The Pursuit of Wellness

I'm taking baby steps toward overall wellness in my life, and God is showing me that this will be a theme in my future counseling work.  Dr. Burkhart (CCU School of Counseling Dean) spoke last night in a chapel lecture that was livestreamed for us.  He talked about the current mental health crisis, that we are not seeing a rise in legitimate, diagnosable mental illness... but rather a decline in the active pursuit of wellness!

Makes sense.  (Meaning for most people, too much energy is consumed by social media and unhealthy coping mechanisms, while less and less effort is going into cultivating our physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, and spiritual health and wellness.  Then people eventually struggle with isolation, addiction, depression, anxiety, etc. at increasing rates.  Generally, we reap what we sow.)

He gave us some great resources, including the Wellness Wheel assessment, which I filled out below underlining what I want to work on most in each category.

I've put in healthier boundaries and accountability in my two weakest areas, and I feel ever-increasing gratitude for the friends who prioritize growth and help me keep growing!

One other thing I've done, thanks to Annie's podcast, is put my phone in grayscale mode to remind my brain that REAL LIFE is happening in color all around me (and to make the internet and social media apps less enticing and time-consuming).  It's helping!

Anyway, just encouraging you to think about your own life in the above-mentioned categories, and consider a few simple steps you can take toward prioritizing and pursuing overall wellness!!  It matters more than we think.

That's all I've got for now.  Off to lunch, then Restore for the afternoon! ❤

Ready for my Tulsa trip last Saturday morning =)

P.S.  Thank you for your prayers and kind words after my last post!!  I feel and appreciate that, and I trust God's goodness and that He will give me wisdom on how to move forward here.