Wellness & Wellbeing

I attended a SpaceNK event earlier this year where the panel of speakers included Nicky Kinnaird, founder of SpaceNK, Kristy Goodger of Elemental Herbology and Geraldine Howard of Aromatherapy Associates.

The subject for discussion was "Women and Wellbeing" and it was both fascinating and inspiring.

The subject of "wellness" also came up and it got me thinking - I knew it was an issue I wanted to explore more.

As one of the panel pointed out, you can buy all the expensive lotions and potions in the world but if you aren't caring for your most basic needs such as sleep and nutrition and general well-being, then you are simply throwing your money away.

So what is wellness, how do we define it.....

and how do we define wellbeing?

Google it and there are many many definitions.

The following are some definitions that I subscribe to....

"Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being."

"the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal"

Wellness is considered to be an active process of becoming aware of and learning to make choices (healthy choices) that lead toward a longer and more successful existence.

Wellness is much more than simple an absence of illness and/or disease. Wellness is a proactive and preventative approach that's designed to provide optimum levels of health, emotional and social functioning.  

Wellness emphasizes the whole individual.

It's the integration of the spirit, body and the mind; and the understanding that everything we do, feel, think and believe has a direct impact on our state of health.

"Wellness and good health have historically been seen a freedom from disease; thus, if you weren't sick, then you were considered healthy.

This historical perspective on wellness is changing.

While virtually everyone agrees that absence from illness is a primary component of being healthy, it doesn't however indicate anything about your state of well-being".

"Since lifestyle and the choices we make been found to be the most important factor in determining your overall health, it's important for you to be educated about your health and "take charge" of your life and have healthy lifestyle-related goals.

The lifestyle choices you make will and do have a huge influence on your health and your wellness.

The secret isn't in healthcare, but healthy and consistent self-care.

While traditional (Western) medicine is focused on alleviating disease, the wellness approach to things encourages you to take responsibility for your own personal well-being."

For me, wellness is about making healthy choices but it's also about so many other things too.

It's about eating well, taking time to prepare meals and nourishing myself and those I love with food that I love....

it's about having a skincare routine because by doing it I feel as though I am nurturing myself....

it's about exercising simply because I feel so good afterwards....

it's a good night's sleep, getting up in the morning and taking 10 mins to think, plan and sip a quiet cup of tea....

for me, it's also about spending a good proportion of time doing things that I like doing,

things that energise me...

with people who inspire me....

Making conscious choices about my life, taking time to breathe, making good choices, being positive and happy...taking care of myself.

I am really excited to explore these issues on my blog this month and I have some wonderful and inspiring people and brands involved sharing their experience and knowledge.

I would welcome blogger involvement so if this is a subject you would like to contribute to, please feel free to email me via my blog.

I do have some fabulous giveaways too, starting tomorrow!!

Happy Wednesday!!