Intro
It’s surprising to think that the tools we need to live longer, happier, more fulfilling lives are already inside of us and at our disposal. The pursuit of happiness drives all of our decisions, either immediate or long term. But if that’s really the case, why do so many of us get it wrong, so often? And what does that have to do with health and wellness?
Define Wellness
Wellness is a holistic approach to living a fulfilling life through the practice of healthy habits. Wellness really looks at every aspect of the human experience and the role that each plays in our comprehensive health and seeks to provide the skills to not just cope but thrive as a person in our daily life. We want to begin with a focus on happiness because really that is the catalyst and motivator for everything we do.
"Wellness is a holistic approach to living a fulfilling life through the practice of healthy habits."
So Why am I not Happy?
It’s a reasonable question. If everything we do is designed around pursuing happiness, why are so many people unhappy? It’s important to cast a wide net in our understanding and definition of happiness. On one end, there is pleasure, a moment of exhilaration, a high of some sort. On the other end, there is contentment, peace, serenity. We are in a constant ebb and flow of seeking out pleasure and peace. From a neurotransmitter standpoint, dopamine and serotonin. And it is this dichotomy that keeps us balanced and holistic human beings. The reality is, we can't just have one or the other, and we can’t go to extremes in one or the other, we need both in our daily lives to truly be happy. We are chemically designed to both seek out, and to pause and smell the roses so to speak, to reflect on what we have already and experience a calm of gratitude.
Wellness and Fulfillment
Wellness is about practicing habits to cope with the inevitable lows in life, and to gracefully and properly come down from the glorious highs we achieve in life. Wellness practices have been proven to provide people with a feeling of fulfillment and purpose, peace and pleasure, reduce stress, overcome depression, get out of ruts, be more productive, more creative, and just feel good. We will be taking a deeper dive into these practices and how to do all of this.
Wellness is less something we obtain, and more something we maintain, just like most things in life, there are highs and lows, ebbs and flows. Happiness and holistic peace is not a set it and forget it thing. It is something we are constantly working towards. Just like brushing our teeth and washing everyday, wellness is synonymous with hygiene, it is an internal state of hygiene and requires everyday maintenance.
Conclusion
- Wellness practices allow us to comprehensively tackle any issue in all aspects of our lives.
- Unhappiness is from an extreme of either excessive pursuit or lack of pursuit. Happiness requires that we are chasing goals, but also finding contentment with what we have.
- Wellness is about healthy coping mechanisms
- Wellness is internal hygiene and requires maintainance just like brushing your teeth
What do you want to learn more about in the world of wellness, wellbeing, and the pursuit of happiness?
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