Wellbeing? Being well? There are so many connotations of what well-being or being well means to people. I believe it’s a very individual and personal thing. What does it mean to you? Is this something you think about but never actually get around to doing anything about?
Too many of us don’t prioritise ourselves. Quite often in the clinic, we hear that people are too busy with work, looking after children or grandchildren, helping care for older relatives and many other tasks to make time for self-care. They will often say it can wait for another day. My reply is often “If you don’t put yourself first then who will?”
Look after yourself
Remember, looking after yourself enables you to help and look after others. Well-being comes in two main guises, physical and mental health and often what you may do to improve one, will improve the other. For example, going for a brisk walk gives you the physical health benefits of exercise – cardiovascular health and improving muscle strength/mobility but also the fresh air and time out help to clear the mind or give you time to reflect, more often than not you’ll come back home feeling lighter and freer in more ways than one.
Another aspect of well-being is nutrition. If you fuel your body and mind correctly then you feel healthier and fitter. It can be said that being healthy is 80% what we eat and 20% exercise.
In reality, many people find it difficult to make these changes independently. Some may just need a little support and encouragement, while others may require healthcare and treatment.
At Walnut Grove we have a whole team of professionals just waiting to help you look after yourself and become the healthiest and fittest you can be. Our experienced team provides well-being services including psychotherapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy, sports rehabilitation and gym classes including Pilates and yoga. So if you feel you need a little help to reach optimum wellness, the team at Walnut Grove will be happy to help.
What’s your ‘go-to’?
My go-to for wellbeing is to make sure I have time with family and friends, but also time out for myself – for instance attending a kettlebell class, having a facial/massage or reading. Do I feel guilty? Occasionally yes but then I remind myself why I do it. If I don’t take this time for me I know I become grumpier. What we do to relax is an individual thing and shouldn’t be judged by others. My husband likes to walk the dog as it’s time out for him with peace and he loves to watch sport on TV; that’s his choice for relaxation.
We have a lot of patients At Walnut Grove who see their time with us – whether that’s for acupuncture, a Pilates class, osteopathic treatment or yoga for example – as time for them, time to look after their wellbeing. It’s not just about the hands-on part of the treatment, it’s also the rapport and chat they have with the practitioner that creates this overall sense of wellbeing.
So back to you – to start with choose one thing you like to do and make sure you take the time to do it, for you! When you manage that one thing you will feel a sense of achievement and you can think about what else you want to do for you!
Whether you need to get help for that niggling pain, want to improve your strength and mobility, give your mental health a boost, or are just feeling a little broken and are not sure what you need, contact us at Walnut Grove and together we will work out what you need to feel better, inside and out.
