How to Incorporate Sustainable Wellness into Your Daily Routine

With World Mental Health Day passing us by, the question of wellness is at the forefront of our minds. There are several sustainable self-care and wellness ideas being shared around.

Exercising and yoga on cork mats. Taking regular walks. A break from our phones.

Essentially, the importance of wellness is not disregarded.

We know too, that realistic and consistent sustainable living is the need of the hour. From rising temperatures to wildfires, every new calamity just drives home the need for a more eco-conscious lifestyle.

But the problem ain’t the fact that we don’t have sustainable wellness options.

No, the thorn in our sides is how do we incorporate sustainable wellness into our daily routines?

Especially when starting any form of wellness seems like a Sisyphean task.

Now, I am just a girl doing the best she can. Not a professional fitness instructor or therapist, here. Yet, this is what I tend to do when trying to make sustainable wellness a part of my life-

1.      Recognise that sustainable wellness is just everyday wellness.

Many will say that sustainable wellness is more mindful than regular wellness. I respectfully disagree.

 Yes, sometimes it requires more research to ensure that you are buying from green and ethical brands. After all, you don’t want a yoga mat filled with endocrine disruptors.  But in today’s age of information, with fairly sustainable e-commerce stores like our Our Better Planet, such problems have reduced. Look up the brands you are buying on Zoobop or Good on You. Then you will know how green it is. Plus, most wellness techniques don’t actually require a lot of materials. Walking, for example, needs no equipment beyond the shoes you already likely own.

2.      I reach for expert opinions and base my routine around wellness

For holistic wellness, I focus on everything from my skin to my diet, without focusing excessively on the idea of wellness. From following a nutritionist’s advice as far as possible to meet my nutrient requirements on a quasi-vegan diet to getting a skincare routine from a dermatologist, I always take medical advice. The best part of my wellness routine though is regular therapy.  Dr. Ranjan Ghosh has called therapy “the exercise of the mind” and I stand by that. Taking time to talk to people is another thing I look forward to. This sense of community also helps to beat eco-anxiety.

Doing these things on a regular basis, makes them seem like an everyday part of my life, instead of habits I have to build. Meetings taken while walking make sure that I take the walk. Almost exclusively buying sustainable or eco-friendly paperbacks such as upcycled and FSC-certified books, ensures my eyes are away from screen. And when they can’t, I keep my blue light filters and glasses handy. Psst…do we know any companies that make spectacle frames from recycled materials?

But above all else, I give myself the space to be imperfect. In both wellness and sustainability.

3.      Give yourself space to make mistakes and try alternatives

Whether it is reaching for a face-wash that is wonderful for skin but packaged in plastic or asking my doctor for a possible vegetarian supplement, allowing myself to be imperfect and ask for alternatives has helped me be sustainable and healthy.

I do what’s best for my body and life and advocate for the rest.

After all, as Shelby Orme says, we cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good we can do. Thus, my skincare routine is realistically imperfectly sustainable, because I need convenience. My advocacy includes messaging brands with ideas to make their packaging greener and convenient for when I have to choose brands that aren’t Earth-friendly.

Standing up for your values can be tough. As can be allowing yourself the space to be imperfect. But these ideas when applied healthily are a huge part of wellness for me.

4.      Foster a sense of community

While spending time alone is important, as a freelancer most of my work is done behind a screen in solitude. Once in a while, I reach out to Subject Matter Experts. To ensure I am not isolated, I make other tasks, from exercise to eating, a social activity. I go shopping for veggies with my partner, dance on call with my best friend, and share insights about the books I am reading with my school friends’ group. This also allows me to stay on track with my wellness goals as refusing would mean losing valuable time with those I love. Got this strategy from the book Influence is Your Superpower and by God, it works.

5.      I try to support small ethical businesses and sustainable practises in all my wellness purchases

Shopping can be a part of your wellness routine when done mindfully. After all, ensuring you are presentable, feeling good about yourself, and using the right skin-care is self-care. To ensure this is done sustainably, I do my best to buy local and seasonal products. Or I go to sustainable e-commerce stores like our store Our Better Planet. This ensures that when I do shop for wellness, I support the planet.

Incorporating sustainable wellness into your routine means shifting what you already do to more ethical, eco-friendly, and healthy alternatives. It can be replacing store-bought Coca-Cola, the world’s worst plastic polluter, with cola made at home such as the one made by Neha Deepak Shah. Or you can take meetings on the phone while walking in your room. Regardless, it all starts with a small step.