It is very overwhelming [and sometimes intimidating] when we see how women all over the word [and on social media] are thriving and shinning on their wellness journey. There life seems to be so perfect and well put together that you ask yourself how the hell am I going to get to that point.

Don’t panic… Let me make this one thing clear. Your wellness journey should be only about YOU and no one else!! Your wellness journey should be an ongoing process of self-awareness and the making of choices towards a healthier and fulfilling lifestyle. It has to be a process where you are discovering your own effective ways living lifestyle that promotes a sustained learning, development and personal growth experience.

Relax… This is a soul-searching and self-discovery journey. Hey sweetheart, I am not where I would like to be yet on this journey either. I am a student of life and creating mindful and meaningful lifestyle… So today I want to encourage you with 4 amazing tips that will help you to start building a plethora wellness lifestyle.

1. Envision the plethora wellness lifestyle you desire and write your goals

It’s very important that you first become aware of where you are now in life so you can envision the meaningful lifestyle you want to develop and setting specific goals to make happen. I’ve read a very powerful book by Terri Savelle Foy [Dream it, Pin it, Live it] where she mainly talks about the importance of creating vision boards [also about gratitude and affirmations]. In her book she said this:

“A vision board adds clarity to your dreams and desires by allowing you to see them. It helps you concentrate and focus on your specific life goals. Basically, it keeps your attention on your intentions”
– Terri Savelle Foy

Start with asking yourself; What makes me feel fulfilled and ads meaning to my life? – What is my soul, my mind or my body crave more of? – What does no longer add a positive attribution to me? – What do I need less of in my life? – What are some healthy habits I am willing to commit to in my wellness practice? [be specific, e.g. walking, stretching, eating healthy, praying, journaling etc…]
And finally, why these practices? And how will each specific practice improve my well-being? How will practicing these habits change my life? [Your intensions].

2. Start exactly where you are

Start your wellness journey wherever you are, by doing what you can, with whatever you have. Say you want to become stretching coach/instructor… Maybe [just like me] your body is so stiff that you’re far away from touching the ground when you try to do a split, and you may not even have an exercise mat. You might also want to practice every day, but the reality is that you’re living on a tight schedule balancing work and a side job. You cannot go forcing yourself to do a full split in a week [of course depending how far away you are]. So now you are going to set some smart goals that will help to get you to that point. Start with your living room carpet and plan a few minutes of daily stretching instead of a full hour.

“Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just…start”
– Ijeoma Umebinyuo

Wellness should become your lifestyle and not a second or third job. Don’t force yourself into it but be consistent in what you do to make it happen. Being consistent will help you to develop habits and those habits will form your lifestyle. Start where you are with small, efficient, and practical steps first. And build from there. Don’t be harsh on yourself, the idea is that are happy and enjoying the person you are becoming

3. Make space for growth and clear space in your life

As many of women that already started their wellness journey, you will also come to the realization that there are some bad habits that we need to let go of. Remember the famous saying from Beth Moore:

“You cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way, and keep expecting something different to happen”
– Beth Moore

When you start to examine your life and where you are right now, you will start to discover thing that are affecting your wellness. For me it was understanding and learning all the different ways I was consuming sugar, but for you it may be that your inner circle is full of negative friends [or even family members] that are draining you mentally. Examine the people that you surround yourself with, your living space and even thoughts in your own head that could be distracting during this journey.
Your wellness journey should be about growth and transformation. And that means that it’s necessary to remove [take distance, get rid of] what no longer serves you to build a plethora wellness lifestyle. A lifestyle that includes abundance of wellness.

“What I know for sure is that when you declutter – whether it’s your home, your head, or your heart – it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich you, your life, and your family”
– Peter Walsh

4. Track your progress and do not forget why you started

The best way to encourage yourself during your wellness journey is by noticing how, and where you are improving. It’s hard to see your progress when you are living it every day. Tracking your progress will keep you accountable because it will show you how often and how well you are sticking to your goals.

“Track your progress bit by bit. That’s how you will know how far you have come”
– Unknown

Start recording your journey from the very beginning. That way after some time you can clearly see how far you’ve come. As women deals a lot with emotions, so the best way to track your progress is by journaling [or bullet journaling which is my favorite] because with journaling it’s easier to express how you are feeling. And it’s very important that on the days that you are feeling down that you express your feelings in writing. This is the best method to improve your mental wellness. Another fun way to track your progress is through pictures. Especially if you are working to improve your physical health or if you are design a meaningful living space. It can be your home office, a bedroom, living room or just that extra room that you want to turn into a multi functioning space. If you are more the tech savvy lady, I’m sure you know how to look for the best mood and habit tracking applications out there. Or maybe even digital journaling.

“Someday you’re going to look back on all the progress you’ve made & be glad you didn’t quit”
– Unknown

And finally…

Focus on the positive by celebrating each progress that you’ve made. Rather than dwelling on challenges and drowning in negativity, make the decision to learn from the experience and move on. Remember always that it’s not failure if you learned something from experience. The most amazing thing of our wellness journey is learning about yourself, your need and wants, your strength and determination. Everything that you do to improve your wellness should be an act of kindness, self-respect and selflove.

Find sources of support whether it be a close friend, a family member you can trust or an online community. But if you can’t think of no one, look for more people online that shares their wellness journey and seek out information from that resonates with you, that empower you, that motivate and inspire you.