Overall Wellness

Overall wellness includes more than just physical health. In order to be truly healthy we need to be well in the mind, body and spirit. This month’s focus will be on how to increase wellness in these 3 areas. Seeking wellness is difficult unless we understand what wellness is so let’s start by defining it.

Wellness means you are not merely free of illness or surviving. Wellness means you are thriving, progressing, and making choices minute by minute that propel you towards your overall life goals of thriving and basking in the sunshine of peace and joy.

Spiritual wellness is about seeking meaning and purpose in your life while also allowing you to appreciate, find meaning and harmony in your own life experiences.

Wellness of the body is to engage in activities that maintain the machine and help it be strong.

Wellness of the mind not just a lack of illness or a mental health diagnosis but a feeling of gratitude, a positive outlook and connecting your core self to keep the inner system thriving.

Utilization of all 5 senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight and movement) is a great way to begin developing overall wellness through allowing us to reflect inward and begin to orient ourselves to ourselves. Most of our time is spent focused outward on the world, things, needs of others and to do lists. Upon being asked to check in with the body the majority of people have not reflected inward upon themselves or scanned their own body in months or years. This leads to feelings of dissociation between our minds, bodies and spirits.  

During times when I am feeling disconnected and unwell, I reflect back to a time when I felt an overall sense of peace and joy in my life. The memories which always come up are being on horseback. I was lucky to have opportunities of connecting to nature atop my horse since the age of 3. The motion of the horse; all of the smells surrounding the experience; the sights of the mountains and meadows; sounds of birds singing; grass rustling and my horse whickering; the feel of leather in my hands, wind in my hair and sun on my face along with the taste of the air, dirt of the trail and spring water on my tongue, I couldn’t have felt more whole, in tune with nature and alive within myself. How do we create this in everyday living is the challenge and needed to become fully well. Here are some activities can you do that involve all the sense and create wellness everyday;

Walking: Taking a brisk 20-minute walk everyday while being mindful of your surroundings, having a grateful heart and really attuning to what is happening in your body is one way to promote everyday wellness and engage all 5 senses. In the podcast, The 3 Day Effect by Florence Williams this is described as a awe walk. Spending time connecting with the sounds around you really listening fully mindful of your surroundings. Taking in the smells of the trees, grass, flowers, buildings, pavement, whatever, surrounds you during your walk. Tune into the sensations upon your skin and feel the warmth, breeze, coldness whatever the sensation is. Do not judge the sensations as good or bad just notice and accept them as you check into your body. Notice the movement of your body, the rhythm of your gate and how your heart beats and breath goes in and out of your lungs. Sight is likely the easiest of the sense to engage in as we walk, however, this needs to be observation fully focused on the now. Not looking around while thinking about what is for dinner or what the to do list includes. Fully see what is around and take in all of the colors, textures and views you are being offered. Finally taste, this is one you can augment by brining something to suck on or notice the taste within your mouth, how the air you are breathing tastes whatever brings full awareness to this sense. Spending time doing this for even 5 min a day increases wellness and mindfulness towards our body and its needs.

Yoga: This practice is another great way to increase the attention to your body, hone the machine and increase the mind, body and spiritual connection for an overall sense of wellness. You can incorporate all of the grounding 5 sense techniques discussed in the Awe Walk to your yoga practice increasing your sense of self and inward reflection.

Swimming is another great way to exercise, move your body and engage all 5 senses. Again incorporating the mindfulness taking in of all of your surroundings.

Dancing, and I don’t mean just in a structured class but really dancing, moving your body and enjoying the freedom of movement, sounds of the music, sights around you, smell of freedom and taste of sweat.

These are just a few ways to bring wellness, grounding and mindfulness into your daily life. Time outside in nature practicing mindful wellness has been shown in multiple different studies to benefit our overall wellness. What are some ways you want to increase your intention and find wellness through incorporating and engaging all 5 senses in your daily life?

Iron Bog Campground June 2021