Wellness. A loaded term, for sure. It encompasses so many aspects of life, and is truly individual.  Typically, I think "wellness" refers to habits that promote physical, mental, and social health and well-being. But, I think it can be applied more broadly, to things like our environmental and spiritual choices. For you, maybe wellness means focusing on diet, work-life balance, being "present" during family time, or making time for that hobby that you never get around to anymore (or all of these, or something else entirely).  Regardless of what wellness implies to you, it takes practice; the NIH published a study that suggests behavior does not become habitual until 10 weeks of practice.  

10 weeks sounds like a long time. That's a lot of days, and if I start today, that means my idea won't be habitual until November. But, flip that thought: if you start today, by November you won't even have to think about putting forth the time and effort, because habits become "nearly or completely involuntary" according to Merriam-Webster.  With some planning now and for the next few weeks, you can find yourself in a healthier, happier place by Halloween. 

In celebration of National Wellness Month, I challenge you to identify one behavior that would add to your well-being, and start cultivating it into a habit. WellnessMonth.com has a challenge for the month of August, which provides a different wellness idea for each day if you need some inspiration. My inspiration came from a journal that I had been eyeing up in the boutique of Honest Soul Yoga; simple white cover, with a big, bold phrase in gold: "Let That S**t Go". I was drawn to it (despite my lack of journaling practice),because that is a mantra that I have a lot of difficulty adhering to; I will ruminate about situations and possible outcomes (regardless of how unlikely) for far too long, resulting in indecision and self-doubt. So, my wellness goal for myself is to let that "stuff" go. My plan to do so is two-fold: develop a mantra for myself to stop the spiraling thoughts and refocus my energy in the moment, and initiate a journaling habit in order to have a physical place to download the "stuff" in another location and free my brain for more beneficial pursuits. Luckily, a new friend that I met in my yoga teacher training noticed my interest in the "Let That S**t Go" journal, and gifted it to me a few weeks ago (Thanks again, Katherine!). Over the next 10 weeks, I'll come back to this challenge and update you all on my progress, and hope you'll leave some comments about your own wellness goals and progress towards them.