Your Wellness is an Investment, Not a Cost

Money is a funny thing. Most of us carry a set of our own ideals surrounding money, particularly how it should be spent, or perhaps saved, and a lot of times, these ideas are a bi-product of how we were raised. If you really want to spice things up, get married and then try to mold your own set of financial ideas to mesh with your partner's and see how that goes. LOL. Seriously, though, I'm no different. I possess my own ideas about money (which I brought into our marriage) and I wanted to share a bit about how those ideas have evolved over the past 5 or so years.

For most of my adult life, I viewed just about everything pertaining to my health as a cost. "How much does it COST for a membership at that gym?" "How much does it cost to get my hair done?" "How much does it COST to 'eat clean'?" "You use that skincare line? I can't afford that! I don't care how 'clean ' it is! Only drug store products for me!" "A therapist? Sure, I could use one, but how much?"

This rationale simply kept me from being my healthiest self for a long time. Not to take away from the globo gyms, but I simply was not being pushed in the way that I now am, after finally taking the plunge to invest in a CrossFit membership. My membership dues over the years have paid off in dividends, in not only improved fitness and overall health, but also in the form of mental health and socialization. Similarly, my skin looks better than it has in years because I finally left behind the idea that clean beauty was out of my budget. I began a regimen with BeautyCounter 2 years ago and haven't looked back since. (If you're interested in what I use, check out www.beautycounter.com/emilyfain)

It's not lost on me that, to the average person, these things are expensive and even out of reach for many. But for a lot of us, even us teachers, there's simply a mindset shift that can lead us to becoming our healthiest self. Once I began to prioritize my own wellness, I moved closer to the healthiest version of me. I did not come into more money, nor did my spouse and I suddenly align every single one of our financial viewpoints. It was simply a shift in mindset.

When we view our health and wellness as an investment and not a cost, the game changes.