Wellness contains a set of beliefs and activities promoting optimal living in body, mind and spirit. A wellness lifestyle integrates events, products and people focused on a mindset of healing, recovery and strength. At my company Turning Point, clients seek to become brighter and lighter versions of themselves. They define wellness as connecting to the inner voice to gain freedom, growth and hope.
What is your 2018 definition of wellness?
Make it a year of exploring what it means to feel good from the inside out. Be motivated to prioritize self-care, invest in relationships and practice peace, love and joy to make the world a better place for all. To inspire your heart check out this mash up of wellness trends with exciting tips.
1. Make self-care a routine with hands free moments.
Let’s face it: the demands of life can distract and stress us out to the max. It is too easy to be consumed by tasks, play with our phones and watch another day go by without rest, creativity and pleasure. Research repeatedly reinforces the power of slowing down to find contentment. Electronic devices are not geared to helping you slow down. They are designed to consume your time, shop without limit and send you into information overload.
Why do we need to wait until we fall apart mentally and physically before we pay attention to ourselves? Why are we so dependent on our devices to serve as a major source of escape versus of walking outside or making dinner from scratch?
Unplug from your devices. For most of us technology plays a major role in our personal lives. We live for texts, posts and messages to keep us in the tech pipeline. The phone is inches away from our hands so we’re not missing out on the latest news. It’s no surprise that social media heavily influences our thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
Research on social media reveals that plugging in is quickly evolving into a modern addiction. For example younger generations with developing brains are experiencing increased rates of anxiety and sluggishness due to device dependency. Scientists believe these chemical brain changes places youth at higher risk for depression and suicidal thinking.
A 2018 trend will center on reducing the amount of screen time. This is a popular theme advocated by mental health professionals, corporations and media outlets. Self-care and technology freedom is growing. Free apps such as Moment and Moment Family offer consumers a concrete way of tracking online time and setting limits.
Would you like to reward yourself and Mother Earth for staying off the tech grid? Try an app called Forest. The company partners with an organization that plants a variety of real trees based on the time you spend away from your devices.
2. Invest in relationships with values.
In one word, what did your close relationships look like in 2017? How much drama took place because your relationships felt out of sync and confusing? Are you going through the motions or avoiding people to protect your heart?
The key ingredients of relationships are time, presence and effort. Long-term dynamic relationships make use of shared values to sustain the passing of time, emerging phases and fluctuating circumstances.
A thought-provoking post on thelyfemagazine.com outlined the state of modern relationships. Today’s couples get married for experience instead of survival for two reasons. One is the increased number of women in the workforce who earn their own money and benefits to sustain a single lifestyle. The other reason is individuals are being more selective about being in relationships. They prefer to take their time and find the right match rather than make a choice ending up in divorce.
Experience stable and satisfying relationships. Sit down with your loved ones and discuss what’s important to them. Choose one or two common values such as respect and compassion. Agree to practice them in fun and different ways in the next twelve months. Schedule quality time when you can check in and determine if you’re on track. Consider professional help to hold you accountable and to keep the practice of loving each other active and healthy.
3. Practice peace, love and joy
2018 can be the start of working and living in surroundings reflective of your commitment to peace, love and joy.
A 2016 report on employee safety and engagement states that employers who prefer productivity to well being lost an average of $4.5 billion a year due to high absence rates and low engagement levels. When you think about your workplace do you feel peace, love and joy? If your answer is not really then it may be time for a new adventure.
Your work life has to be more than a time clock and a paycheck. You spend way too much of your time there to compromise your mental health and to take sick days because you’re not motivated.
How can you bring peace, love and joy to work?
Reach out. Connect to an organization that aligns with your goal to promote peace, love and joy. Schedule an event centered on one of these themes. Give it a catchy name like Project Joy. Brainstorm ideas and bring your plan to life. Everyone there will walk away with a memory that lifts the spirit.
Post stories. Put up a board in a common employee area and invite your co-workers to share their aha moments. Add a question like ”What has been the most peaceful day of your life so far?” to the board to stimulate their imaginations.
Organize lunch and learn programs. Center the topics on peace, love and joy. Invite speakers who share insights and practical tips for applying these themes.
The practice of peace, love and joy is also a personal journey. When we tap into them we deepen our connection to the Divine, fill ourselves with hope and see possibilities. One way of building these ideas into everyday life is through awareness.
For example do you make it a point to recognize when you’re not peaceful? We get so caught up in being right or staying in anger. Pay attention when your heart rate goes up or you feel tense and uneasy. Use forgiveness to shift you back to recovery and balance Walk away and listen to your inner voice. Remind yourself of your commitment to practice peace, love and joy.