you are what you eat: but also, so much more
wellness is shaped by far more than what you eat or how you move: it’s influenced by your relationships, your self-talk, your habits, your purpose and the inner world you’re quietly cultivating every day!! the older i get, the more i realise that everything really is that deep: what we consume emotionally, mentally, and spiritually compounds 🤍
how my view has evolved
(wellness extends into subtle places!)
when i first started thinking about wellness, i interpreted it a little more literally. what am i eating? how often am i moving my body? am i getting enough protein, enough steps, enough sleep?
and to be clear: those things matter. food is information. movement is medicine. those were my first real entry points into caring for myself in a deliberate way! yet, over time, i've realised that wellness doesn’t stop at what’s on your plate or how often you train. it extends into much subtler places - the ones that shape your inner world.
you are what you eat… but you’re also what you consume emotionally, mentally, spiritually, relationally!
the unseen inputs that shape us
(it IS that deep - everything leaves behind traces of itself!)
i came across this quote a while ago, and it’s stayed with me ever since: “the older i get, the more i realise that everything really is that deep. the people you confide in, trust, date, become friends with. where you work. the opportunities you take. what you watch, what you eat, what you consume - it’s all very deep, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.” ~ @third_eye_thirst
when you zoom out, so much of how we feel day-to-day reflects:
- the people you lean on
- the conversations you keep circling back to
- the media you scroll through when you want to switch off your brain
- the music you play when you’re alone in the car
- the way you speak to yourself when no one’s listening
none of these are neutral. they leave a residue.
wellness isn’t just discipline - it’s also discernment
(discernment is truly my favorite word right now - but it's such a life skill!)
for me, the real shift came when i started thinking about wellness as discernment.
discernment around who i share my energy with. discernment around what i let play in the background. discernment around how much urgency i allow into my nervous system. discernment around when to push - and when to soften.
this concept can sound a bit cold or calculative at first. in practice: it’s the opposite. it makes space for more joy, more clarity, more alignment. it allows your inner world to feel congruent with your outer life: so that the company you keep, the work you do, the music you play and the ambitions you chase actually reflect you (and your deepest truths)!
tending to your inner environment
(your inner world is a sacred environment, to be nourished and protected!)
your inner world is a vibrant, rich, luscious ecosystem, shaped by so many different inputs:
- the tone of your self-talk affects your stress response
- your relationships influence your sense of safety
- your physical space can either calm or clutter your mind
- your sense of purpose can energise you - or drain you
real wellness might be less about endlessly adding more “good habits”… and more about decisively and intentionally curating what i allow in. what do i want to feel more of? what consistently pulls me out of alignment? what nourishes me in ways that i can’t necessarily quantify?
slowing down to notice
(i've found it so difficult to gauge some of these things because of the hustle and bustle of life!)
this kind of awareness requires slowness. reflection. honesty. it asks you to pause and notice things we’re often too busy to sit with:
- how you start your mornings
- how you wind down at night
- whether you rest with guilt or permission
- whether joy feels rushed or spacious and rich
- whether your life feels aligned - or just busy but empty
that noticing isn’t always comfortable but it’s deeply clarifying… and necessary!
a fuller definition of health
(the dream frrrr!!!)
to me, wellness now looks like this:
- a regulated nervous system
- a body that feels capable and respected
- relationships that feel safe and expansive
- habits that support rather than deplete me
- faith: in myself, in timing, in something bigger
food matters. movement matters. absolutely! but so does the joy you give yourself permission to feel. the gratitude you practice. the trust you build with yourself over time. those things count too!
they’re not something you perfect: they’re something you tend to, slowly and intentionally. they’re something you... build with habit 🤍
~
if you liked this post and want to read more about the magical world of inner world and discernment, then please check out these other blogs i’ve written!