WHAT IF ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST THINGS YOU COULD DO IS PREPARE FOR SOME OF LIFE’S UNEXPECTED MOMENTS?
I just noticed that August is Wellness Month. It’s a time designated to remind us to prioritize our wellness. We rightfully think of eating better, moving more and getting more sleep. Prioritizing our physical wellbeing impacts our lives in so many ways: better energy, stronger immune system, lower stress and longer lives. Who doesn’t want and need that?
But humans are holistic beings, not just physical ones. To be well, we need to also work on our emotional, mental, spiritual, financial and relational wellbeing, too. This means being well and pursuing wellness extends beyond care for ourselves and includes care for those we love. What if planning ahead for the unexpected wasn’t seen as scary or overwhelming but as way to care for our future selves and the ones who love us?
PREPARING IS AN ACT OF SELF-CARE
We often think of self-care as something restorative. We go for a walk in nature, or get a massage or brew and drink a comforting beverage, take a long bath. Those Instagram-worthy moments of reflection and self-care certainly do nourish us. But sometimes self-care looks different.
Sometimes taking care of ourselves means scheduling your annual physical. Sometimes it means decluttering and organizing your spaces and home, including important documents. When is the last time you updated your beneficiaries? Is it time to get that life insurance you’ve been putting off? Complete your advance directive. Write down your passwords. Have a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding.
None of this may feel relaxing in the moment, but all of this can bring a deep sense of relief once done. That’s why I say preparation is one of the kindest gifts we can give our future selves.
BECAUSE WELLNESS INCLUDES PEACE OF MIND
We all have that drawer. You know the one. Mine has random cords, various batteries that may or may not be good. Several pairs of scissors. (And I always grab the pair that can’t even cut paper well.) Why is that stuff there? Why haven’t I thrown away those useless scissors? And when I need that one weird adaptor or cord it takes forever to sort through all the detritus and find it.
That’s what it’s like in our brain when we have unfinished tasks. They consume a lot of our mental energy. The documents you’ve been meaning to organize, that conversation you’ve been avoiding, the file drawer that no one else understands? These things quietly clutter and take up space in our minds.
There’s something profoundly calming about knowing they’re taken care of, knowing you’ve done what you can to prepare, because nothing in our life is guaranteed. That peace of mind is a form of wellness, too.
WELLNESS ISN’T JUST ABOUT ADDING YEARS TO OUR LIVES
Wellness is also about bringing more peace to the years we have and to the people who love us. When we prepare with intention, we leave behind more than paperwork. We leave behind clarity. We leave behind confidence. Most of all, we leave behind one final expression of love.
If someone you love needed to make an important decision on your behalf tomorrow, would they know what matters most to you? If you’re not sure, perhaps this National Wellness Month is the perfect time to begin that conversation.
Take one small step in August for Wellness month. Complete your advance directive OR locate your important documents. Talk to someone about your wishes for future care OR write down all the important information your family would need in an emergency. You don’t have to do everything. Just make a start. And I have planning resources and the “Papers, Pieces, Plans and Peace” organizing kit to help you do that.
After all, caring for our future selves and those we love begins with the choices we make today.