Guest Post: Katie Carter from WomenKind – 5 Steps To Create Wellbeing Amidst The Rush
5 Steps To Create Well-being Amidst The Rush
Lets face it. It’s a rat race out there.
The only way to create balance in your life is to be completely committed to creating it.
I know this sounds hard-core but it is just too easy to put everything else first. When we are stuck in this pattern, it is so hard to remove ourselves from and some pretty radical action is required to change it up. Wellness and wellbeing are words that are a bit like a double-edged sword. They are filled with so much potential but the reliance on trendy marketing gimmicks and an over abundance of green smoothies has left most of us weary. There is no silver bullet to finding balance. It is deeply personal and is a conversation with self. When we are really out of balance, totally overwhelmed we crave this feeling of centre and security that I believe ‘wellness’ truly is. When we place this first in our lives (to the extent that is possible) we truly begin the wellness journey. Change doesn’t happen unless we call it in, work towards something and honour what our body is telling us.
I think most bodies are tired, worn out and stressed. I see it in everyone’s faces around me and hear it in the words.
If this is so common among us, why do we have so much trouble investing in ourselves to ensure that we know how to replenish? To re-balance, we need to be able to let go of something. This can be super challenging. It means saying no to things in the past we have said yes to. It may mean a messier house. It may mean less paid work which = less money. It means asking for help. It is often an active step away from what we have been programmed to want. It most definitely means removing ourselves from the competitive bind that we are playing at. Stopping the comparisons between ourselves and others, gives us freedom to listen in and listen deeply. What is your body telling you it needs right now? Are you able to name it? Are you able to tell others what it is?
Well-being in 5 Practical Steps
- Well-being isn’t the absence of disease. I think of it as making the most of our own capacity for mind, body and spiritual wholeness. Wholeness isn’t perfectionism. Dismiss perfectionism as the most corrupt and harmful way for a human to relate to life. Well-being is in reach for everybody. The sick ones, the mentally fragile ones, the disabled included. The ones like you and I. If your idea of well-being is rooted deep in body fascism, challenge that belief. Living your best life is more embodied integrity and personal balance than anything else. This is a discourse for all humankind.
- Spend time alone and in a place that you feel safe. Find your favourite park, beach, forest, stream or garden. Be there regularly. Not go there. Be there. If you don’t know the difference, spend even more time there until it is clear.
- Spend time in relationships that heal. The ones that you can laugh your guts out in or cry unrestrained in. These are real. These are the healing ones. Find your nearest, dearest; talk, play and relax in their company.
- NO matter what ails you, rest is needed. On the cusp of a cold, rest. Really overwhelmed, rest. Tired, rest. Do this before popping any vitamins or buying anything. Rest is the essence of vitality.
- Commit to looking at your well-being from a holistic perspective. This is best done by a complete assessment of your wellness by a specialised provider with referrals on to the practitioners who are most able to meet each of your needs. HINT: Most of us need a mix of services to meet our individual needs. Be wary of the person who says a simplistic approach to wellness i.e. focusing only on one area, will bring about change.
Written by Katie Carter, Founder of Womenkind at www.womenkind.com.au
