Your Wellbeing Matters

Last week Lisa, my co-founder at BluWave Wellbeing, and I went up to Traverse City, MI for a getaway. We had gotten into a conversation a few weeks back about how we both needed a change of scenery. We love to vacation and explore new places, so physical distancing has had us craving a getaway considering we haven’t been able to leave town for the last few months.

After spending three days surrounded by beautiful landscapes, eating delicious food, taking in the energy of a thriving small town, catching up on our personal lives (vs talking about work all the time!) and taking time away from our computers to explore and adventure, I can definitely admit that I feel nourished and renewed.

What I’ve been reminded of on this trip is the importance of prioritizing my wellbeing. I have a tendency to get caught up in my work, and just normal life stuff, so self-care can move to the bottom of the list (yes, it happens even to those of us that teach this stuff!). However, I have been noticing more brain fog recently, a little bit of a racing mind and moodiness that I realized I needed to get back in check.

You see, wellbeing is not just focusing on our physical health; eating nourishing foods, getting enough rest and making time for movement. In order to really thrive and experience the fullness of life, we need to focus on our mind, body AND spirit. I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I reached the point of burnout and exhaustion, and my physical body was experiencing all sorts of ailments.

What I have learned on my journey is that wellbeing is our ability to feel good and function effectively as we navigate all the highs and lows of life. It is about feeling good physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and socially. We can improve our wellbeing by connecting to our greater purpose and meaning and having a sense of direction, feeling engaged in life, having strong interpersonal relationships where we feel loved and valued, experiencing positive emotions like joy, feeling like we are accomplishing our goals AND maintaining our physical health.

Studies continue to find that high levels of wellbeing can build resilience, increase energy levels, improve our health, help us experience more joy and happiness, make us more productive and even create more positive interactions with others.

These are all amazing results, right? So why then, do we put self-care at the bottom of our priority list? Why do we continue to go about life feeling like every day is a struggle, or that the worst case scenario is always going to happen? Why do we constantly put off doing all the things that bring a gigantic and genuine smile to our face? These are questions we should all be asking ourselves.

Countless people I have worked with say things like, ‘there just aren’t enough hours in the day to exercise or do the things I love,’ or ‘I have a racing mind so I could never meditate,’ (which funny enough is exactly why they should!).

Now more than ever is our time to prioritize our wellbeing and to take our lives from surviving to thriving. No one wants to feel like they are ‘just getting by.’ This is not to say our goal in life is to feel amazing everyday – that is not humanly possible – but it is important that we recognize when we need to reprioritize our wellbeing, and that we have the tools in place to support us in this process. We can’t give to others when our cup is empty, so we have to take time to fill it right back up when it runs out.

In my experience coaching clients, most people put off prioritizing their wellbeing because they have been conditioned to think it is too much work, will take too much time, or they just simply don’t even realize how the mind and body are connected. The good news though is science is continuing to validate that your wellbeing can be improved by simply cultivating awareness, setting an intention to improve your wellbeing and then taking action by using scientifically proven wellbeing practices that require a small time investment. 

We all long to actively participate in our life and this can be done by taking control of our wellbeing. We can’t control others, or the worldly events happening around us, but we can control our own action, and our wellbeing.

Wellbeing is a choice and a skill anyone can learn to master. I am living proof, along with my co-business partner, Lisa. 

If you are reading this, consider this your permission to prioritize self care. Consider this your nudge to say YES to enhancing your wellbeing. 

My company, BluWave Wellbeing has a variety of tips and tricks on our LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook pages you can use to support your wellbeing journey. Check it out and send us a message if there is anything we can do to support your wellbeing journey.

To find out more about how we can help you bring fun and playful wellbeing training to your workplace, send us a message at hellow@bluwavewellbeing.com