Getting started on your personal wellness journey can seem overwhelming and daunting with the world we are trying to thrive in today. Seems far from simple.
Everywhere you turn there are wellness gurus, social media holistic products, those lovely detox teas (can you hear my sarcasm through the screen..)
Wellness doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. That’s where Living Whole comes in to lifestyle. It just takes one step.
The getting started.
The journey itself. It will never be perfect and simply – its a journey. All adventures have trials/errors and the ups/downs that make it almost seem like you should give up so always remember why you started and that it is YOUR journey. Don’t compare your wellness chapter one to someone’s wellness chapter thirty.
Wellness is dimensional and all about balancing and enriching those dimensions. Check out this post to find out all about the Six Dimensions of Wellness.
Here are the Living Whole Tips to JUMPSTARTING your wellness!
Pick a planner with room to journal.
Before starting on a wellness journey, I recommend taking time to create your roadmap with the use of a planner that has space to journal. Everyday I use my planner to not only keep track of my beautiful crazy life, but I journal a small blurb about my feelings, accomplishments, and obstacles. This sometimes is in list form, short three sentence entry, or simply a few words or descriptors that give me an insight to the day.
Set your intentions, purpose, and outline your goals.
Get specific. What are your goals? What are your 6 dimensions of wellness specific goals? Do you want to eat one nourishing meal a day? Lose ten pounds? Increase reading time? Have one interpersonal phone call a week? Where do you see yourself in 6 months, at the New Year? It’s important to be very specific so you can measure your progress.
Begin with what you have and who you are NOW.
This is the most intimidating part. Feeling ready. The right time. You know exactly what I am talking about. This time is now. The person is you, exactly the way you are. With the best intentions, it can be a challenge to go straight from where you’re at to the vision you have in your mind.
This includes budget, body, and mindset. If you spend all your earnings in one week on all organic products but then spend the following week eating cheap processed food in order to make the rent, the ability to stay on your wellness journey will end real quick. The same goes for body and mindset. Start small and within your means. This doesn’t mean the goals need to shrink but the strategies to get there have to be realistic and doable. The intent is to form a solid foundation for your overall wellbeing which you can consistently and persistently do every day to get there. Do what you can with what you have.
Purge for persistence.
Whether your wellness journey is about your mind, body or soul, you need to detox. This IS NOT a detox or diet tea. This is a practice to clear distractors, toxic practices, and people. It may seem selfish but again sometimes the most important step for people that feel as if their health and wellness is drown out by noise and toxic influences. This could include limiting time with some people that bring you down, unfollowing social media accounts that negatively trigger you, make you feel bad about yourself, and reinforce the negative behaviors in your life, or cutting out certain aspects or habits in your life completely. This is the hardest of all the assessment aspects to your wellness journey and it is specifically ongoing. We like to rationalize and feel guilty about decluttering this area. You are worth and deserve more.
Simple examples can include debt, cluttered living space, an unsatisfactory job, relationships, and detrimental daily routines. They severely impact overall wellbeing so it’s also imperative to consider these aspects of life and purge them embarking on your wellness journey.
Sync your support system.
Challenges are inevitable. Not seeing enough progress or feeling the benefits aren’t coming quick enough can make you consider giving up. There’ll also be days when you feel so proud and want to share your accomplishments with someone.
Syncing with your support is integral. Join a group online, find a partner or friend in real life to partner with, share with family that sees your intent and purpose and is supportive. It is a valuable source of accountability, assurance, and influence to help you with your wellness goals. Apps and reminders can also be a great tool to track your progress.
Be kind to yourself.
I was heard someone say you should speak to yourself mentally like you would a loved one or friend. Be kind to yourself. Show yourself the same amount of love, respect, and encouragement. Failing a little will happen. On those days (even everyday) count your accomplishments, even the tiniest.
