Wellness Unfiltered: Ditch the Trends and Redefine What Feels Good for YOU

Written By : Grace Weidenhamer

If you feel like you’re walking around with the weight of the world on your shoulders, you’re not alone. It’s easy to stress yourself out when scrolling on social media and every other post is telling you what supplements you need to be taking, how to know if you have “cortisol face”, or why you should only be doing low-impact workouts in your luteal phase. The people making these videos seem reliable because it looks like they have their lives together - they’re fit, have clear skin, and just have that aesthetic image we all strive for.

Personally, 2024 was a year of self-reflection and re-evaluating how I view my health and well-being. I am one hundred percent guilty of purchasing minerals to add back into my filtered water, or going out and buying an extensive new skincare routine because someone online told me to. Then, like clockwork, I become frustrated when I don’t see the results I thought I would. I realized I was only practicing these “healthy” habits to check a box. Did these things even make me feel better?

The short answer is no - because duh! These life-hacks and wellness trends weren’t improving my health or happiness, just making me think they were. Over the past few months - and post-anxiety spiral - I revamped my whole vision of health and wellness and started being more mindful of what made ME feel good.

I’ve come to the conclusion that wellness doesn’t look the same for everyone. I can’t sit here and tell you what is going to clear your acne (I haven’t even figured that one out for myself), or how to become a part of the 5 a.m. club, but I can tell you that you’re wellness journey is exactly that... YOURS! Instead of listing out the five things you should do to improve your well-being, I’m going to give you things that will help you re-frame your views on the health and wellness industry, and how to make wellness work for you.

  1. Practice mindfulness. I know that this seems obvious, but seriously, how many times a day are you truly practicing mindfulness? Being mindful doesn’t just help with stress and anxiety, but it can help you learn to pay attention to your body’s signals. Everyone is different, so one person on social media cannot tell you what will work for you. Some people feel better when they wake up at 4:35 a.m. to go to the gym before work, while others need those few extra hours of sleep to feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day. For me, it wasn’t until I started waking up earlier and taking time for myself in the mornings that I truly began to understand what I needed to prepare myself for the day ahead. Rolling out of bed and rushing out the door wasn’t setting me up for success, but neither was trying to cram in a million things before the sun came up. That’s what I mean by everyone has different needs. Take some time in your day to slow down and really observe what makes you feel energized, happy, and fulfilled.

  2. Prioritize your passions. Health and wellness are not only physical activity, healthy eating, or getting the proper sleep. In fact, The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as, “The active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of

holistic health.” You can spend all the time in the world working out, meal prepping, and doing your ten-step skincare routine, but if you aren’t making time for your passions or hobbies, you aren’t fulfilling your soul. I think we get so caught up in the things we “should” be doing and forget about the things we “want” to be doing. When was the last time you were doing something you loved so much that you forgot about everything you were stressing about that day? When we commit to being fully absorbed in doing an activity we love, we enter a flow state. This is different than simply distracting yourself from your problems. Being in a flow state can increase the levels of dopamine in your brain, improve performance, improve motivation, increase self-confidence, and more. So, even if you think you need to be focusing your time on the physical aspects of wellness, remember just how physical the benefits of a flow state and prioritizing your passions can be.

3. Finding forms of self-love. Whether you are working towards a promotion at work, training for a marathon, or simply trying to become the best version of yourself, self-love is at the core of reaching your goals and improving your well-being. Think about it. If you don’t believe you are worthy of achieving your dream job or dream body, do you really think you will? Probably not. If you don’t love yourself enough to show up and take the steps necessary to get you where you want to go, you’ll never get there. For example, if you want to lose weight, but don’t go to the gym or cook healthy meals, you’re not going to lose the weight. This goes for any type of physical, spiritual, or mental goal. You have to do the work. As I said earlier, the work isn’t going to look the same for everyone, but spend some time thinking about if you really believe you are worth it, and if not, why? Self-love doesn’t have to mean going to the gym seven days a week or cutting out sugar completely. It could be making more meals for yourself at home, or taking a walk outside on your lunch break. Find any form of self-love that helps you get one step closer to your goals, no matter how small.

Life is hard. And it’s not going to get any easier. This year, let’s ditch the trends and take control of our wellness by doing what feels good, showing up for yourself, and figuring out what you really want.

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