Introduction: World Wellness Day
World Wellness Day (GWD). GWD was founded by a woman in Turkey named Belgin Aksoy. Its goal is to promote a healthier and happier life. Ms. Aksoy is the creative director of the Richmond Nua Wellness Spa in Lake Sapanca, Turkey. For two years, this spa has hosted wellness day festivals from time to time. The GWD, which aims to become an annual event, is already supported by volunteers in at least 30 countries, supported by influential spa leadership groups such as the Global Spa and Wellness Summit (GSWS).
GWD will be held on Saturday, June 13.
The idea of linking a single day to the grand goal of a better life seems fatally optimistic and hopeless. Fortunately, GWD isn’t about dramatic conversions; rather, their intention is simply to encourage more people to take modest steps that provide good experiences, both physically and mentally.
GWD leaders and supporters have modest expectations. They don’t believe that celebrating a global wellness day will bring peace to the Middle East or harmony and understanding elsewhere, or abundant sympathy and trust, or other unexpected results of the Age of Aquarius. Nor will a world wellness day feed the hungry or inspire Vladimir Putin or other totalitarians to embrace yoga, meditation, healing arts, or other courtesies offered in tourist destinations around the world. GWD fans are not crazy.
Participants are optimistic, however, in other modest ways. The initial goal is simply to increase awareness of good health practices. Eventually, the goals could be expanded to shape public policies that support educational initiatives and environmental actions conducive to good living. The reality today, for many, is that the odds of wellness are high. GWD continues despite social, political and economic realities around the world that are anything but welfare-friendly.
A call for contributions from the German Welfare Association
Lutz Hertel is the President of the German Wellness Association and a recognized leader in the spa industry in Europe. He is a good friend and a strong advocate for REAL wellness. Lutz also serves as one of a dozen GWD ambassadors.
As a friend and supporter of the German Wellness Association, I received a request from Mr. Hertel to suggest seven steps that the Association could turn into steps for GWD promotions. Naturally, I took on the challenge and made sure that each of the steps would promote REAL wellness, not ersatz (eg risk reduction actions like quitting smoking).
In a message to Lutz, I noted that the initial seven steps identified by GWD leaders did not go to the heart of REAL wellness. They may be sensible enough for other breakthroughs (eg, environmental awareness, community building, energy conservation, etc.), but the seven steps did not address REAL wellness values.
These are the initial seven steps developed by GWD leaders and sent to representatives of the 30 nations for comment and expansion, if they wish.
- walk an hour
- drink more water
- Don’t use plastic bottles.
- Eat locally sourced organic produce.
- do a good deed
- eat a family dinner
- Go to bed at 10:00 PM
I suggested that the German Wellness Association lead the way in promoting REAL wellness, not the common health education bromides that were all too familiar but still ineffective (eg walk an hour a day).
So, to promote REAL wellness, I offered not one but two sets of seven steps: the first would be substantive but too long and complex for the likely expectations and desires of the people of GWD; the second would be short and sweet, but it would still involve seven REAL wellness steps.
Seven long steps and seven short steps for GWD
The long version of tips are comprehensive steps that address all four dimensions of REAL wellness. This means wellness steps that are positive (not problem-focused), life-enriching, and quality-enhancing for wellness breakthroughs. These steps go beyond a heightened awareness of living well; involve action steps.
- Consider the reliability, reasonableness, and respectability of decisions and beliefs based on reason, science, evidence, and empiricism in contrast to decisions and beliefs based on unsubstantiated claims, faith, superstition, and the supernatural, and resolve to learn and practice critical thinking skills.
- Resolve to live an exuberantly enriched life: Seek experiences that provide meaning and purpose and generate happiness, joy, love, gratitude, kindness, and peace at every opportunity, almost every day.
- Commit to fitness at every stage of life – find ways to exercise daily in ways that build and maintain your endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance.
- Choose foods that not only provide pleasure but also nourish and keep your body systems working optimally; Whenever possible, stick to whole, locally grown, unprocessed foods that are primarily, if not entirely, plant-based.
- Free yourself from customs, traditions, cultures, creeds, dogmas and other barriers to enjoy the freedoms necessary to live life the way you choose.
- Recognize that living well by the five steps above is something most people can’t handle, and probably you can’t handle either, unless you fully appreciate how formidable the barriers are to overcome, and therefore resolve firmly and plan to be an exception to the rule. rule, to defy the odds and succeed in achieving and maintaining a REAL level of existence enriched with wellness.
- Fill your days with WO, that is, wellness orgasms. These are small pleasures, delights and moments of exuberance.
These are, of course, longer than GWD leaders hope or invite, but the German Welfare Association, in the spirit of REAL wellness, must not restrict the enhanced hopes and aspirations of its members to the lowest denominators. In your contributions to GWD, you must set a higher standard, moving beyond mediocrity to excellence and truth (eg, see #6 above).
However, a simple version should also be offered, perhaps a starter set that is short and nice. Here, then, are the entry-level steps in the German Welfare Association’s edition of what might be called The REAL 7-Step Wellness Manifesto for World Wellness Day. Those who like the steps of the entry level can, for a fuller understanding of what each one entails, move on to the next level. That would be the first list, the most detailed and challenging steps provided for those who want to go beyond the preliminary prerequisite steps.
- Favor reason over superstition, science over faith.
- Choose Happiness at Every Chance – Collect every jewel of joy you can find on your way.
- Exercise every day, without excuses.
- Choose a plant-based, whole-food diet whenever possible.
- Think about what it means to be free and choose freedom.
- Know that living well is not easy; if it was, everyone would be doing it.
- As far as we know, this is the only life you have: enjoy every moment, treasure every day.
A reevaluation and return to the drawing board
Lutz Hertel was in favor of both lists, but pointed out that the GWD manifesto should be designed as an action plan for a single day, namely June 13. Therefore, the lists that I offered had to be converted into concrete and practical actions. As Lutz said: This is the level of concreteness needed if the list of the German Welfare Association is to be adopted by laymen and total beginners.
So, a third new list was created for GWD, organized by dimensions of REAL wellness.
Steps for World Wellness Day
R-ratio
- On this special day, reduce your exposure to the media, particularly advertising and reporting on celebrities, sports, crime, and obituaries. With the time saved, Google the name of a respected expert known for promoting reason and science (eg, Rolf Dobelli No News) and enjoy reading at least one essay on critical thinking.
- Refrain from choosing any product today that is poorly packaged and collectively lowers the quality of the environment.
E – Exuberance
- Bring to mind a set of three different aspects of your life. Make a list of 3 achievements, 3 qualities you like about yourself, and 3 reasons why life is good.
- Now stand in front of a mirror, read your list out loud, and smile appreciatively for ten seconds.
- An additional thing to do today that will contribute to a feeling of exuberance: give another person, a friend or even a stranger, a pleasant surprise.
A – Athletics
- Move your body for an hour on this special day. Do it in a way that is both challenging and enjoyable.
- Prepare a hot plant-based meal with fresh ingredients and share it with someone.
L-Liberty
- Do something nice that you wouldn’t normally allow yourself to do, something that looks exciting and can be fun. Choose something that is legal and won’t cause problems or infringe on anyone else’s rights.
- As you complete each of these GWD challenge steps, smile and exclaim: I say ‘YES’ to REAL wellness!
Why wait for GWD? You can do any or all of these things today and other things like these simple steps every other day. Chances are, you have a lot more opportunities and options in this regard than most, so make the most of your chances to have a REAL wellness lifestyle every day, including June 13.