I first wrote this post in response to some thoughts I had on wellness and what wellness means to me after being featuring in an Explore Charleston Instagram takeover on the topic. When Explore Charleston asked me to do the takeover, it got me thinking about all the different facets of wellness. My interpretation of wellness has changed and evolved so much over the years, especially after pregnant and becoming a mother. Of course, nutrition and fitness come to mind when thinking about wellness but there is so much more that keeps my mind, body, and soul happy and healthy!
After brainstorming what wellness means to me, I created a pretty long list and was thrilled to see how many amazing ways there are to embrace a healthy lifestyle and how many wonderful practices I do to keep my wellness up. Below, I’m sharing a smattering of ideas on what wellness is and how it can prioritized in life!
What Wellness Means To Me
In the spirit of January and the new year mindset, I revisited this old post and wanted to a) update it and b) reshare it with y’all. We took these photos on January 1st, 2020. I will never forget how I felt on this day because, leading up to it, I was trying every stress managing tool I had, had been doing some counseling/life coaching, and was just working my emotional physical wellbeing as a whole. In truth, I obviously had no idea what 2020 would hold for the world but, on this day, I was filled with an immense amount of hope and optimism.
I was coming off of a miscarriage and looking forward to starting fresh in 2020 and high hopes to start our family. It turns out, we got pregnant a few days later during this first week of 2020 on a trip to California and Rowan changed our lives forever. I believe in my heart of hearts that my soul was positive, hopeful, optimistic, open, and happy on this day. That’s really what wellness means to me. What do you think? More below.
Wellness taps into so many different spaces and categories for me (it’s not just fitness!).
The most important form of wellness I love and live for is my family. Wellness is spending undivided time with my son – playing with him, watching his grow, tickling him, reading with him, and so forth. The balance comes in with also taking time for myself away from the nuances and routines of parenting. It can be an important aspect of motherhood to incorporate into life.
A form of wellness my mind and my creative juices can’t live without is reading! I read for about 30 minutes a day (if I’m not exhausted!) and listen to audiobooks! Reading is a mind and body connection for me that helps me unwind. It is a great activity to help me with reducing stress.
For me, wellness means getting outside whenever possible to enjoy the beauty and sunshine of Charleston! Nothing beats neighborhood walks with my family or bike rides through Charleston’s historic streets. It’s one of Edwin’s and my favorite ways to enjoy our city!
Since becoming a mother, wellness has never before included so much sleep.
I’ve come to appreciate that I need to prioritize sleep as an absolute key component in my everyday life and not push myself to be running on fumes. I am the best version of myself as a mom when I am rested. It goes without saying that I feel mentally my best when I stay rested too.
As part of my life, wellness means considering what I fuel my body with. In Charleston specifically, nothing is as delicious as the nutrient-rich food and the yummy health-focused drinks from Basic Kitchen. For healthier food, I also frequent Butcher & Bee, The Daily, The Harbinger, Clean Juice, Harken, and Huriyali.
In January 2019, I started doing acupuncture to target a few things with my body – it was the best wellness gift I gave my body that year. In Charleston, I’ve gone to acupuncture at Well Rounded Healing, The Healing Gallery and Blue Heron. I honestly leave acupuncture in a state of complete physical mental relaxation.
When it comes to fitness and physical fitness in Charleston, I adore Longevity Fitness for pilates and so many other reasons! They have so many classes (not all pilates!), gym opportunities, and more (like massages, infrared saunas, etc.). I have gone religiously twice a week for 3 years now and love it. It keeps me in such great physical health! In addition, The Works and their sister spin studio, The Works Cycle, really embody wellness! The Works puts a focus on the mind, body, and soul + is an incredible sweat experience.
One of the best things I do for my wellbeing is make time for friends!
Strong female friendships are a huge source of positivity in my life. For more on friendship, read these past posts: The Importance of Making Time for Friends as an Adult // How to Keep a Long Distance Friendship // Long Distance Friendship Gifts.
If I ever feel down, I know wellness is hugely at play with turning my day around. Other than breaking a sweat or getting vitamin d, I turn to my family… aka the greatest source of wellness in my life! More thoughts on turning to family for my well-being here. I told you, wellness means more to me than fitness!
I take wellness into consideration with all of my beauty and makeup choices.
As such, I choose to wear clean makeup from Ilia, Westman Atelier, Beautycounter, and RMS Beauty.
As an alternative to scrolling through my phone, I like to put everything down and calm my mind with needlepoint! I’m a frequent visitor of Charleston’s local needlepoint shop, Cabbage Row Shoppe.
When it comes to a spa day in Charleston, I turn to one of a few wonderful options including Woodhouse Day Spa and the spas at local hotels: The Dewberry, Charleston Place, & The Sanctuary.
My end all, be all wellness practice is visiting the beach!
I don’t think there is anything better than feeling grounded through the sand with sunshine and salt air on my skin… winter, spring, summer, or fall! We’re so lucky to be able to spend time at the beach year round in Charleston. Nothing keeps my spiritual health and mental health in check quite like the beach.
Thank you for reading my ideas on wellness! Remember, wellness can really mean whatever you want and need it to mean! At the end of the day, it is really all about maintaining a healthy balance between all things in life. I’d love to hear your thoughts… what does wellness mean to you and look like in your life? Any area of life I’m totally blanking on? When in doubt, just go for some deep breathing!
