If we listen to mind-body wellness influencers and advertisers, we often hear the message that “wellness doesn’t have to be complicated.” Aspirationally, this is true. Mind-body wellness should ideally feel like a smooth, long road stretching behind and before us, flowing naturally from our beliefs and values surrounding wellbeing. In real life, however, this process can be more complicated than we anticipate, and sometimes our wellness journey is neither easy nor straightforward nor stress-free. Real life is messy and our road to mind- body wellness can be complicated by illness (physical or mental), injury, disability, financial problems, relationship struggles, and changing responsibilities at work or home, any of which can be long-term and chronic or short-term and transient. The winding road of mind- body wellness has both long curves and quick bends.
Every practitioner of mind-body techniques has experienced times when the mind and body are not in alignment. Sometimes the issue lies in the body or mind or the dynamic interconnection between the two, and other times the issue lies in the social and physical environment. Whether we are navigating knee or back pain, anxiety or depression, the illness of a loved one, or increased demands at work or home, we are experiencing a change to our
routines that interrupt mind-body practices in multiple ways – the physical practices associated with wellness, the mental assets gained through mind-body practices, and also the time, effort, and investment it takes to manage the issue at hand.
Mind Your Mindset
Mindset is our typical set of attitudes and beliefs with which we approach any life situation. Carol Dweck, a pioneer in the study of mindset, explains that a specific type of mindset called a growth mindset empowers us to persist through the ups and downs of life, learn from mistakes, evaluate new ideas, and be open to change. In contrast, a fixed mindset restricts us to a defined set of skills and abilities, compels us to avoid failure at all costs, and makes us fearful of and resistant to change. Dwek also describes the power of the word “yet” to change our mindset. This means that instead of saying, “My new work schedule makes it impossible for me to do yoga,” a growth mindset is fostered by a reframe to, “I haven’t figured out how to incorporate yoga into my new work schedule yet.” Rather than approaching a newsituation with a negative mindset, this new way of thinking is optimistic, forward-thinking, and aspirational.
Mindset is not only about being positive and goal-oriented. It has a lot to do with approach, awareness, and reasonableness. Acknowledging the nature and sources of complexity that interfere with our wellness, even if they are temporary, is a key first step in building a functional wellness mindset. Next, it is important to reimagine what mind-body wellness means for us as individuals. It is fully possible to feel whole and well even if we have a life-altering physical or mental disability or disorder. When we embrace possibilities and seek out relevant information, while staying congruous with ourselves, we redefine what wellness can and does mean in our lives. Our ability to have a positive, practical, and productive growth mindset about our wellbeing means that we stay flexible and adaptable. In the words of Carol Dweck, “Becoming is better than being.” This implies that on the winding road of mind-body wellness, the effort of showing up and engaging with purpose and authenticity enhances wellbeing in and of itself, and mindset makes that possible.
Practice Patience
Mind-body wellness is not a fixed destination, rather it is the active and intentional pursuit of a desired interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. However, as our wellness road bends and turns, we encounter obstacles that impact or even shift our path. Patience often does not come naturally or easily in this situation, as we can become frustrated and disheartened when we are blocked from our wellness activities, especially when we see this as being outside of our control. Patience requires an effort of will and intention, which is founded in the ability to delay or defer gratification. Why is patience so important? Patience enables us to have a calm and neutral approach to setbacks and barriers, allowing us to slow down, heal, and reevaluate in order to bear healthful fruit and experience success down the road. This is in contrast to the stress, risk of reinjury, and low-quality outcomes that we experience when impatience and haste overwhelm our intentions. By practicing patience and reaffirming our dedication to it, we can savour the journey, no matter what the road we are on is like.
