The time is upon us - chestnuts are roasting on open fires and Jack Frost is nipping at noses. Winter and holiday events that bring family and friends together are in the near future; images of merry gatherings, gleeful children, and fluffy, white snow cloud our brains and flood our media. We have plans stacked on top of plans - so much to do this winter season! There’s a sense of anticipation for the holiday season and excitement about the approach of a new year.

Given all the potential for joy and happy connection at this time of year, given all the hope and excitement - why, then, are we feeling so stressed out??

Last month, we reset our understanding of wellness to be able to personally own our wellness journey. We explored how wellness is truly unique to each of us - founded in values and personal strengths, driven by our hopes and dreams of the life we envision. But do you ever feel that moving from visioning to action feels really hard? That even the best laid plans often have insurmountable obstacles? That it’s hard to get going - even if you know what it looks like?

Wellness is one of those things that feels easy to identify - when we think of wellness, we often imagine people working out, curated pictures of nutritious meals, and stunning photos of wellness products and services. But is that what wellness really looks like? And does wellness only look these certain ways?

The truth of the matter is that the last 18 months have impacted us all differently. Some of us have found new callings, new rhythms, new routines, and others of us are still feeling the effects of living in a haze of uncertainty for so long. Many of us feel stuck - unsure how to start or restart healthy habits; many of us feel uncertain what wellness looks like in a redefined world.

So how can we find wellness in our current, real time? How can we move from stuck to unstuck, and take one step forward on a wellness journey?