Wellness is everywhere these days. It’s the buzzword of the decade and honestly, it’s getting exhausting. As someone who works in the wellness field, I get asked all the time: What is wellness, really? How do I know if I’m doing the right things? When will I finally be “well enough”?

Somehow, wellness has become a moving target. One day, the trend is intermittent fasting and low carbs and the next, it’s protein-loading and ditching cardio for weights. It’s no wonder we’re confused. We’re told to avoid blue light before bed but also to get 10 minutes of natural sunlight before we even start our day. We’re drowning in advice, and the contradictions can really mess with your head. 

When it comes to wellness, we’ve officially lost the plot. 

The Wellness Trap

Wellness, at its core, is supposed to make us feel better. The promise is more energy, more peacefulness, more balance. But somewhere along the way, it has become just another source of stress. The endless lists of shoulds - eat this and not that, do this workout and not that one - can leave you feeling like you’re constantly falling short.

Take hydration, for example. I saw an Instagram reel where a guy (let’s call him Bob) drinks water straight from the tap (gasp!) and gets scolded about toxins. NextSo, he tries bottled water—but no, that’s full of microplastics. Glass bottles? Bad for the planet. Recycling? Just another environmental lie. In the end, Bob is told he needs to drink more water to avoid headaches, poor digestion, and bad sleep but he’is also warned to be careful because, you know, toxins. Bob gives up. Who wouldn’t?

All this pressure creates stress, which floods the body with the stress hormone cortisol, leaving you feeling tired, overwhelmed, and anything but well. And that’s the irony: The very thing we’re chasing to feel better is making us feel worse. 

So… what’s the fix?

Good Enough is Good Enough

There’s a saying that ‘perfection is the enemy of progress’. That’s why mental health professionals refer to a concept called Peace at 6, the spot where 6/10 feels good enough. The trap lies in believing we have to reach 10 in every aspect of our lives. No one has to walk around in the world with an ‘all or nothing’ attitude. It’s perfectly okay (and normal!) to get partway there.

It’s important to stop thinking of wellness as a destination and start viewing it as a process, broken into achievable chunks.  Life works on a spectrum. As it happens, there is no magical point where you’ll be ‘well enough’, so stop aiming for wellness perfection and do what you can to feel good in the moment. 

Let’s say you’re planning a 40-minute morning workout but hit the snooze button and slept an extra 10 minutes. Now, because you can’t ‘do it all’, you give up. So instead of shortening your workout, you skip exercise altogether.

No one excels at everything or crushes it every time. In some areas, we’ll always be mediocre at best, but it’s up to us to embrace our imperfections! As a cook, I usually create food that’s a 9 or 10, but with baking, I’m the queen of mishaps! Call me human (with the ability to laugh at myself). 

I’ve learned that wellness is about staying flexible and doing what makes me feel good - not following every new trend that comes along. Here’s what that looks like in my daily life:

• Eat what feels good – Certain foods leave me with digestive upset (nausea, poor sleep, just feeling off), so I take the cues from my body and avoid them.  My diet isn’t based on guilt or rules, just the desire to feel better. If I’m craving a creamy dessert that I know won’t love me back, I’ll order something else and hope my hubby will choose it. That way, I can enjoy just a couple of spoonfuls. 

• Shop and cook with ease – I try to buy local and eat whole foods when I can, but I’m not obsessive about it. If it’s a night of cobbling together a strange mix of leftovers or having breakfast for dinner, that’s totally fine. And if it’s a takeout night, no guilt there either. My goal is to feel good most of the time, not to chase some impossibly strict “clean eating”.

Move your body for your mind – Exercise, for me, is primarily about mental health and physical rehabilitation. My spin bike is my go-to, but whenever I can get outside into fresh air and nature, I do! I think of outdoor activity as a smart, enjoyable way to stack benefits: movement + fresh air + sunlight + nature = reset. Being active should be part of a healthy lifestyle.

• Find and do what you love – Finding activities that spark joy outside of food and fitness is part of balanced living. No more forcing myself to ‘enjoy’ cold plunges or following trends just for the sake of it. I’ve realized that I love doing creative, crafty things like crochet and lip balm making because it feels good to make something with my hands. Plus, there’s  something extra special about giving a gift that’s homemade.

• Make room for joy – Everyone enjoys different activities and any activity goes! For me, that might mean zoning out to some mindless TV after a long day or hitting a farmer’s market. Since I don’t drink, my version of relaxing looks a little different than some people’s, but for everyone, joy is found in doing whatever feels easy and good in the moment. Your moment.

• Listen to your body – If I’m tired, I rest. If I’m hungry, I eat. If something feels off, I adjust. I do follow nutritionist and wellness living but in the end, my body knows what it needs best! Oftentimes, I find wellness simply by tuning out the noise and tuning into myself. Sometimes that means doing yoga or meditation, sometimes it means taking a day off from work, sometimes it means putting on my headphones and going for a walk.
  

The bottom line is, you don’t have to overhaul your life to achieve a state of wellness. In fact, trying to do everything perfectly is probably standing in the way of feeling your best. Wellness is less about checking boxes and more about knowing which boxes matter to you. Take the advice that resonates, let go of what doesn’t, and trust that your instincts will guide you.