Through the Eyes of a Naturopath

All to often we hear the term "wellness" but what exactly is wellness? Is wellness just feeling good? Is wellness the absence of disease? Is wellness striking a yoga pose on a beach or a mountain top to welcome sunrise or salute sunset or is it performing Tai Chi in a park?

Wellness, in fact, is much more than feeling good. It is far more than the absence of disease. It is far more than yoga or Tai Chi. To understand wellness, we must first understand ourselves. We are much more than a sack of tissues held together by connective tissue and encapsulated in skin. We are more than symptoms. We are comprised of body, mind and spirit. We are shaped by genetics, the foods we eat, the environment we inhabit and by our beliefs. For those reasons and more, holistic health practitioners break wellness into numerous dimensions encompassing many facets of our lives.

The World Health Organization defines "wellness" as "A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." In a nutshell, this means we are far more than a body. We are more than a disease or symptoms. We are unique beings and a one size fits all approach to wellness is inconsistent with the premise that we are unique. When putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it is clear that we have a responsibility to take an active role in our health and our wellbeing. In fact, wellness should be viewed as a partnership between our care providers and ourselves where we are the senior partner. However, as majority shareholders in our personal wellness, we need to move from a passive to an active role in our personal health and fitness regimes. It fact, we should view ourselves as the architects of our wellness and, as such, we must believe personal wellbeing is within our reach and under our control.

At one time or other, each of us has or will embark upon a personal wellness journey. Our success depends upon many factors including: our life stage; our physical, mental and spiritual condition; setting realistic wellness goal(s); motivation and initiative; using the tools at our disposal; our support network; and a sincere willingness to make changes to our lifestyle.

Let's briefly examine several dimensions of wellness starting with Physical Wellness. In addition to maintaining a healthy weight and good general fitness, physical wellness is living without aches and pains. It is being able to climb a flight of stairs without loss of breath. It is taking a brisk walk without feeling exhausted. It is about eating healthy foods, enjoying sound sleep and possessing ample energy that enables us to face each day refreshed and ready to tackle life's challenges.

Equally important is Mental Wellness. As in physical strength, possessing strength of mind is essential to ones overall wellbeing. Having resolve to support and encourage all dimensions of wellness is critical as we now know that we are much more than just a body. As stated earlier, we are also mind and spirit and wellness requires that all three are healthy. To achieve Mental Wellness we may need to change how we think. A healthy mind steeped in wellness will experience motivation, clarity of thought, confidence, calm and inner peace.

Last but not least is Spiritual Wellness. Spiritual Wellness occurs when our mind, body, emotions and spirit are in a state of wellness and balance. Spiritual Wellness is achieved when we embrace a way of life that promotes peace, harmony and a balanced development in all dimensions of wellness.

The Centre of Excellence, UK teaches students that wellness is comprised of many dimensions including Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual, Social, Financial, Occupational and Environmental Wellness. Each plays a role in determining our Quality of Life. When Wellness dimensions are in balance, our Quality of Life improves and surely achieving and maintaining a good Quality of Life should be our goal. Balancing each of these dimensions may seem overwhelming at first. However, by taking small, well planned and effective steps, we have the capacity to achieve our personal wellness goals.

The journey begins with a single well placed step followed by another and another and another. There will be setbacks however, much strength and confidence is gathered each time we pick ourselves up and take that next step in our lifelong journey to obtain and maintain personal wellness. God speed on your journey toward a healthier and happier you.