Prioritizing Your Wellness for Living Better
You can’t very well move on to a healthy, fulfilling, cheerful “Chapter Two” if you are stressed, sick, and/or exhausted.
Better late than never to commit to prioritizing your wellness because without your health, nothing else matters.
Without wellness, everything else is harder.
If you’ve ever experienced disease, illness, or physical pain – you know that it becomes the primary focus.
It’s difficult to think about anything else, never mind directing your energy on being productive, managing tasks and to-dos, or improving any other part of your life.
And heaven forbid you’re trying to get through super-stressful life events in a healthy manner, i.e., like the loss of a loved one; going through a divorce; or even moving to a new home.
“Elevating your health can have a transformative effect on every aspect of your life.” – Tony Robbins
The Wellness Trifecta
I am a huge advocate for sharing my understanding of the tightly woven connection between our “Wellness Trifecta”, the mind, body, and soul – and the impact wellness in each piece of who we are, has on our entirety.
As living beings, our physical body manages every internal cell’s function masterfully in an orchestra of functions that keep us alive. Our bodies are complex and intelligent, constantly regenerating and striving to serve us.
Our minds are constantly creating, thinking, choosing, interpreting, reacting, and downloading information and informing our intuition.
Our souls are continuously lovingly supporting, guiding, and showing us the way, whether we recognize it, hear it, follow it, or not.
Why wellness matters (for living better)
So, with all of these “parts” of who we are as living beings, why focus on overall wellness, aka our health and well-being?
Because for being alive to feel fulfilling, which is an innate primal desire, we must feel well.
When we’re sick, diseased, or in pain – we can’t do much well – and we don’t enjoy anything, never mind seeking fulfillment.
Prioritizing your wellness is foundational!
Beneath the primal desire for fulfillment, we all have the base instinct for survival.
You may be familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which explains the levels of basic human needs. These include food, shelter, safety, love, belonging and self-actualization – which I will use synonymously with fulfillment because this need represents our common need (desire) to Live Better.
Regardless of our desire to live better lives with more fulfillment and purpose, without our health (in mind, body, and spirit) none of it matters and fulfillment is nearly impossible to achieve.
The first wealth is health. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wellness under stress
So, what can we do to prioritize overall wellness, and how can we make healthy choices that honor our well-being when most of us are chronically under stress.
“Your mental health is everything – prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.” – Mel Robbins
Whether you’re regularly pushing yourself daily to do-do-do, more and more work, tasks, projects, work, etc… or you’re going through extraordinary stressful transition in life, such as grieving a loved one or the heartache of divorce… this is an urgent call to action that you must choose you and make your health and wellness a priority.
Is self-care selfish?
The term self-care has become overused in the past several years, to the point that it often gets associated with treating oneself to something seemingly self-indulgent, i.e., a massage, a mani-pedi, or a facial. While those things can indeed make you feel good and maybe even pampered, I’m going to use self-care in this post to refer to specifically caring for your self (in health).
As a mindset and divorce coach working with clients going through the trauma of a marriage ending, I see firsthand how much better the women do who can shift their habits toward prioritizing their wellness. while also facing painful, scary, and often unwanted, life transitions.
Let’s define what I mean by “much better” in the line above.
They often:
- feel less anxious,
- make better choices,
- eat heathier,
- move their bodies regularly,
- don’t get sick often,
- sleep better,
- start to clear out the brain fog,
- are less likely to overreact to emotional triggers from their spouse, ex, coworkers, family members;
- have clearer, more supple skin,
- see their vitals improve (blood pressure, resting heart rate, fasting blood sugar),
- experience fewer headaches,
- feel fewer mood swings
- lean toward optimism and hope;
- set healthier boundaries with people who bring the worst in them,
- wean off chemical personal care products that weaken their body,
- start caring about how to nourish their souls,
- practice strategies that help them calm their anxious thoughts,
- become confident in their ability to manage stress,
- have more energy,
- begin to use simple habits to transform their health and outlook,
- feel empowered about their wellness and their future,
- begin to heal and shift old, toxic patterns
- know that they can release the past and look ahead to their future,
- have courage to overcome adversities,
- seek deeper meaning in their life and in the world,
- deepen meaningful friendships and relationships with others,
- can show up for their loved ones with patience,
- feel more FULFILLED and purposeful!
“If you so choose, even the unexpected setbacks can bring new and positive possibilities. If you so choose, you can find value and fulfillment in every circumstance.” – Ralph Marston
Those who face stressors and make a habit of tending to their mental, physical, and spiritual wellness feel better overall.
And the “better” you feel, the more likely you will have the energy to make more and more good choices that nourish and protect your energy. And with nourished energy, you are more capable and more likely to pursue fulfilling endeavors. Notice I said fulfilling rather than productive.
We are too focused on being productive, getting things done, checking all the boxes – rather than examining the quality (or fulfillment) of our lives.
How to prioritize your wellness
Start by being honest about how you would like to feel and why.
“Everything is born from change.” – Marcus Aurelius
- In what areas are you not taking care of yourself when you face emotional challenges like fear, anxiety, loneliness?
- Where can you refocus your attention making wellness a priority, not viewing your health habits as another to-do, but instead as nourishment to reduce and prevent disease, illness, depression, and exhaustion – which all make a fulfilling life next to impossible.
- Where are you allowing others, well-meaning or not, to influence how you care for your body, mind, and spirit?
- In what ways can you welcome new thoughts and nourishing habits to help you let go of old, unhealthy patterns that are making you sicker, weaker, and less empowered in designing your next week, month, decade? Brainstorm ideas, google suggestions, use AI to give you a list.
- To what extent can you deepen your experience and connection to feelings of wonder and awe, to the wisdom and guidance of your spirit/God/Universe/Mother Earth/Nature?
- What can you do to increase your awareness of the influences in your daily life and immediate environment that may be making you unwell? i.e. artificial fragrances, toxic toiletries, processed foods, random clutter, frightening movies, too much news, obsessing with the scale, over-shopping or over-indulging in other damaging addictions like alcohol or sugar or gossip?
You’re not in this alone
I am so so so enthusiastic about and determined to help you prioritize your wellness so you can have a healthier, happier, more fulfilled next chapter.
Whether you want support getting your mind and mood lifted, or you’re going through a harrowing divorce, I’ve got you.
- If you’re struggling with the end of your marriage, infidelity, or divorce specifically, these free wellness tips can help. And check out these blog articles that can provide more support here.
- Try my free positive affirmation cards here. Understand more about how and why they help by reading this post.
- And/or set up a complimentary call with me here if you’d like to discuss working with me privately.
Cheers to our ever-increasing wellness and fulfillment, despite the challenges and stress we encounter!
Marlene