Understanding Wellness for Long-Term Health

If we divide our behaviors into three categories, there are those that increase our longevity, those that decrease our longevity and those that are neutral. Wellness then is about filling our lives with as much of the former category as possible, selecting behaviors that increase, long-term, positive physical and mental health outcomes.

Wellness is, of course, a spectrum and it may vary from person to person. Some of us are surprisingly hearty while others have more sensitive systems. Some of us will go to great lengths to feel well while other seem not to require any inertia at all. Fundamentally, we all require the same things to survive and thrive but the approach will vary. 

Modern society has piled comfort upon comfort and yet so many of us are still uncomfortable. Many of us are sick, depressed and anxious despite great cultural and scientific advancement. This disparity requires thoughtful investigation. 

It is not always the case that meeting the immediate needs of today serve the long-term goals of tomorrow. Wellness isn’t so grandiose. We must rightsize our expectations and cultivate internal stability.