Personal Wellness and How Small Changes Can Make a Big Impact

You hear it all the time. “Take care of yourself”. What does that really mean and how do you

actually do that? In my practice, I look at many factors that pertain to personal wellness. The

answers are very personal for each person and with further introspection, can go deeper into

further questions.

• Are you generally happy?

• Do you have a positive attitude?

• Are you taking care of your body?

• Are you taking care of your mind?

• Am I making good choices for myself?

• Am I living the life I imagine for myself financially?

Looking at these questions, you may think, “sure, yes, I’m happy enough. I’m doing my best to

take care of myself.” You may even answer “no” to these questions, but the mere thought of

changing is daunting and seems unrealistic.

Many look to the internet for answers. The internet is so full of information, you’re positive

there’s something good for you to incorporate into your life. New diets, exercises, supplements,

meditation, planners, so many ideas, concepts, rules and contradictions litter the internet. Soon

you have gone down a black hole of information and you just lost hours, days, weeks trying to

figure it out. Overwhelmed, discouraged and tired you give up. Going on with life, hoping that

one day you can find and implement some kind of change that will allow you to start exercising,

start eating better, start “taking care” of yourself.

The good news is, there are small things you can do to start your personal wellness journey.

I have found the first step is making a change, is figuring out what you really want. Here are a

few questions you can ask yourself.

• What is it that you’re trying to change?

• Is this something you can do by yourself, or will you need support?

• Why do you want to make this change, what is your motivation?

If you just want to bring more personal wellness into your life, there are simple changes you can

make on your own! Here are a few:

• Create your own personal space. Find a spot in your home that you can claim as your

own. I put a special comfy chair in the corner of my office, got a small room divider (so I

don’t look at my desk), put a small bookshelf and filled it with books I want to read, set

up an essential oil diffuser, hung a piece of art and made the small space a place for me

to go and get away.

• Sometimes, personal wellness has to do with having too many negative people or

influences around us. Preparing yourself for conversations with people who may

have different views or are always negative is very important. Come up with ways you

can acknowledge them or their opinion and have prepared questions or topics you can

change to. Oh, that’s an interesting opinion, how was your dinner last night? Did you

see the latest movie? Are you taking a vacation soon?

• Take time to prepare healthy snacks for yourself for the week. Many times, we want to

snack, so we grab the easiest food that’s accessible to us. If you preplan snacks, you

can eliminate the unhealthy snacking and start a new habit of healthy snacking. Nuts

are a great choice!

• Journalling is a great way to put yourself on the right track to your personal wellness.

Find a journal you like and write something every day. Even if you write one word each

day! It’s a great way of clearing your mind, emotions and sorting yourself out.

• Find a 5-minute exercise that you would like. Schedule it every day. It doesn’t matter

what it is. Set a timer. Do 1 or 2 exercises that you picked out for yourself. And stop

when the timer goes off. Take a deep breath and move on with your day.

• Breath! Just sit and take slow deep breaths each day. Set a regular(ish) time to do this.

Clearing your lungs, body and mind and filling it with good oxygen will help engage your

parasympathetic nervous system.

These are some small changes that can start your personal wellness journey, but what if you

have bigger goals that seem overwhelming? One of my favorite sayings is: The journey of

1000 miles starts with the first step!

If you have larger personal wellness issues, there are a few steps I recommend:

• Regular Massage: Massage can help you with chronic pain, that can affect your quality

of life. Massage can help you if you experience high stress or anxiety. Taking the step

to find the right massage therapist can make an impactful difference in your personal

wellness.

• Health and/or Life Coach: Finding a coach can help you sort out what you need to do

to make changes in your health or your life. Helping you stay on track with diet,

exercise, life strategies or transitions.

If your personal issues run deeper, a counselor or therapist can help you.

Relationship issues, addiction, childhood trauma are just a few issues that a therapist

can help you move through, so you can start prioritizing your personal wellness.

• Personal Trainers: Would you like to exercise and don’t know where to start, reach out

to a personal trainer. They can set you up with a program and teach you how to be

successful.

Prioritizing your own wellness is the beginning of a more fulfilling and happier life. Self-care is

not selfish.

Prioritizing personal wellness is the first step towards fulfillment, contentment and joy. Self-care

is not selfish and will benefit not only ourselves but also those around us, as it allows us to be

our best selves.

In my practice, I help my clients figure out how to start their journey, declutter their goals and put

themselves on the right track to be successful in their own Personal Wellness Journey through

workshops, retreats, massage, self-care and personal coaching.