Wellness is an ongoing pursuit to attain and maintain overall good health. It is, in fact, about the process, not the final result. However, there is a place where it always begins. 

Wellness begins from within and is a direct result of practicing self-love. Self-compassion is a belief and a practice that centers on putting your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs first. Once you are taken care of, you are in a better position to help others.

Some people neglect their own wellbeing to take care of other people. This leaves you without your needs being met, but it also can breed animosity towards those you put before yourself. Having this animosity or resentment can hinder your mental wellbeing as well as your emotional wellbeing. For these reasons, wellness begins with a love for self and prioritizing your overall health.

The Pursuit of ‘Happiness’

Wellness doesn’t begin outside of yourself. However, some people find themselves chasing ideas they were told would make them happy or give them peace. The truth is that everyone is different and resonates with different things. Your parents may try to tell you who to marry, which school to go to, what career to have. Society may tell you what looks cool and what trends you should follow if you want to be accepted. However, you can never lie to your heart as it will immediately know when you aren’t being true to yourself.

When we try to conform to different beliefs, ideologies, trends, or routines, we can find that we feel a disharmony within ourselves. This disharmony can create inner conflict and decrease one’s enjoyment of life. Going after what you really want is one way to quelch this conflict and make life more fulfilling. If you don’t know what you want out of life yet, you should go within and relearn yourself.

The Power of Going Within

Going within is simply a term used to describe a process of inner reflection and contemplation. It can be easy to get caught up in the worldly chatter going on all around us. Fortunately, when you “go within,” you can immediately tune out all of the external sensory input projected towards you. The average person has about 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Many of these thoughts happen to be recurring stressors, anticipations, and responsibilities.

One of the best ways to relearn yourself is to spend time with yourself. Enjoy your own company for a little while each day. Take a whole day and pamper yourself. The personal care industry has thousands of products like face masks, exfoliants, body scrubs, relaxing teas, and more. Other ways you can spend time getting to know yourself include:

  • Journal. Journaling is a great way to write down all of your thoughts and emotions. It’s like a diary but prompts you to take a closer look into how you feel.
  • Dance. Dance like nobody’s watching. This is one way to relieve stress and build your confidence.
  • Talk to yourself aloud. Sometimes you just need to hear yourself speak to better assess the thoughts you have.
  • Contemplate. Spend time in introspection, observing all of your emotions and feelings. Question these thoughts to gain more clarity.
  • Dare to imagine. Set no limits on your imagination. Imagination not only makes us feel good, but it invigorates the soul.

The Final Destination

Self-care should be a continuous and endless routine. Some individuals who are not used to pampering themselves may feel a bit uncomfortable with this notion. They may feel as though they’re being selfish by prioritizing their own wellbeing. However, it is a lifestyle that requires constant maintenance. Dare to be a bit selfish. In fact, you can never really be too greedy when it comes to self-love. Your health is a priority. When you are functioning from your highest autonomy, you can share the best version of yourself with the ones you love.

The personal journey of wellness will ask you to change bad habits that inhibit your progression. This can be an unhealthy diet, toxic relationship, negative mental chatter, or even physical clutter. Be sure that you only surround yourself with a clean environment and loving people who provide you with positive reinforcement. All of these changes will help you significantly on your journey to overall wellness.

When you’re ready to start your journey to a healthier lifestyle, it’s always a good idea to begin with getting advice from professionals. If you don’t have doctors yet, you can search for a term like “dentist near me kiln creek” or “physicians near me” and it should pull up a list of experts that you can reach out to.