6 Non-Health Related Things I do to Support My Wellness

Ready to improve your wellness?

What if I told you to look beyond the traditional “health” recommendations?

When you talk about improving your health, so often you are met back with suggestions of changing what you eat, how often you exercise, or supplements to add into your routine. Not that any of those are inherently bad (actually they can be a great first step for a lot of people) BUT those generalized recommendations often fall short of meeting you where you’re at personally.

I talk a lot about bio-individuality here because I think it is so important and often forgotten about in the wellness space. In short, it means that what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa! We are all unique in our health histories, goals, and how we achieve them (fun fact- this is exactly what a health coach is trained in, in order to help you become aware of these unique traits and harness them to be most successful!)

And sometimes- going hard fast down the “wellness trail” isn’t exactly what will serve your health best…

When I was just starting to work on my own personal health and wellness 4 years ago that is exactly what I had to do. After trying to research what I should do, and getting 124532 different suggestions, and visiting different providers and getting even more different recommendations, I was so overwhelmed. And honestly, it made me want to ignore doing anything at all for a while.

So I started trying to improve other areas of my life first.

I cut back on work and extracurricular activities.

I started pursuing my hobbies more often.

I spent more time with friends.

And you know what happened? My hormones started to balance, I felt better mentally, and my overall health started making improvements. And I didn’t even change anything that was specific to my health!

So often when we are trying to fix something, we focus so hard on it that we ignore everything else. We forget that we are so much more than one little piece of our lives- it truly is all about holistic wellness.

Here are 6 things that aren’t necessarily related to health, but that have made my overall health and wellness so much better!

Minimalism

Less really is so much more. Over the last few years I have really been trying to adopt more of a minimalist approach to the stuff my family has, and it has been the most rewarding for both my physical space and my mental health!

When you have less things in your life, you have less to put away, and less to maintain, and less to occupy your mental space. It makes cleaning up your house easier, and makes you more intentional about the things you purchase.

I am by no means a minimalist purist, but I think implementing it in small, sustainable ways can make huge impacts on your holistic health. Here are some of my recommendations on getting started:

• get rid of things you haven’t used in 6 months

• get rid of things you are only keeping “in case you need it” (you probably wont, and odds are you can borrow it, rent it or get away with not having it when that time actually comes)

• get rid of anything that is broken, doesn’t work, or has been sitting around for you to fix

• toss duplicates that aren’t actually used- for me this was all the extra mixing bowls, platters, and random kitchenware that I had multiples of but rarely used simultaneously

Capsule Wardrobe

One specific area of my life where I adopted minimalism is in my closet. I found myself with a closet full of things that I felt “meh” about and always struggled putting together an outfit that I felt confident in. I have never been someone who is up on all the latest trends and I am not someone who loves shopping.

But I am someone who loves finding a good deal- and I think this was the problem I had with my wardrobe. Now i DO NOT believe you have to spend a ton of money on a capsule wardrobe. But I do think that changing your mindset about investing in quality pieces that you love is important.

For a long time I had the mindset of going shopping and heading straight to the clearance rack and finding something that worked. I’d end up with 2 or 3 tops that I liked, but didn’t love, and since they were on sale I felt better about my purchase.

Now I have intentionally chosen to invest more money in things I absolutely love and it keeps me from having things in my closet that i’m not excited about.

Some other things I considered when creating a capsule wardrobe:

• prioritizing quality over quantity- I want timeless staple pieces that I can have for years

• finding my own personal style- instead of following all the latest trends, I have slowly but surely found the styles that make me feel confident

• curating a wardrobe around a given color palette- pretty much everything in my closet is either a neutral, blue or green. I literally do not think I own a single other color. And that works great for me because those are the colors I am naturally drawn to wear most often, and because it allows for my whole closet to be cohesive. Just about everything matches so it makes pulling outfits together a breeze

• prioritizing natural fibers! cotton, linen, silk and wool are my go to’s. Not only are they often made with less toxins, but they tend to be higher quality items that are going to last much longer!

Write To- do lists

Every single morning I wake up, enjoy my coffee, and write out a to do list for the day. This is my method:

1. write out the “must do’s”- these are the things that have to get done today

2. write out the “it’d be nice” list- these are the extra things that i hope to get to, but if i don’t it’s all right

3. write out the “this month” list- this helps me to offload alllll the things in my brain. By just purging all the things that I am thinking about having to do, I have found that simply writing them down helps me to feel less overwhelmed in getting them done and also creating a plan to finish it off.

I have found that this morning practice helps to clear my headspace the rest of the day and minimize stress! Plus I get that added dopamine boost when I cross off things on my list throughout the day 😂

Social Media Restrictions

Over the last year I have worked on really cutting out social media from my life and finding a way to enjoy it, while still prioritizing my health. This has looked like social media detoxes, setting boundaries, and creating schedules that work for me and my family!

Some of the boundaries I have made around social media include:

• not touching my phone until after my morning routine

• setting time restrictions on my phone and sticking to them- no adding an extra 15 minutes 🙃

• no social media over the weekend

• keeping my business primarily off of social media

  • this was a decision I went back and forth with for a long time- and to be honest, it is what kept me from actually jumping into starting this business with both feet for quite some time. But then I realized that there are so many other strategies to building a business than being present on social media, and I felt the biggest weight off of my shoulders. For some people who enjoy social media it is an awesome option for growing their business, but I just didn’t feel that was me.

Travel

Ohhh travel. Seriously one of my favorite things in life that always leaves me with so much inspiration, fills me with awe, and is one of those things that immediately seems to give a positive shift to my mental and spiritual health.

I have been fortunate enough to explore quite a bit already in life and I cannot wait for all the places I have yet to see. After lots of trial and error, I have found what tips and tricks best support my health while traveling, and even how to make it happen with a toddler 👏

I think one of the biggest things that stops people from traveling is the cost. Yes, travel can be really expensive but there are so many ways to do so more affordable! Some of my favorite budget hacks for travel include:

• traveling with friends- seriously, one of the easiest ways to save money!! Traveling with a group is so fun and cuts down the costs considerably. The only hard part is finding people with the same travel style as you…

• Scott’s Cheap Flights- we have purchased so many flights through these email blasts! Basically it is an email notification system that lets you know when there are cheap flights or mistake fares posted. This is how we flew to Spain roundtrip for less than $500 per person, Hawaii for less than $300 per person and so many other fun adventures!

• Go grocery shopping instead of eating out every meal

• Responsibly using credit cards for travel miles- this is a relatively new thing for me in the last couple of years and I am by nooo means an expert. But there are definitely plenty of pro’s on social media who can guide you in using credit cards responsibly to take advantage of some of their point perks, transferring and spending points strategically!

  We purchased our toddler’s flight to Spain, solely off of points we have earned just with out regular everyday purchases. We have gotten awesome upgrades and free hotel stays with points too! This is definitely something I am hoping to learn more about and take advantage of more in the future.

Budgeting

Thankfully, I was raised in a family that taught me really early on about being responsible with money and having a strong work ethic. I am really really fortunate to have gotten this guidance really early in life because it allowed me to get started on my financial goals from am early age.

By intentionally saving, investing, and giving I have been able to confidently achieve goals and also reduce a lot of stress in my life.

There are so many different strategies and ways to go about being responsible with your finances and it all is really so personal- as long as you are making progress towards your financial goals and living within your means 👏

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There you have it! 6 of my favorite habits that aren’t necessarily health-related, but make such a big impact on my holistic health and wellness! What things help improve your health?

-Kaelyn

Related Reads:

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5 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling

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