The year is 2011. I was seventeen going on finally being a legal adult, preparing for university and collegiate division three ice hockey. In the spring of that year, I’d written my first real full length manuscript (which I never ended up publishing) and I was attempting to get noticed on other smaller websites or journals. As far as my future appeared, things were looking up. Until I glanced around at the other aspects of my life. Then the truth became more than apparent to me: my diet was inadequate.
When I say diet, it’s more than just the foods I was eating. I indulged in comfort food, leading to some slight weight gain and becoming a little less in shape than I had been the previous hockey season. But the reason for the foods I turned to was the real problem. I was surrounded by troublesome situations and stress in many places I turned. Whenever there’s financial stress, it causes problems.
For me, it led to a lack of confidence, and led for me to turn to people who would sympathize, but wouldn’t be able to lift me up out of the near rock bottom emotional health I was experiencing. My friends were amazing, but they were in the exact same space I was. That didn’t help either of us in the long run, until we all found ourselves turning to people outside of our normal circle of confidantes.
Health and wellness is all encompassing. To be healthy, you have to do more than stuff your face with salads and drink smoothies like it’s your job. You also have to do more than buy a gym membership or go for runs every week. You must keep an eye on your emotional health too.
That means keeping positive, uplifting friends around you, putting good energy out into the world every single day, and taking time for yourself. Don’t be afraid to get an ice cream cone once in a while, take a night in for yourself to binge watch your favorite TV show, or answering the compelling feeling you have to work on your side hustle instead of going out for drinks with friends. Because when your emotional health is booming, your outward self will show all the behind the scenes work you’ve been up to.
The trick is to be mindful of all areas of your life, anything and everything that contributes to your mood. Find associations of people who share your same vision of the future or are in the places you want to be, because at some point in the future, you’ll find yourself alongside them in their shoes. And don’t forget to keep eating your fruits and veggies, because that’s the first step to overall wellness. Because when you feel good, you’ll make good choices. And when you do that, you will find your world shifting for the better, slowly but surely. That’s the point when your dreams start to manifest, not because of good luck, but because of your dedication to your well-being.
