the ones we find most uncomfortable. Make friends with your

darker side, keep working at self-knowledge and be honest with

yourself and about yourself. Banish worry as it’s a totally

useless waste of energy. Be as relaxed as possible every day,

develop acceptance and be gentle with yourself.

Spiritual nourishment can come in many forms other than

religious practice or meditation. You can feed your soul with

poetry, music, nature, love of children and animals, being near

water, walking and swimming, being in silence, looking at

beauty.

Self-love is a big part of these means to wellness as when you

value yourself, you automatically look after your body, feed

your mind with stimulating conversation, knowledge, reading and

ideas, nourish your soul by a variety of pleasurable pursuits,

and you will no longer feel the need to sabotage your happiness

and success by obsolete beliefs and self-defeating behaviours.

Negativity of thought, action, attitude and feeling counteracts

this. With a positive mind and a healthy body, there’s not much

we can’t achieve.

A key factor in health is prevention. Taking responsibility for

your own health, living pro-actively and not waiting till

illness has already struck to improve your health habits. The

number of times that people have said to me their cancer or

heart disease turned out to be a great gift because it forced

them to change their diet, get more sleep, exercise more etc -

my answer is why wait till you’re sick to look at these issues?

Often the alteration to lifestyle is quite minor yet the

benefits are enormous. For instance, just walking daily, taking

Garlic and Vitamin C for prevention of colds and flu and

reducing stress can make all the difference.

3/Stress management.

We live in stressful times - no-one would dispute this. Recent

world events have further heightened our sense of powerlessness

and the inevitability of change that already has proven to be

the hallmark of the 21st century. Thus, it’s more essential

than ever to develop our spiritual muscles and muster our

physical stamina as this exercise called life is getting

tougher and tougher to manoeuvre. With added external stress

comes the need for more internal calm; amidst the global

turmoil, we need more personal peace.

Where is it to be found? Where it always resides - inside each

of us. Right now, we need some extra awareness of its existence

and a reminder that we carry the seeds of peace always and ever

with us. This is a time of greater need for meditation in

whatever form appeals, more communing with nature, more time

spent with loved ones as we are daily reminded of the fragility

of life, more reflection upon the things that really matter in

the end.

In practical terms, we can ward off stress overload by

effective time management, keeping things in perspective, not

giving in to negative thinkiing and fear, moderating our

schedules and living habits, staying in touch with joy.

4/Joy.

A very under-rated emotion. It’s not deep and intense like

anger or jealousy and it sounds a bit fluffy like delight or

curiosity. Yet, for me, joy is the centre of existence because

it is the essence of our life-force and offers such gifts as

creativity, sexuality and spirituality. All the best things

come from joy. So, if you’re in touch with your own wellspring

of joy, how can you fail to also have wellbeing?

Joy is present in the midst of tragedy, death, sorrow,

disappointment, conflict, anger, violence. It is an integral

part of the human condition so it can never be absent from our

endeavours, our daily lives and even our pain. We are after

all, creatures of contradiction, of polarity, are we not? Our

lives are always walked on the tightrope of contrasting desires

and energies; hence the desire for addiction, excesses,

oblivion. It’s a constant balancing act and some people falter

more readily and reach out for negative remedies that poison

rather than cure.

Psychological health is walking the fine line between the

darkness and the light, between our shining selves and our

negative egos. It’s there between the contrasts that we find

true wellness. It is a place of healing and serenity, not of

struggle and exertion. In a nutshell, we all basically try too

hard at life - too hard to be happy, to be successful, to be

beautiful, to be loved, to be secure, to be safe - all myths.

But joy is not. It is our constant gift in an ever-changing

world, totally effortless and free. When we cannot feel joy, we

are separated from the best part of ourselves.

5/Love

We are never without love whether we have family and friends,

whether we’re in a relationship or whether we’re considered

lovable or not. Like joy, love is a birthright and therefore,

resides deep within us at all times. All you have to do is

access it and you need never again feel alone or lonely,

isolated or rejected

Once you feel that love within yourself, you’ll easily love

others, attract love to yourself from outside and find more

things around you to love. The world will look like the amazing

place it is despite the horrors of war, poverty, crime, violence

and natural disasters. You will indeed see through rose-coloured

glasses but not ones by which you disguise the ugliness; rather

that the love you feel will shine out for others to see and in

turn, your own vision will be brighter. Life takes on a

different glow and the bridge between you and the rest of the

world will seem less large. If you’ve never experienced this, I

urge you to try working from the inside out and start sensing

the peace and harmony you have at your disposal every day of

your life. Love is the ultimate high!

Overall wellness is not just possible, it is readily attainable

if we just let it be, if we own our joy and love ourselves

enough to let life be easy.

Some readers may be struggling with disability, disease, loss,

financial hardship and so on. Where is the wellness in these

conditions, you might ask. Well, no-one owns the territory of

your mind except you. Even in the darkest prison, you always

have the illumination of your inner beauty. Be there and you

will feel your own presence, your inner comfort and that, is

the meaning of true wellbeing.

About The Author: Dr Charmaine Saunders is a therapist,

columnist, magazine and online contributor, lecturer and author

of 6 self-help books. Her web site is at

www.charmainesaunders.com

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