The Importance of Prioritizing Personal Wellness: My Journey to Finding Balance and Fulfillment
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2 years ago, I had a wake-up call in the form of an emergency surgery that put me out of commission for weeks.
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On the outside, I appeared healthy and happy, but I was mentally and physically struggling. Following this surgery, I realized that I needed to prioritize my personal wellness. Since then, I’ve been on a journey to achieve a more balanced and restful life.
My unexpected experience in the ER taught me that wellness is not optional. Before the surgery, by all standards I was super fit and the definition of health. I could run long distances with ease for years and every blood report showed that I was in excellent shape. Yet I made little time for resting my mind. I wasn’t feeling well. My anxiety was high and I would get emotional about decisions and people in my life. I had no strategies for coping with anxiety other than working out harder.
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I was healthy but I wasn’t well.
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Before that night in the ER I had a panic attack. My mind went nuts. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. So I jumped on my Peloton and decided that the only way to shut it all up was to peddle to the point the noise would stop. So I did. And about an hour later I had 4 bulging hernias that put me on the ER operating table. I spent the next two weeks recovering.
Not able to move, I felt broken. As a woman that prides herself on being able to do it all, that recovery period was like losing a piece of my identity.
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During my time resting and recovering, I realized I needed a better way to deal with the stress. I started reading, journaling, and reaching out for help. I surrounded myself with friends who genuinely cared about me, hired two coaches and a therapist to help me face my fears and get my mindset right, and began to heal deep wounds.
I realized it was time to stop trying to outrun it and face it. Facing the fact that you need help is hard. Facing the fact that your spiritual health is nonexistent is hard. Yet the best part of being on the bottom is that there is only one way to go and it is up.
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It took me several significant life interruptions for me to realize that physical health is not the same as wellness. Two years later, I am still working on myself, but I am stronger mentally and physically. I’m on my journey to wellness. While I’m not perfect, I live with more peace and intention, and that’s what matters to me.
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It’s now my mission to help others like me break the cycle too.
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Defining Wellness – A State of Mind:
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Ten years ago, my idea of wellness was getting a pedicure and drinking a latte. But now, I know it’s more than that.
Wellness, to me, is more than just physical health. It’s a state of mind that encompasses how I feel emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It’s about feeling comfortable and confident in my own skin, free from the negative effects of judgment, comparison, and striving. It impacts how I show up in my personal and professional relationships.
Because of this, when you don’t prioritize your personal wellness, it impacts all aspects of your life. You can’t be well in business and have a hot-mess personal life and feel “well”. Many people do it–yet many of those same people feel like they are missing something. Investing in your personal wellness is important and should be protected at all costs. When you take care of you, you have the capacity to take care of others
I have learned that health and wellness are not the same. While you can be healthy and physically fit, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re feeling well on the inside. It’s important to prioritize all aspects of wellness to live a truly fulfilling life.
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Spiritual
To me, spiritual wellness is feeling secure in faith. Releasing my worry and anxiety to the Lord and knowing that all is well.
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Physical
Physical wellness is being physically capable of being able to do anything I want to do. If I want to hike a 14er tomorrow I want to know that my body can do it without massive discomfort.
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Mental
Mental wellness is creativity. If I’m mentally well I am creative. Creative in exploring new things and creative in what I create–within my business, finding solutions to problems, and creating physical things. I enjoy crafting and creating to create. If I’m well I notice I have the urge to create!
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Investing in Personal Wellness:
I believe that investing in my wellness is one of the most important things I can do for myself and those around me. To that end, I regularly work with a coach, see a therapist, and connect with uplifting friends who all contribute to my wellness journey. And I’m not afraid to ask for help. In fact, seeking help is my first step when I notice that I’m feeling off. I hired a coach when I went through a tough time with my business. Many years later, I still work with the same coach, who helps me to remind me of my purpose and reignites my passion when it’s barely burning.
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Over the years, I’ve heard many people explain that they “don’t have time” to invest in their wellness. Here’s my advice: you DO have time.
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When you make the argument that you don’t have the time, you’re actually saying you are prioritizing other tasks, often caring for everyone else. Here’s the problem though: when you don’t prioritize you, you are actually hurting those around you because you can’t give them all of you. And can we stop thinking that the only form of wellness is a trip to the spa! Wellness could be a walk outside listening to the birds. Wellness could be painting. Wellness could be a nap. Everyone can afford wellness. Everyone has time for wellness. Consider the costs of not prioritizing wellness.
The lesson I’ve learned through it all has been this: investing in personal wellness is critical and should be protected at all costs. Neglecting one’s personal life while focusing solely on professional life never works.
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That’s why I offer coaching services that focus on the whole person, not just on success in business.
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You can’t expect to succeed in business if wellness isn’t a part of the mix. I see way too many people that are killing it by business standards yet they have unhealthy eating habits, going through severe relationship issues, or never see their kids. This path is unsustainable and it isn’t wellness.
If all you do is work so that you can give your loved ones a better life yet you lose everyone you care about along the way, was it worth it? Was the cost of sacrificing your personal life in pursuit of success too high to justify in the end?
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I will always be the coach that coaches to the whole person and not just to their business success. You might be in a season of life where you need to scale back in your business–great, let’s do that!! Let’s all stop buying into toxic messaging that says you always have to produce more.
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Remember: when you take care of yourself, you have the capacity to take care of others. This is why investing in oneself is not selfish, but rather an act of self-love.
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