Wellness Isn't a Product

I’ve seen so much discourse online lately about de-influencing - and I have to say I’m a big fan. When it comes to wellness, I’d like to go a little deeper.

As someone who has built a career around providing wellness services & products to their community, allow me to be the first to tell you that wellness is not a product. Let me explain.

We all need continued support to achieve our health & wellness goals, including medicine, preventative care, and supportive tools & products. But none of us can #bestie #thatgirl #morningroutine ourselves into health. More specifically - if buying something is your only connection to your wellness journey, you will not be able to tap into the process required for true healing. Thinking that you can buy your way into health is, unfortunately, a manipulative strategy set forth by capitalistic thinking that keeps us disconnected from ourselves and our needs. I’m not saying that everyone recommending products based on what works for them is malicious, but I am pointing to the culture at large which has us all too willing to add anything to our carts. So what can we do instead?

One of the most important shifts we need to make when it comes to wellness is the same shift we need to make in our day-to-day consumption. Asking ourselves, “do I need this?” “why do I want this?” “is this actually going to achieve the goal I have for myself?” is a great place to start. When looking specifically to de-influence wellness, some more specific questions may look like,

“Am I the right candidate for this product?”

“Why do I think this person and I are similar in needs and background?”

“Do I have something comparable that I’m not utilizing?”

“What in my existing toolkit would help me achieve the same goal?”

While there are amazing tools, products, and services available in the wellness space, it’s important to remember that many of our most important tools already exist within us. Recognizing destructive thoughts and behaviors, developing self compassion, and finding ways to regulate our nervous systems are all free.

So no, wellness isn’t a product. And your path to wellness may not involve any products at all.