The State Of Wellness

The state of wellness
Laura Lifshitz

By Laura Lifshitz | Jul 14th, 2017

Being well. Eating organic. Avoiding GMO’s. Making sure you’re part of a Crossfit “box.” Never using anything that has toxins on your skin. Doing yoga at least twice a week. Having a life coach.

If you are not taking your wellness seriously…you are ill! Incredibly ill.

And a failure as a human being, completely, don’t you know?

Being well isn’t just feeling healthy and happy these days. It’s a full on business, complete with Kool-Aid sold to you at sometimes, exorbitant prices, with the goal of you being the most fit, green, and organic human being on the Earth. Forget keeping up with the Joneses; these days, it’s “out-rawing” your neighbor and making sure your home is so Feng Shui’d out that you are the most “well” person on the planet. These days it’s ensuring you can out “burpee” and bench press your fellow citizen and then brag that you haven’t ate a cooked piece of meat or used a skincare product with the word “paraben” on the label in order to know that indeed:

You. Are. Well!

Don’t get me wrong. I love running, the gym, ballet and eating healthy, but you won’t catch me going vegan or meditating every second. Although truth be told, a little meditation would be good for me! The fact is being well and healthy is very important but we can’t have a life coach for every move we make and we can’t squat and burpee our way down every single hallway and through every event in our life. We can’t always keep calm and Zen, mantra-ing our way through the day with a side of Yoga and essential oil. Sometimes, you need a little caffeine, curse words, chocolate and a complete meltdown on your couch.

Or in other words, being well should not be such an obsession that you become a total freaking bore and party pooper. So what can you do to keep yourself well, happy and sane and still have a life that doesn’t require you to live in a bubble doing jump squats and eating kale 24/7?

Here are some tips!

1. Pick What You Love Best

If you want to have a well and happy life, choose the aspects of wellness and fitness that most appeals to you. Maybe it’s yoga or meditation. Maybe it’s eating sort of sloppy but running. Maybe it’s not exercising at all because really, you’d rather die than break a sweat, but eating totally clean.

Pick what works for you and will be realistic for you to maintain through the years.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

2. Don’t Compare To Others

No, I have zero interest in mud running and my lifestyle as a working single mother doesn’t allow for the expense of Crossfit.

But what I can do is go to my local gym, take classes, experiment with ideas I get online, and dance. I will never (well, most likely) stomp in mud, but I can enjoy a nice nighttime run.

These things make me happy and keep me sane but perhaps for someone else, they wouldn’t. Don’t compare.

I can’t shop everything organic and I go to cheaper grocery stores rather than ones stocked with Non-GMO and gourmet choices. That’s what I need to do for my budget. I can’t compare. All that matters is I do what works for my lifestyle and me.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

3. Know Your Limits

I like talk therapy and have gone to a therapist in the past, but for some people therapy doesn’t suit them. Perhaps they would rather try medications or homeopathic solutions to stay calm and happy. Maybe they would rather commit to intense triathlons as a way to keep cool. For me, I don’t have an interest in triathlons, medicine or let’s say, raw eating or Zumba.

Know what things turn you off and turn you on in terms of having a well life. And while it is good to try new things, it’s ok to know some things won’t work for you.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

But with that said…

4. Experiment With Stuff

Maybe it’s time you tried meditation or yoga to deal with your divorce stress.

Maybe it’s time you tried rock climbing. You wanted to for such a long time but never devoted the time to do it. Maybe you were dying to do a reading of your chakras…or maybe not.

Experiment a bit to see what you like and don’t like.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

5. Forgive Yourself When You Royally F Up

After becoming a yoga goddess or a pillar of positivity and calmness, you may fall off the wagon. You may get busy at work. You may get into a rough patch emotionally. You may stop eating so clean.

Forgive yourself.

We cannot always be perfect and perky and on track with our goals.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

6. Have Fun, Damnit

You want to be sane and happy? Have fun. Get that piece of cake. Have a glass of wine. Go dancing. Watch crappy TV. See friends. Take a walk. Cut your hair.

Whatever makes you laugh and smile, do it. That’s the single best tip to staying healthy and sane. Have fun. Don’t be a bore. Don’t be a snooze.

You can sleep when you’re dead as they say, so live a little.

We won’t tell on you. Well actually, we might…right after we join you. Wink.

Source: Giphy
Source: Giphy

Laura Lifshitz

Laura Lifshitz


Laura Lifshitz is a writer, comedienne, a former MTV VJ and Columbia University grad. Find her work in the NYTimes, Worthy, and other sites. Visit her at frommtvtomommy.com.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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