Finding Wellness as the Year Draws to a Close
This month’s focus of wellness relates rather well to our 2020 theme for the year of Transitions! Regardless of the challenges this year, I believe humans are resilient and hopeful, which helps us continue to transition to a place of wellness. As we continue to transition towards the year’s end, let’s put our best foot forward to staying healthy and well, along with finding peace, hope and joy in our lives.
What does wellness really mean? I believe wellness entails a holistic viewpoint, mind, body and spirit. Laurette Gagnon Beaulieu says, “Wellness encompasses a healthy body, a sound mind and a tranquil spirit.” I agree and we empower caregivers to try and incorporate that in their lives.
Connection Between Empowerment And Respite
Focusing on Wellness In a Busy Life
However, how does a person incorporate a wellness model into an already busy life? Caregivers are told to try and stay stress free and put into practice some form of self-care, and after all, hold onto the power of hope.
An article in Counseling Today examines wellness as a framework in working with clients holistically. Wellness goes quite a bit deeper than teaching client’s skills and ways to cope, it is about helping them to look at other areas of their life that can be integrated to help with the concerns that brought them into therapy.
Our approach at Hope Grow is holistic, along with a mindful and positive attitude. We look at what brought a client for support, but also how it is distressing their mind, body and spiritual health. We believe it is important to look at all aspects of their life, not just the issue, and to see how other areas of their life could help. Just as caregiving is individual and different for each caregiver, so is their path to wellness.
Finding What Provides Peace and Joy
In sessions at Hope Grows, it’s important to provide education on how the brain and body work and then exploring the client’s strengths. We don’t stop there. We draw upon how the client views self in their environment and their relationship with the natural world.
Incorporating a wellness approach takes time and some tools. Consider journaling food intake, exercise, and sleep. Tracking thoughts, emotions and spiritual views helps to discern patterns, pleasant or unpleasant. Taking a daily look at what we are grateful for is important, too.
Consider what helps to provide peace and joy. One person may benefit from a snowy walk on a wooded trail while someone else may benefit from no phone calls and an afternoon of Hallmark movies with a bag of potato chips. While I wouldn’t recommend a salty treat as a weekly wellness plan, however, in some cases of caregiver burnout and grief, the quiet solitude may just be what the doctor ordered for peace of mind.
Reach Out For Support
A Hope Grows recommendation is if you are struggling with incorporating a wellness, self-care plan or feeling off in one or another area of being, reach out for support. Our goal is to help you find joy in being and living and thrive, not just survive in your journey of caregiving.
Find Online Caregiver Support Groups
To end the year of Transitions; look back at times that you felt well, happy or peaceful. It has been a rough year for everyone, I for one, am glad to see 2020 pass. I am holding out hope for a new year of peace, love and joy, and yes, COVID free.
In addition, look back at each month’s focus for the year 2020. We have a hopeful heart that some suggestions we offered were helpful and provided support from a wellness perspective. See you in 2021.
- January – Knowledge & Transitions
- February – A Buoyant Heart
- March – Self-Acceptance
- April – Spiritual Purpose
- May – Clarity & Vision
- June- Calm
- July – Light
- August – Cleansing
- September – Learning
- October – Responsibility
- November – Releasing & Forgiving