Category: Spiritual

Einstein reputedly divided people in two groups, those who believe we live in a friendly universe, and those who don’t. Brilliant in its simplicity, it points out the fundamental basis of wellness psychology – that a well mind knows that we live in a friendly universe, brimming with opportunity and potential, awaiting our actions to trigger their manifestation. A well mind sees abundance, and realizes that there is enough so that each of us can have plenty.

A well mind is aware of and utilizes the law of attraction, and understands how consistency with nature and things natural makes sense and produces better overall results. Avoiding “lack thinking” and inappropriate, unnecessary pessimism conserves valuable energy and resources, to invest in productive and gainful behaviors.

So, wellness psychology helps you become rich, because a well mind is attractive, supple, creative, effective, capable, curious, motivated, and persistent. Remember that being rich is not only a matter of money, but a manifestation of inner wealth as well – rich relationships, rich appreciation for the splendor of natural living, and rich life experiences also respond to prosperity consciousness. Positive expectancy and positive, powerful action toward a worthy goal creates the best probability of success and fulfillment. (See The Dynamic Laws Of Prosperity by Catherine Ponder)

The big distinction about wellness psychology is that it is largely a manifestation of your identity, who you believe yourself to be. If you consider yourself a well person, it goes a long way toward producing well habits and a well mind. Your identity is your self image, your self concept, your beliefs and your values. Choosing beliefs and values that are consistent with well behaviors leads to a well mind.

For example, if you were told as a child that if you washed your hair and went outside with a wet head, you’d get sick, there’s a good chance you either don’t do that, or when you do, you either get sick or worry that you will. This belief, imposed on you by well-meaning but misguided advisors, has no grounding in fact, so merely noticing when you dredge up stuff like this and challenging it to see if it’s really true for you can eliminate interference to normal function caused by faulty thinking. You’ll actually heal better and faster when you catch yourself in these limiting beliefs and adjust them.

Your identity is based on your sense of self, which largely came from the beliefs of such well-intentioned people who shaped your early life – as Dr. Larry Markson says, your Mothers, Fathers, Teachers and Preachers, MFTP. Discovering the beliefs that prevent you from expressing yourself as you wish, and replacing them with beliefs that empower you and help you grow, lead to a well psychology.

Examine your values, what you consider to be important, and be sure they match your ideals. Honoring your innermost needs and wants instead of denying them creates an internal environment of self-acceptance, integrity and inner peace. Love, respect, honesty, freedom – everyone has a different formula, and investigating yours can help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.

Appreciating religious values and spiritual beliefs can help form a solid foundation of wellness in your life.

No discussion of wellness psychology would be complete without mentioning the impact of spirituality on wellness. Appreciating religious values and spiritual beliefs can help to form a solid foundation of wellness in your life. Learning to balance physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harmony is a theme found in many spiritual traditions and correlates with the goals of wellness psychology.