Hi Byte Wellness Fam,

How are you feeling?

I’m feeling grateful. Keep reading to see why.

Discussion Question

• What is one cause of stress you can not seem to let go-even though you want to?

Let’s dig into it. Why are you stressed? What outcome are you worried about? Is that a realistic concern? Is it helpful to have that concern? Have you done everything you can to prevent the outcome you’re worried about? If so, is it helpful to continue worrying?

We discussed this question in this week’s #PhyteWellWorkshop. Watch the recording below to join the discussion. Want invites to the next #PhyteWellWednesday session? Send TEXT to 1(224)302-6224.

The great part about wellness is that it’s holistic. Everything we do, everything we’re exposed to can affect our overall wellbeing- in positive or negative ways.

How we eat, how we move, how much sleep we get, how we manage stress, how we handle substances like alcohol, how we interact with other people… these habits set the foundation for our mental and physical wellbeing.

On one hand, the reality of holistic wellness can feel like a huge responsibility to carry. We might feel like being well means we can’t give in to food cravings, must workout everyday, can’t feel stress.

On the other hand, holistic wellness is a huge opportunity to live our best lives.

At least two principles can help us take advantage of this opportunity: Balance and Agency.

Wellness Balance

Balance is the main principle that holistic wellness rests on. It’s vital (literally) to balance the risk factors that lead to disease and levels of harm against wellness resources that help to prevent disease and build our resilience.

The fact that there are so many inputs into our wellbeing means there are multiple paths to being our best selves.

I don’t know about you, but I need all the wellness chances I can get.

On days I’m not getting enough sleep, it’s comforting to know that a few minutes of deep breathing can help lower my inflammatory load.

On days when I’m not very active, and I miss out on an antioxidant-building workout, I can pile on the leafy greens and onions to get some help managing my oxidative stress load.

Wellness Agency

Agency is the key to reaching our wellness goals. It’s our personal power to act. See, we have a good deal of control over most of those foundational wellness behaviors (eating, moving, sleeping, de-stressing, limiting substances, and socializing). Agency reminds us of that.

You know that Auntie who warns you not to give your power away every time you complain about some messy situation? That’s agency.

We don’t have much control over what the world delivers to us. But, we have so much more control over what we choose to do with it.

The way to keep recharging our wellness power is to find a way to make wellness lemonade from lemons.

Faced with limited free time and limited space, can we find a way to move more?

Surrounded by processed food, can we find a way to choose the most high-quality options?

Let’s bring this back to our discussion question.

When faced with a challenge, can we find a way to block it from turning into stress?

We can- whether we use the 3As framework, therapy, prayer/meditation, some other method or some combination of methods!

We have the power boost our wellbeing! Let’s use the responsibility wisely.

Happy Healthy Living,

Dr. Wuse