in pursuit of wellness

"What is wellness to me?" That's the question I had to answer for the final project of my intro to wellness course last fall. Almost instantly, a single word came to me as my response, loud and clear: GROWTH. What wellness means to me entirely revolves around the word "growth" and the holistic implications it holds. For my project, I created a digital presentation introducing my word, "growth", and explaining how it translates into the general concept of wellness. I've simply restructured and rounded it out a bit for this blog entry. Given I've only taken a couple of intro classes in my Health Promotion/Wellness major, this is mostly based on my ideas and independent research. My goal in sharing this is to help you understand the holistic concept of wellness a little more and become familiar with my viewpoint on it. Remember that this isn't the definition of wellness, including all 7 dimensions and such, instead, this is a breakdown of how

Looking to grow holistically this summer? I've come up with a list of five ideas to give your wellness a boost this summer. Try implementing some of these activities and tips into your daily routine and see what happens! 1. UP YOUR WATER INTAKE. This is a crucial step towards not only feeling better in general, but also performing better, whether that be at work, or at home with the regular demands of "adulting". I've noticed when I drink more water daily, I have more motivation, my brain can function more clearly, and I feel more energetic. In the summer, you can really make or break a beautiful day outside depending on if you stay hydrated or not. Not drinking enough water can lead to pounding headaches and lethargy, but drinking an adequate amount water will ensure that you can enjoy that day to the fullest. 2. TRY YOGA. Sure, there are many other practices you could do besides yoga to stretch or get in a light workout; Pilates, simply stretching you

I hear an anthem of His glory in the bird's call I smell the sweetness of His kindness in the lush earth around me I feel His powerful, yet merciful breath in the wind stroking my hair I know His constant, upholding foundation in the solid ground under my feet I see His delicate, beautiful handiwork in the sky above me  - {just joy}

Hello reader! Today's post is fairly short and simple but I figured that would be appropriate for this topic. My intention with this post is not to arm you with a list of a million things you should be doing to keep your mental health in check. Instead, with just 5 practical tips, I want to provide you with a simple set of reliable suggestions for refreshing your mind and body when under stress. These don't take any sort of mindset training or habitual practice. Use these as tools to pull out when you just don't know what else to do. That's how I use them. For example, when I'm feeling overwhelmed to the point where I can't quite think straight anymore, I remember a few of these and try them, trusting that the calm mind that thought them up is more reliable than my current mind that's in a state of panic. 1. TAKE 10 DEEP BREATHS Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic system in our body, which counteracts the fight-or-flight respon

Surprise! Doing school from home is hard. At last, the secret is finally out to all my non-homeschooled peers. So many new challenges come with taking classes online, but the one I hear about most frequently is the loss of motivation and the slippery slope of disorganization that quickly follows. I get it! I feel your pain! As a Becker Homeschool and Rural Virtual Academy alumn, I have definitely had my fair share of struggles with independent learning and loss of motivation while doing school at home. Finally, after many years of trial and error, I've come up with a handful of tips for keeping my motivation flowing and staying on top of my workload. In this last month of online classes, I hope these tips prove useful and help you finish strong this semester. 1. MAKE LISTS Become a list maker! I cannot stress this enough. Whether it's writing down creative ideas, anxieties, or to-do's, as soon as your pen hits the paper, your busy brain is able to qui

The words written above didn't really mean much to me when they randomly popped into my head last night. I was trying to come up with a description for my "sad songs" playlist on Spotify when those words seemed to slip off my fingers onto the keys of my laptop. I reread what I had just typed. "Even the sky cries, darling. If it didn't, nothing could grow." I reread it again and thought to myself, where the heck did that come from? Also, what is that even saying, other than telling someone their tears are valid? Tonight, I took some more time to think about what those words meant and I came to this explanation (grab some popcorn and buckle up, 'cause it's a long one): Often when I experience something negative or painful, I feel numb to it...for a long time, sometimes even forever. I'm able to carry on with life as if it didn't happen, even though I know I should be hurting over it. Why then do I so desperately want to feel