The first time I saw the concept of a “Wellness Week” was from the calendars of some of my clients’ calendars right after the pandemic ended. Most of them had been on endless calls, Zooms, and all-nighter stretches of work that they soon realized they needed an official break. If not from everything but at least from work.
I then wondered if this was a made-up term or a real thing. I did some digging to find out how this concept got started.
Fact #1: Wellness Week has been celebrated since 2011 to promote a positive vision of health and recognize the importance of health promotion for the well-being of individuals and communities.
Fact #2: National Wellness Week is September 11–17. Celebrated annually during the third week of September, National Wellness Week is part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Recovery Month. It was launched to inspire individuals and communities to incorporate the eight dimensions of wellness into their lives—emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental.
Fact #3: The Wellness Week initiative aims to promote mental health awareness and well-being in schools and communities around the world starting at the local level by young adults seeking to make a difference.
There were many more fast facts about the concept and more versions of the idea based on the agency or organization, but one thing they all had in common was to ensure the wellness of lives. We are now a few years out of the pandemic and this past summer I took a Wellness Week to Barcelona for the first time. Yes, I had never been to Barcelona but most importantly this was my first time totally disconnecting from work. I spent 10 days in Barcelona sleeping late, shopping, walking on the beach, hanging out at night, eating great food, and visiting Sitges and Mallorca. This was one of my best vacations!
Now we are heading into the holiday season after a long 10 months of 2024, and many of us are mentally and physically worn out. I have noticed once again that many of my clients are not just taking off Thanksgiving and the day after, they are taking off the whole week of Thanksgiving and doing the same for Christmas and not returning until January 6, 2025. I am extremely happy to see that people are starting to put their mental health first and I am doing the same!
What I know for sure is that work will always be there. If I am not mentally and physically healthy, I cannot be there for myself and certainly not for others. I often tell people, “If you die today or tomorrow, your employer may cry, send flowers, and then do a job posting for your position.” Trust me, I’ve seen it happen, and I am usually the one selecting the flowers.
You can call it whatever you want —Wellness Week, self-care, self- nurturing, or personal upkeep but just please make sure you do whatever you need to do to preserve or improve your health. Your mind, body, and loved ones will appreciate it.
