The Wellness Bubble

When I was little I loved going to the Discovery Museum. My favorite exhibit was the one where you try to form a bubble around yourself. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me help paint a mental image. There is a plastic kiddie pool filled with bubble juice (?...there has to be a better word for that stuff) with a platform in the middle. A hoop sits in the juice surrounding the platform. Attached to the hoop is a pulley system that allows the hoop to be raised into the air.  Each kid takes a turn standing on the platform and pulling the rope so that the hoop lifts up, ideally forming a giant bubble around themselves.

It sounds so easy, and I'm sure it would be easier now that I am older and try to think things through before doing them. Looking back, I remember pulling on the rope as hard as I could. The hoop would fly upwards, popping the bubble immediately and sending juice flying everywhere. To this day, I still have never stood inside a bubble.

As I've been thinking about my wellness journey, I often feel like I'm back on that dumb platform, surrounded by bubble juice, pulling a rope in hopes of accomplishing something.

Being "well" involves so many components. We've all heard the list. There's physical wellness, emotional, social, mental, spiritual, intellectual, and the list goes on and on.

While it would be nice to be able to focus on one, master it, then move onto the next, it doesn't quite work that way. All the components of wellness interact with one another. You can't focus on bettering just one element without it impacting another. Thus, it is best to steadily lift all elements in unison. To pull the rope gently so that the hoop remains stable and the bubble intact until eventually you're living your glorious bubble dream.

But how in the world are we supposed to know where to start?

I recommend keeping this is as simple as possible. Think about your life. Is there something you can change that will have a strong positive impact? For me, I'm starting with the importance of a daily workout. I've noticed that if my physical wellness is lacking, other aspects of my life also suffer. When I feel unhealthy, I don't have the same confidence in myself. My social, mental, and spiritual wellness suffers as well.

I've said before that this is a journey and that makes me feel good. Journeys don't happen overnight, they can take a lifetime. And I think I'll need a lifetime because this is going to be one giant bubble.

Is there an area of wellness that seems to be key in your life? What small changes have you or can you make in order to start seeing improvements?