As much as nutrition and exercise are major factors in health and wellness, they are only the tip of the iceberg. True wellness comes when you love and respect yourself enough to make those choices wisely, and hold yourself accountable for making lasting lifestyle changes to support them. Wellness Coaches can have endless "jobs" from grocery shopping for clients to programming exercise routines, but my interest has always been in rebalancing. Whether it's the marathon runner who only runs, or the working parent who struggles with the balance of work and family, picking people's brains to get to the bottom of their thought process and coming up with a personalized plan for better balance is what drives me in this field of wellness.
A truly well person feels balanced, and this balance decreases stress and, obviously, increases happiness, which, in my opinion, is the root of wellness. Happy people think with more clarity, and therefore encompass the natural ability to make good food choices or want to work out because, as earthy-crunchy as this may sound, they love themselves enough to do these things to respect themselves and their bodies. This is why true happiness must come first; it gives us permission to say no, it allows us to put ourselves first, it forces us to be mindful, it shines light on our strengths and forces us to work through our weaknesses, it prioritizes - which creates a natural balance and, ultimately allows us to create the life we want. Once this happiness is found, everything else falls into place because you make a place for it; exercise, healthy eating, self care, family time, me-time...learning to say no to what you don't want frees up time and energy for those things you do want, and in this way, true wellness can be achieved.
Sounds easy enough, right? Just say no to a few things, make a salad, go for a walk, and hang out with the family. Boom, done. That's pretty much what my brain sounded like 4 years ago when I began my own happiness journey - how hard could it be to be happy? Turns out, very hard. Training your brain to think differently is like teaching an old dog new tricks. I am fortunate to have discovered Wellness Coaching after years of working towards my own happiness goals, because as I studied, I found I could relate to the foundations of wellness and just how difficult they truly are. Because of this, I am able to not only draw from my studies and research but also my own experiences over the last 4 years in order to help clients on a deeper level.
To me, becoming a certified Wellness Coach is simply adding on to a profession I already love; I already have the "body" part covered with Massage Therapy, and now I have the tools to add the "mind and spirit" aspects in order to treat the "whole person". By doing this, I have created a job and lifestyle for myself that I love, and therefore will undoubtedly be successful because my days will be spent sharing a passion. True wellness is a difficult level to reach, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to help. I look forward to enriching my own life in the process through continued reading, writing, continuing education, and relationship building. Being an example of wellness will force me to continue to hold myself accountable for my own choices, as I am there holding you accountable for yours, thus creating the cliché "help me help you" scenario.
Happiness. Balance. Wellness. Let's do this.
