Good morning, and welcome to the new “What is…?” series on the Apportis blog! Every Monday, I’ll post a quick and easy to read informational article about an important topic in healthcare. Today’s topic is….(drumroll please)…wellness!

The Merriam-Webster definition of wellness is:

“The quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.”

Some synonyms are “sap,” “fitness,” and “heartiness.” Just for fun, the antonyms are “illness,” “sickness,” and “unsoundness.”

If wellness means actively seeking good health…what does that look like? What exactly is the difference between health and wellness, anyway?

The World Health Organization says that “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” while wellness is the “active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.”

In other words, wellness is the continual effort to try to be healthy. Since everyone is on different places in their wellness journey, here are a few things that you can do to put more focus on your own personal wellness:

1. For one day, log what you’re eating: are you eating enough whole foods? Do you eat a lot of salty food in the mid-afternoon? Take stock of what you’re putting in your body so you can figure out if you can make any adjustments (cut out pop, limit sugar) in order to care for your body a little more.
2. Incorporate thirty minutes of “you time” somewhere in your day. Whether that means bringing a book at lunch, or waking up early to do yoga, dedicating a part of your day to your own wellness will be sure to shape your day for the better.
3. Learn how to make your wellness a priority, even if that means canceling some plans.

TLDR; Wellness is the journey toward a healthy lifestyle. And just like all journeys, it happens one step at a time.