Wellness For The Unwell: Manifesto

I have always been massively interested in the wellness industry. I remember spending my teenage years reading the (now defunct) Zest magazine like it was my bible. It was there that I found out about Cherry Good which is now my ultimate favourite juice drink! My problem was always that I felt that the most important message in these magazine was always thin is in. thin is in. TO BE HEALTHY YOU HAVE TO BE THIN.

As with anything that has gone mainstream, especially in the blog world I think that people are stressing themselves out trying to do EVERYTHING to make themselves subscribe to the wellness industry. While I was on holiday I read this fantastic book, The Wellness Syndrome, which talks about how it has seeped into every aspect of our lives. How people have become obsessed with tracking their bodies like machines. How we seem to wear stress and less sleep as badges of honour, when actually wellness is about nourishing your body.

And so this series was born.

As someone who works night shifts and lives with fibromyalgia, IBS, anxiety and depression my "wellness goals" may not be on the traditional spectrum. I understand that every single body is different and everyone's priorities are different. Throughout this series I am going to talk about things I have done for my personal wellness journey, but this is the promise I make to you all:

• I will never mention numbers such as weight or calories.

I don't think that they are beneficial to anyone. In case you missed on my instagram, back at the beginning of the year I threw away my scales and I haven't looked back! Yes I did slip up once and weigh myself on someone Else's scales, which annoyed me more than anything. Why did I feel the need to know that number? It is merely a number and doesn't define anything.

• I will try my up most not to use ableist language

I am only human, but I want you my readers to tell me if I do. Examples of this, I hate it when blogs and magazines tell readers to "just use the stairs, its that simple." when actually that's not practical for everyone. Sometimes when my Fibromyalgia is really bad walking up a flight of stairs would use my whole days energy and perhaps leave me bed bound the next day. I don't need to be made to feel guilty because of that.

• I will never advocate a one size fits all approach

I am not a doctor. I am not a dermatologist. I am not a therapist. I will never recommend anything for you personally. For example, I take anti depressants. I know they are not for everyone but I took a sharp decline in my mental health when I stopped. Although I am going to be exploring mindfulness, meditation, sleep therapies, vitamins, supplements etc I am going to be doing all these things alongside my medication. This doesn't make me weak, but it doesn't make medication the right solution for everyone

• I will never promote anything that I don't personally use.

This is a big thing in the blogging industry with sponsored posts etc. Yes I am going to be working with brands throughout this series but I will never promote anything that I don't personally use, find effective and think is worth the money.

So there you have it. I really hope you enjoy this series as its something I feel really passionate about writing!

Charlotte Lucy