The Path to Wellbeing

I had a private client yesterday who was referred to me by her general practitioner for treatment of depression. She was a beautiful young woman but her grey eyes had lost their sparkle. She had a numbness about her... a dullness that made me feel sad for her.

 

She said she'd had a miscarriage a few years ago, and since then she tried everything in her power to 'fix' her body. She didn't eat anything sweet or yummy; she exhausted herself with a punishing exercise regime. She gave up on the one cup of coffee she used to enjoy every morning in her sunny little garden, and wouldn't touch a drop of the red wine she used to love. She was determined to live a healthy lifestyle, to do everything 'right' in the hope of carrying a baby to full term if she ever fell pregnant again.

 

As I sat there listening to her, I was aware that her intentions were noble. Her willpower, driven by the need to hold a baby of her own in her arms, was made of steel.

 

But in the process, she lost her joy. And it occurred to me there and then that the path to wellbeing can NEVER be through deprivation.

 

There's a lovely flow that happens when you allow pleasure into your life. When you relax into what brings you joy.

 

You can eat nutritious wholefoods (and you should!) in a way that lights your taste buds on fire and indulges all your senses.

 

You can move your body in ways that enhance your wildness, your freedom, your ecstasy.

 

The path to wellbeing is through JOY.

 

And that is what being a woman is all about. Finding joy through your body. Finding joy being IN your body.

 

Let's make it so!