I feel remiss in not visiting the meaning of wellness…. for how can one hope to gain or find something if they have not first determined what that thing is? So as my journey is one of achieving wellness, I should know exactly what wellness is or how will I know when I have achieved it?I searched the term “wellness” on dictionary.com and found the number one definition of the word to be, “the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort.” The other definition relates to a healthcare approach that emphasizes prevention of disease verses reaction to disease.

Miriam-Webster says wellness means, “the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.”

Additionally, I did a google search on this word and immediately discovered wellness is much more a conceptual and not a definite idea. One website, DefinitionofWellness, makes the case that wellness is not easily defined but rather a “multi-demensional state of being” with 10 commonly accepted dimensions.

Collaborative Support Systems of New Jersey, states the following at their webpage for WellnessandRecovery, “it is one of the least understood [words], and therefore most open to interpretation and personal definition.” They go on to state, it is “a philosophy of living that can help people live a more satisfying, productive, and happy life. Wellness offers a person a philosophy that supports healthy lifestyle habits that have positive effects on quality of life.”

For me, I think this definition, although vague, best describes the wellness I hope to achieve this year. I’m not in search of a specific outcome, but rather on a journey to discover more completely which choices I  make and which actions I take will result in a more satisfying, productive and happy life.

As we are now at day 13 of this year, I am holding steady with eating better and exercising regularly. I am coming to terms with the fact that I cannot do this perfectly – there will be times when the less bad choice is the only one available.  Currently, I am coming to accept that just because a situation like that occurs, it does not mean that I stop making the good choices as soon as they, again, become available.