Mind Body Spirit And Fluttering Thoughts: What Is Wellness? By Chance or by Choice?

I happened to come across this well written body of text about Wellness and what it essentially mean. I like to share this with you. Read it and be enlightened.

Wellness is a concept based on wholeness. It encompasses a harmonious balance between mind, body, spirit, and the energy we put out into the universe. Work, relaxation, diet, relationships, emotions, and finding meaning in your life all play a vital role in healthy living. We are more than an illness and being well is not limited to taking medications for a dis-ease in the body. Wellness includes care of all the many pieces of our lives along with taking responsibility and loving yourself.

Being well is not a privilege. Everyone has the right to be well. Society seems to think that wellness means that one is free from dis-ease but in fact, a person may have a dis-ease in the body and be living life in a wellness mode. Even those unhappy with self or who are experiencing emotional states such as anxiety, depression, and boredom, or people who are handicapped, have chronic pain, or are up in years can live in a state of wellness. Illness and wellness both have many levels and depending on circumstances, we may fluctuate between the two states, therefore, wellness is never static.

In order to progress on a path toward wellness, one must become aware of where they are in life regarding their personal state of wellness, seek to educate them selves, and be open for growth and change. Above all, you must love yourself. According to Dr. John Travis and Regina Sara Ryan, wellness is:

* A choice- a decision you make toward optimal health
* A way of life- a lifestyle you design to achieve your highest potential for well-being
* A process- a developing awareness that there is no end point, but that health and happiness are possible in each moment, here and now
* An efficient channeling of energy- energy received from the environment, transformed within you, and sent on to affect the world outside
* The integration of body, mind, and spirit-the appreciation that everything you do and think, and feel, and believe has an impact on your state of health
* The loving and acceptance of yourself

Life is a continuum that seeks balance between illness/dis-ease states and wellness. Try to imagine that illness/dis-ease is at one end of the continuum and a high level of wellness is at the other. The middle signifies a neutral state where the symptoms of illness/dis-ease no longer exist but the root cause of the problems remain. Wellness, because it is not static, can occur anywhere on this continuum. If you develop awareness, and are making positive changes in your life, this allows growth and you will point in the direction of a higher state of wellness. If on the other hand you cease dietary and lifestyle changes, allow stress to take over a state of peace, and become sedentary in all your endeavors, you will point in the direction of illness or dis-ease and premature death.