Although the word wealthy is in the title, this blog post is not about saving money! Today I want to talk about wellness and the importance of saving ourselves.
As the founder and host of Chronically Well Club, I advocate passionately for my members to carefully and consciously monitor and minimize stress in their lives. Having kept Multiple Sclerosis in remission myself for 20 years, I know the incredible power of lifestyle medicine!
I visualize wellness like a bank account. Withdrawals can stress and inflame us. Deposits can soothe and nurture us. Both withdrawals and deposits can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual in nature.
The most important part of wellness banking (just like real banking) is staying in the black! Withdrawals must always be equal to (or less than) deposits.
For those who are mathematically inclined, here’s a formula:
Withdrawals ≤ Deposits
Still unclear? Here a few examples of real withdrawals and deposits from my own life:
Physical withdrawals: cleaning the house, a hard gym workout, sugar/caffeine/alcohol or staring at this computer screen for too long.
Physical deposits: visiting my chiropractor, walking in nature, a green smoothie or a nap.
Mental withdrawals: managing my social media accounts, reading scientific studies, organizing weekly appointments or making a difficult decision.
Mental deposits: reading for pleasure, playing my clarinet or piano, visualizing my dreams or great conversation with a friend.
Emotional withdrawals: spending time with toxic people, listening to my puppy cry when I leave, spending too much time alone or witnessing conflict.
Emotional deposits: puppy cuddles, a productive therapy session, listening to beautiful music, or being near water/in the sun.
Spiritual withdrawals: missing weekly celebration at my spiritual centre, experiencing moments of doubt, reading the news or worrying about the state of human evolution.
Spiritual deposits: yoga, affirmative prayer, connecting with community or meditation.
Just as we would never allow ourselves to be ignorant of our literal bank balance, we must always be cognizant of our figurative bank balance. Personally, I like to keep the equivalent of three months’ salary in savings available to me at times (literally and figuratively).
Almost everyone understands the concept of saving for a rainy day when it comes to finances. I am encouraging you to also save for a rainy day by stocking up on positive experiences that build strength and confidence. When temporary challenges arise, you will be better equipped to manage them and remain in wellness!
Now, before you start making deposits to offset your withdrawals, be sure consider how your wellness currency may be different from others.
For example:
Love yoga?
Great! Me, too.
Hate sitting meditation?
Great! Me, too.
Love latin dancing?
Great! Not for me.
Love beach volleyball?
Great! Definitely not for me.
The lesson? We are all unique. Only you can choose your currency.
Interested in connecting with other women passionate about wellness banking? Join our Chronically Well Club – Community Share facebook page or join us at an upcoming event.
We would love to hear how you stay wellness wealthy!
Be well.
Rebecca. :)
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