Wellness of Mind, Body and Spirit

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As I type this, I am sick with my 4th cold in 3 months. I really have no concrete explanation, only a few guesses - the kids are in daycare and they bring me every germ known to man, I am not taking enough vitamin C, my stress level is too high, I need to use the hand sanitizer as often as I use my cellphone, although I practically live on vegetables, I am STILL not eating the right mix of foods, and of course, I can blame it on the Orlando weather, which is 79 one day and 48 the next.  My husband sat next to me in my misery and suggested positive affirmations reminiscent of The Game of Life and How to Play it. "Say to yourself, I am fine," he tells me. No, I am NOT fine, my body is aching; I haven't been fine for weeks!  To preserve our marital bliss, I proclaimed "I am fine and this will pass in a day." Thyroid goiter, hyperglycemia, constant colds; I am overwhelmed. Maybe, if I get my mind and spirit in a good place, my body will follow.  Kids don't understand that mommy is under the weather, so I better find the balance to turn this struggling caterpillar into a butterfly for myself and for them.

The body, the mind and the soul all wants to be well, we just need to get out of our own way. Every day is a new day to start on the journey to complete wellness. If you have already started, build upon what you have accomplished. To get inspired, I turned to Dr. Zimmerman, who inspires me each week with his uplifting Tuesday tips. I am sharing his wonderful definition of Wellness

Wellness Is…

knowing what your real needs are and

   how to get them met;

expressing emotions in ways that

   communicate what you are

   experiencing to other people;

acting assertively, and not passively or

   aggressively;

enjoying your body by means of

   adequate nutrition, exercise and

   physical awareness;

being engaged in projects that are

   meaningful to you and reflect your

   most important inner values;

knowing how to create and cultivate

   close relationships with others;

responding to challenges in live as

   opportunities to grow in strength and

   maturity, rather than feeling beset by

   “problems”‘

creating the life you really want, rather

   just reacting to what “seems to

   happen”;

relating to troublesome physical

   symptoms in ways that improve your

   condition and increase your

   knowledge about yourself;

enjoying a basic sense of well-being,

   even through times of adversity;

knowing your own inner patterns -

   emotional and physical – and

   understanding “signals” your body

   gives you;

trusting that your own personal

   resources are your greatest strength

   for living and growing;

experiencing yourself as a Wonderful

   Person.

Pure Poetry!  This year, I am working on acting assertively, enjoying my body by means of exercise, being engaged only in things that are meaningful to me, and for today - relating to troublesome physical symptoms in ways that improves my condition and increases my knowledge about myself.  Are you on a journey to wellness? Share your story.