Inner Ecology Essentials

http://www.ecology.com/2012/01/12/wellness-zone/

Get Into The Wellness Zone

 

By Mikhaila Stettler, January 12, 2012

What’s your current health status; is it as good as it could be?  Are you living in the radiant vitality and healthy functioning of the Wellness Zone?

To answer these questions, first we have to define what we mean by health and disease. Health can be defined as a positive state of wellness, vitality and wellbeing. Health is not merely the absence of an official medical diagnosis of disease.

The Health-Disease Spectrum: Inner Ecology In Dynamic Balance

Like any other ecosystem, the inner ecology of your body exists in a state of dynamic balance that fluctuates and changes in a continuous process. At what point does a state of health become a state of disease? There’s no hard line dividing health from disease, but rather gradations of wellness and disease along a spectrum. Using this ecological model can help to clearly understand what will move us one way or another along the health spectrum into the Wellness Zone of vibrant health and vitality.
In the simplest terms, your place on the health-disease spectrum is determined by the dynamic interplay of just two factors: stressors and resiliency. What moves us up or down the spectrum is the amount and severity of stressors on our inner ecosystem relative to the strength of our innate vitality and resiliency. To get into the Wellness Zone’s high levels of well-being and functionality, remove or reduce stressors and restore or strengthen resiliency.
In this model, we don’t just strive to eradicate symptoms, but to acknowledge them as warning signs of ecosystem stress and imbalance. If symptoms, like pain and dysfunction, are the smoke alarm, don’t just turn the alarm off! Find the fire and deal with what’s causing it, change the conditions that feed it. No one would propose avoiding treatment for symptoms, but it’s not enough to get you into the Wellness Zone; that requires focused action to identify and then eliminate or reduce system stressors, while simultaneously building up your internal resiliency.

The Stress and Resiliency Factors

The two Stress and Resiliency Factor lists can serve as an intuitive and immediately practical guide to action. Consider which of the 6 Stress Factors and the 6 Resiliency Factors you could act on to move into the Wellness Zone.

How To Get Into The Wellness Zone

To get into the Wellness Zone of your personal ecosystem:

• Reduce or eliminate stressors to your system

• Build or strengthen your resiliency.

Study the 6 Stress Factors in the chart below. Any form of distress exerts a downward pressure on your inner ecosystem. Consider which ones are affecting you the most. Are you in pain from poor posture or chronic poor ergonomics, inflamed from allergenic exposures, hormone balance disrupted by environmental toxins or emotional stress? What can you do to minimize or eliminate the impact?
Next, consider how to build and strengthen your ecosystem resiliency. Since you can’t ever have too much vitality, the issue here is deficiencies, not getting enough of what your body needs. Assess the 6 Resiliency Factors and rate your status. Are you deficient in certain nutrients, adequate exercise, rest and fresh air? How are your fulfillment levels regarding work, relationships and social life?
No matter where you are, no matter what’s happened, you can always move toward the Wellness Zone. Since there’s really no final wellness destination, as long as you’re moving forward, taking steps, large or small, you’re on the right track. It’s the consistent daily activities that can make the biggest difference. Did you get outside today and move your body? Did you eat any fresh green veggies? How about your sugar consumption? Choose one simple action you can take today to move into the Wellness Zone.