The Wellness Dilemma Part III: The Wellness List

The idea of a Wellness List was inspired as a way to cope with the overwhelm that can result from all our well-intentioned efforts to be “well.”  If you’re interested in more about the challenge posed by wellness or other strategies for dealing with it, see the other articles in this series – The Wellness Dilemma Part I: The Dilemma and The Wellness Dilemma Part II: The Fix.

For most of us, it’s completely unrealistic to do a multitude of self-care habits every day.  So don’t!

To relieve the pressure of trying to do it all, I make it a goal to do just one bonus item from this list each day.  My top two priorities are meditation and physical activity.  If I’ve achieved those for the day, I know I’m doing well.  Anything else is just gravy.

I’ve been trying this method for several months now, and it has made a huge difference for me.  Most days I actually do more than one bonus item.  It feels great because now I’ve flipped the script.  I get to take pride in all the things I did rather than regretting what I didn’t.  I’ve also found that this approach keeps my wellness routine fresh!  Since I’m changing it up a bit each day, it doesn’t get stale, and I look forward to my next smoothie or journaling session.

This is a list of loads of healthy options you could choose to promote your own wellness.  I’d recommend narrowing down this list to those items that interest you most.  Better yet – make your own list entirely!  The more personalized your list, the more excited you will be to engage with it.

The Wellness List

1. Meditate
2. Journal
3. Write affirmations
4. List things you’re grateful for
5. Drink tea
6. Drink lemon water
7. Make a smoothie
8. Eat a piece of fruit
9. Cook a healthy meal
10. Yoga
11. Foam rolling
12. Stretching
13. Go for a run
14. Go to the gym
15. Take a walk
16. Call a friend or family member
17. Light a candle
18. Use an essential oil diffuser
19. Take a nap
20. Take a bath
21. Manicure
22. Pedicure
23. Dry brush
24. Face mask
25. Hair mask
26. Do a hobby
    • Ideas: Gardening, adult coloring, writing, knitting, scrapbooking, painting
    • If you’re struggling to name a hobby, ask yourself what you liked to do when you were a kid.
27. Play an instrument or sing
28. Listen to your favorite music
29. Dance to your favorite music
30. Read a book

If you have suggestions to add to this list, I’d love to hear them!