The good news is that patience is a skill that can be learned, requiring sustained focus and practice. One important tool is mindfulness. The very philosophy of mindful living encourages us to be present in the moment with a calm mind and receiving presence, allowing our path — whether straight or winding — to unfold naturally before us. Another way to foster patience on a complicated wellness journey is to focus on small, intermediate steps toward mind-body wellness and to push the ultimate goal of returning fully to our wellness practice off into the future. A true barrier to wellbeing is thinking that we must do everything now and achieve every outcome now. A well-considered, slow building of wellness block by block will allow us to build momentum while successfully managing stress. Finally, cultivate a belief system that centres patience, which includes the idea that both growth and healing require time and realistic expectations about progress.
Organise Your Organism
In mind-body practice, one of the most difficult aspects is to “bring it all together,” mind, body, and spirit. When all aspects of the self are working in true harmony, this is a peak experience – a transcendent moment of wholeness and peace that feels transformative and pure. These peak moments are what we seek and can achieve by focusing on mind-body wellness. Complications in our physical body, mind, and environment not only prevent these kinds of experiences, they can also knock us out of these peak moments when we are mid-experience. It is easy to see how environmental, physical and mental health issues make it difficult to feel that our mind and body are well connected and thriving.
How can we navigate these moments to help encourage healthier mind-body wellness? We can think about peeling off the things we can’t control from our list of priorities. Focusing on the things in our lives we are not able to control can make us feel frustrated and like we are failing. Disorganisation and dysregulation can stem directly from focusing on things we can’t control, and letting uncontrollable factors rule our decision-making processes will only make us stressed and unhappy. Taking the time to reconsider our priorities and focusing on those aspects of our life we can control puts us back in the driver’s seat. We will often face adversities and challenges in our lives. Being organised and purposeful when confronting these moments, allows us to focus on what we can improve to help us successfully navigate life’s difficult moments.
Embrace the Evidence
When our mind-body practices are in flux or unfulfilling because what we really want to be doing is unavailable to us, we are particularly vulnerable to pseudoscientific claims and marketing. Just as water seeks the path of least resistance, we also search for ways to make our complicated situation simpler. We want to be meaningfully engaged in our own wellbeing and to spend our time, money, and effort in ways that will improve our lives. Sometimes, we invest in evidence-based mind- body wellness practices, such as yoga, meditation, and breathwork, and from these we tend to reap both short- and long-term benefits. Other times, it seems less complicated to believe instead of to scrutinise and investigate. To be a follower of a persuasive and authentic-sounding influencer, instead of a student of evidence-based practices, lets us forgo the hard jobs of critical analysis and skeptical inquiry. When we follow instead of analyse and evaluate, we are vulnerable to unhealthy investments of time, money, and effort into unproven products, practices, and programs.
There are some occasions where it is a miracle that we can do anything to help ourselves regain some balance, and that’s an okay place to be until we regain our footing. However, we must guard against following too closely and believing too fervently. Orthorexia, an extreme fixation on healthy and clean eating that can result in mental distress and nutritional deficiencies, is an example of a problem that can arise from adopting diet plans and programs too jealously.
We must learn to “control our inputs,” meaning focusing on the things that sound evidence has shown to be beneficial to our desired outcomes, rather than on persuasively marketed products and trendy ideas. There is no pill, program, or plan that will give us a natural, wholesome, and healthful life filled with meaning, purpose, and loving relationships. These are the life tasks of every person, and they require intentionality and dedicated effort to achieve. Being an active and engaged force in our own life path and persevering through complexity will help us to write our own definition of wellness along the way.
Reference
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new
psychology of success. Random House.
Dr. Susan Henney is a Professor of Health and Behavioral Science at the University of Houston-Downtown. She teaches in the areas of mind/body wellness, personality psychology, case management, and patient advocacy. Dr. Henney’s research focuses on mind-body wellness, portrayals of wellbeing in popular culture, and volunteerism.
Dr. Justin Hackett is a Professor of Psychology at Pennsylvania Western University whose research centres on mind-body wellness and global identification. He explores how psychological processes influence health and well-being, drawing on social, cultural, and human rights perspectives. As part of the Identification With All Humanity Lab, he collaborates internationally to advance understanding of wellness in a global context.
Words: Dr. Susan Henney & Dr. Justin Hackett
