How do you conceptualize wellness? Is it a purely physical construct for you, on a continuum with illness? Is it more about finding a stress-free comfort zone? Or a consistent yoga practice? Is it a home you’re building for your spirit?

Recently, I’ve begun imagining wellness as a flower, with each petal representing a different aspect of wellness.

When I first began teaching and coaching people on wellness, I used the concept of the Wellness Wheel, which is a circle divided into pie slices, with each slice symbolizing one facet of wellness. These are usually defined as physical, intellectual, social, emotional, environmental, financial and spiritual wellness.

The wheel suggests that we are starting from one point and traveling to another point. The emphasis is to GET SOMEWHERE and, until recently, so many of us were intent on getting somewhere in the quickest most efficient way possible. Get to school, get to work, get a promotion, get a bigger house, etc. This version of the world has dramatically changed for many, with the COVID19 pandemic sweeping through our world over the past months.

Now, instead of rushing from one place to the next, many of us are settled at home. We are concentrated on staying healthy, out of a concern for the well-being of ourselves and our at-risk loved ones. This virus has changed our lives, and changed how we interact with the world.

As I was drawing the Wellness Wheel on my blackboard recently to help me visualize what I was discussing with my clients, I realized the wheel didn’t sit well with me any longer. We are organic biological beings, not mechanical constructs, and our approach to wellness should reflect this.

Each aspect of wellness can be conceptualized as a petal on a wellness flower. With a wheel, each part must be equally proportioned for it to function properly, and wellness isn’t like this at all. Flower petals, on the other hand, don’t have to be exact replicas of each other for the flower to be beautiful and functional and perfect. In fact, when have you ever encountered a flower with perfectly proportioned petals, when you get up close and look carefully?

We can be well, and not be perfect across all aspects of wellness. All that is required is that we put some effort into each portion, and establish goals for each aspect to help us grow. We are not really trying to get from one place to another, and there is no finish line; instead, we are growing and learning and transforming, each in our unique and special ways.

So what are you waiting for? Start blooming!