A reflection on whole health
by Andrea Wong
When I first started this column, it took me many days to decide on a name for it. I finally settled on ‘Beyond Rx’ because to me, health and wellness goes far beyond what a prescription can offer. There are so many components that make up health. Your mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing are just as important as your physical wellbeing. One of my friends, Christine Sarbu, shares the same belief and it is with great excitement that I have asked her to guest write this week’s topic on the idea of ‘whole health’ and self care. Christine Sarbu is a social worker and is currently student support counsellor for adult learners at Kenjgewin Teg in M’Chigeeng.
“I have experienced each, receiving and providing therapeutic counselling. While I myself was in the hands of a therapist who showed me such intense compassion that it created a safe space for my vulnerability to be activated; it allowed all that murky stored up trauma energy to begin its ascent out of my unconsciousness. I believe that the stored up stagnant energy related to each traumatic experience endured, which goes unexamined and unexpressed, can be the cause of mental health issues for that person. Of course there are also genetic factors, effects of intergenerational trauma and chemical imbalances at play for many. However, even in those cases, having personal experiences and stories heard and honoured in a compassionate way is a critical component to establishing mental health and whole wellness.
Healing is not a linear process. Sometimes it feels like we are taking steps backwards into the darkness as we are attempting to make our way out of the depths of despair. Up and down like a roller coaster. However, I feel that serendipity is always at play in the background of our life’s circumstances. It is forever fascinating how each time I open up a little further to a source of support or take a loving measure towards myself while on my wellness journey, all of the resources I need to continue on that healing path collect themselves around me; to be within reach in order to facilitate that next step or learn the next lesson. The universe truly does have our back when we are living and making choices out of pure intentions for our whole health.
I recently took a photograph of some bright green buds near the base of my uncle’s commemorative tree that were piercing up through the cement. I felt so inspired by that image; resilience born out of resistance! Life knows no bounds when it is determined to thrive I thought. And in so many ways I witness around me I can see how this natural philosophy of life applies to us humans too.
Supporting the cultivation of a mindset of triumphal resilience born out of oppression and trauma is something that we can do for our own selves as well as we practice gratitude for what is going well in our lives and exercise compassion towards ourselves exactly as we currently are, through our own self-talk and actions. My most important learning is that self-care is the absolute key to longevity as a human being. My personal definition of self-care is: loving myself in action. This can occur in intangible ways as well, like deciding to draw boundaries, embracing our tears, taking time to reflect, learning who we are, figuring out what we want out of life and speaking kindly to ourselves are some examples.”
