Earlier in my adult life I can specifically remember wondering why, despite doing my best to look after my own health, I didn’t feel like the effort was paying off. If only I knew then what I know to be true now.
The reality about wellbeing
There are no shortage of companies offering instant improvements to our health and wellbeing. We can buy magic formula’s and concentrated supplements with miracle properties. We can go on diets that radically reshape our bodies in only weeks. And we can use machines that conveniently give us great abs whilst we watch TV. Awesome.
There is no doubt we live in a world where instant gratification is sought, and Companies know this. In fact, they are hoping that we never discover what they already know to be true – the path to long-term wellbeing is about knowledge, awareness and daily habits across four areas:
- Mental: The way we think.
- Physical: The way we function and move.
- Emotional: The way we feel.
- Spiritual: The things that bring us joy.
Companies can’t really make money out of people who discover this. Once we have the knowledge we need, we can seize control of our own wellbeing in a way that minimises pills, magic formula’s and fancy machines.
These four areas above are almost impossible to separate because each influences the other. It is true that body and mind are completely connected and have a major influence on each other. We refer to this as ‘synergistic wellbeing’, and simply understanding this relationship can lead us further towards our health goals. Afterall, a focus on any particular area may produce an imbalance in others.
The Irony of wellbeing
I remember a time when high-intensity physical exercise was the focus of my health strategy. I would exercise every single day and although I enjoyed it, I remember being disappointed with myself when I missed a day. I would simply have to catch up in the coming days.
I also remember a time when I saw my diet as my most important health strategy. I cut out the typical carbohydrates, gluten, bad-oils and was even susceptible to incorporating the latest diet trends mentioned in magazines. Invariably when I did eat something that was considered to be ‘bad’, I would spend days regretting the decision.
There are various forms of this behaviour described above, and it is a common story when I speak with clients about their own wellbeing. The irony, as it turns out, is that the fret about missing gym sessions or eating the wrong foods is worse than missing the gym or eating the foods in the first place. In other words, mental or emotional anguish is as bad for our bodies as missed exercise sessions and food choices.
Do you have a ‘synergistic’ strategy?
In modern day life many of us walk around in a state of moderate to chronic stress with very little recovery for years on end. We have lived like this for so long that we don’t know any different. After a while the body decides it has had enough and outwardly shows the signs of wear and tear. We experience more colds and flu’s, our digestion suffers, and our energy becomes depleted. We become increasingly vulnerable to stress, anxiety and depression.
For some of us, it is possible to do less exercise and still feel amazing. It is possible to still eat foods you enjoy and still feel amazing. Each of us is inherently powerful and health is our natural state, but to achieve this we need to nurture all aspects of our wellbeing at the same time – mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. It just requires the right knowledge and awareness. There are simple habits (which do not need to take over your life) which we can incorporate into our lives on a daily basis that have a significant impact on the state of our overall health and wellbeing. What we do and how we think on a daily basis matters and with knowledge and awareness we can harness the power that each of us has to create a much higher state of wellbeing.
Those of us who are driven and feel that we have a lot to accomplish often neglect our health as ‘’we don’t have time’’. However, this higher state of wellbeing is the platform from which we set about fulfilling our goals. Do you have a ‘synergistic’ strategy?
To find out more about how to elevate your wellbeing and move into a higher functioning state of flow contact Sharon Keating and book in a free 15 minute discussion.