According to Google, the definition of wellness is the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal. For me, this pertains to three main areas of life, which include mental, physical, and spiritual health. For each of these are essential to building a truly successful life, a life that is full of love. So winning at life ultimately boils down to winning at wellness. The problem is, it is a war out there!
The Chaotic Time of Now
In this modern world, it can be challenging to achieve this ultimate goal of wellness. As technology expands, there are many significant advantages and disadvantages to the generations of the past. With great power, comes great responsibility. The responsibility I speak of isn’t just the duty to ensure a better world, but also the responsibility to maintain a healthy self. The constant stimuli of work, information, social media, gaming, and other media puts us in a precarious position that our ancestors never believed could occur. Interactions with our modern environment are, in some ways, the most comfortable and most challenging ever.
On one side, we live in the safest, most technologically advanced time in our earth’s history. One the other hand, always being plugged in leads to over stimulus, over criticized and overstressed lives. There are more tools than ever to help ourselves achieve goals of wellness, but there are now exponentially more distractions that can tear down a healthy and happy person. Even though the battles may seem small relative to concerns of starvation, large predators, and warring tribes in which our ancestors experienced, we face many more small struggles that take a toll on our wellbeing. In this time of technologic chaos, the jaws of lions are much less a threat than before. Instead, we now fear the jackals of the internet or the constant watch of a predatory boss. Fight or flight situations may have arisen every few days for a caveman, but the modern professional can experience a similar physiological response dozens of times in an hour. Recent times are excessively chaotic for the modern Homo Sapien.
These chaotic times can seem like a constant struggle that surmounts against us every day. In today’s age, distraction and temptation never cease, and we must fight to keep ourselves on the path to wellness. It is a little dramatic, but the struggle to stay happy, healthy, and productive feels like a war at times. A war made up of the constant battles we have with the decisions that make our lives better in some way.
Winning the War of Wellness
There is no exact formula that anyone can give you to find wellness in your life. Success against the looming evils of today can be made much more simple by creating a foundation of healthy habits that work for you. Each time you confront a decision that pertains to your health and wellbeing (most decisions are related to this in some way), you have the opportunity to win a crucial battle in your fight for a better life.
For me, the battle for my health begins right when my alarm goes off. The success of my day can get a big headstart if I have what I consider a great morning. Just as my phone starts going off, the first battle of the day begins to snooze or not to snooze? From there, the struggle then becomes to read or not to read. Later, to meditate or not meditate, and so on. From the beginning of the day to the end, I have the responsibility to make proper decisions to make my world a happy and healthy place. Whether it is clearing my mind of negative self-talk or eating a healthy dinner, the more I make the right decisions, the more battles I win personally, and the better life gets overall.
The great thing about this view on our days is that the more you make the right decisions, the easier it becomes to make them again. If you create a healthy habit in your life, the next practice you decide upon becomes much more comfortable to execute. Winning is contagious, and the more we find little wins, the easier it is for us in the never-ending war for our life.
Something That Works For Me
The biggest tip I can give someone about creating healthy habits is starting small and working your way up. More times than not, I see an individuals attempt at a healthier lifestyle thwarted by a misconception that you have to go all-in right away. Instead, focus more on making bite-size changes consistently over time. If you are trying to start going to the gym more, then go more, but start by going for just 15 minutes at a time. Make the number of times just being at the gym your primary goal until the habit sticks. Then you are ready to increase the time and intensity of the workout. Focusing on consistency over intensity is essential for me to instill a habit in my own life.
For questions on getting started eating healthier, being more active, or overall wellness, please contact me @wellnessrob or though the contact page. I’d love to help, and I mean that. The thing I want most out of my life is to make the world a happier place. For me, I am joyful when I am healthy; I believe we all are.
With Big Love,
Robbie