What is wellness? Wellness is not passive. It is active, a pursuit of the right choices, the right activities, the right foods, the right lifestyle for your health, fitness, and emotional well-being.
In fact, there are at least six aspects to the concept of wellness.
- The Body - Keeping your body as healthy as you can with proper nutrition, eating healthy foods, using vitamins and supplements as needed, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, rest, and downtime.
- The Mind - Keeping your mind engaged and open by interacting with the world, continuing to learn throughout life, and being creative in your own unique way.
- Emotions - Being honest with yourself, understanding your emotions, and doing your best to understand the point of view of others. Being both sympathetic and empathic.
- Your Spiritual Life - Looking for meaning in your life, whether it be from the career you chose, your family, your avocation, or your religion.
- Your Social Life - Being a part of your community. Contributing to society. Giving of yourself to others.
- Your Planet - Being sensitive to environmental issues. Enjoying nature, but leaving nothing but footprints. Contributing your part in keeping our world healthy.
Perhaps the trickiest part is making the right choices. We face those decisions every day. Whether to have a salad or a Big Mac. Whether to slow down and give the homeless man a few dollars or pretend you didn't see him. Whether to do your work as fast as you can so that you can leave early even if that means your results might not be accurate or well done.
Where can we find the kind of advice to help us make the right decisions when we're stressed or hurried or just dog tired? Podcasts are wonderful ways to reach out to people who can help, people that we can trust. Here are five podcasts that will help you become what you really want to be.
Women's Healthcast
Doctors at the University of Wisconsin - Madison Ob-Gyn Department present today's health problems and offer expert advice. One recent podcast talked about Covid vaccines and the impact on women's health, separating fact from fiction. Other topics have included cervical cancer, trans-health, infertility, pre-term birth, and when to seek a second opinion. These are the experts that you can trust to give you sound advice so that you can make the right decisions about your body.
Sleep Meditation for Women
Developed for women who have frequent problems with insomnia, these podcasts are so soothing and helpful that everyone should listen to then. A part of each podcast is devoted to the sounds that will help you slip away into the land of dreams: water running through a woodland, raindrops on the roof, soft songs and lullabies, even softly told stories. You'll feel safe and warm and calm as you drift off to sleep naturally.
Unf*ck Your Brain
You think that the women on Wall Street, the women in power positions in Washington, D.C., the successful women in Hollywood and on Broadway, the authors, scientists, lawyers, doctors, teachers, mothers, and cops who have achieved much in their lives are confident and face the next day calmly and with nerves of steel? Think again.
There may be some who have that level of self-confidence, but many overachieving women (and men, too, for that matter) have imposter syndrome, which makes them feel inadequate to the tasks they must do. They feel like imposters, facing anxiety and self-doubt on a daily basis. Yet they can never show that face to the world. These podcasts focus on subjects such as self-worth, vulnerability, perfectionism, goal setting, and body image. Every woman who's ever doubted her own abilities needs to listen and know that she's not alone.
The Food Psych
Christy Harrison is a registered dietician who teaches two approaches to food and eating: Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size. These two concepts will help you re-evaluate your relationships with food, diets, and your weight. Diets with rules and lists of forbidden delights block our minds from hearing what our bodies are saying to us. She will teach you how to feel satisfaction in eating, how to separate food from rewards and comfort, and how to reject the diet mentality.
The Mindful Kind
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware, fully present in the moment, cognizant of our surroundings, our situation, and what we are doing at all times. This is possible in everyone, but too many people allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the external world and they lose their focus. In these podcasts, Rachael Kable, with Certification in Coaching and Counseling, talks about kindness, stress management, coping with sadness, letting go of past mistakes and of embarrassment, along with the development of mindfulness and other subjects. Her soft voice exudes calm and peace. These are only five of the multitude of podcasts that you can listen to in order to improve your life, your health, your emotional stability, your wellness. Remember that part of wellness is to continue learning throughout your life.
