You see it everywhere when doing a search for a therapist–the term “health and wellness” is ubiquitous. Why do people so often use these two terms together? Is there a difference?
Often times, when people are looking for a therapist, they are looking for someone to work with immediate pains and problems ailing them. They often come in during or just after a crisis–a relative died, a relationship is at threat of ending, a child is struggling at school. Many come in seeking immediate relief and then end up staying when they find the process of sharing their daily struggles is helpful at all times, not just crisis. They may find through continued therapy they not only get back to equilibrium, but they get to a new state of well-being they didn’t know was possible for them.
I believe that so many of us are used to “getting by” and that many people may consider this health. Think of the people who only see the doctor when there is acute pain that can no longer be avoided. They may get pills or a remedy to patch the symptoms, but unless regular and appropriate lifestyle changes are made, they are going to be stuck in poor health hidden by a mask of “doing fine” because they are out of the crisis. When the big blows to their system unavoidably come, they are unable to handle them because true health has not been built.
To me, health and wellness are synonyms, but perhaps for others the thinking goes something like, “Ok, I am out of the crisis so things are fine. I’m healthy.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines health as “the state of being free from illness or injury” but I would encourage you to view health as the World Health Organization does. WHO claims: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This where wellness comes in. The Apple Dictionary defines wellness as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.” Wellness takes health a little further, not just as a state of being, but as a chosen lifestyle that is worked at.
In her NIH-published article, Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life, Debbie L Stoewen states, “When thinking about habits, wellness, and the health, well-being, and quality of life to which you aspire, consider the following: “Are you going to accept yourself or expect more from yourself?” “Are you going to embrace the present or consider the future?” and “Are you going to care about yourself or overlook yourself?”
Wellness is a dynamic, ever-changing, fluctuating process. It is a lifestyle, a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the best kind of person that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow. The past is history; the present and future lie in the choices you make today. Don’t worry about getting it perfect; just get it going, and become the best kind of person you can be.“
I see my role as a nature-informed therapist having two parts: helping people manage intense, mental health challenges that have arisen, and to also helping people who are already doing “fine” but want to be doing “well.” Nature helps accelerate the process of wellness because (a) it models wellness for us, and (b) human bodies function better when connected to nature. This comes through all five senses–the color green and fractals, the smell of certain trees, and the sounds of birds, water and wind, and the natural ionic exchange of touching earth have all been found to reduced stress. From a neurobiological perspective, nature creates a sense of awe, increasing oxytocin and vagal tone, as well as pro-social behavior and increases people’s sense of purpose.
Whether you feel you are in a crisis or are doing “fine” but want to see yourself at a higher level of functioning, my practice is for you. Nature-informed therapy is appropriate for people wanting to work through immediate challenges and for people who want to thrive beyond what they thought was possible by using nature as the primary tool for true health and wellness.