What is Wellbeing?

This blog post is purely my own current opinions and beliefs based on my life experience and healing journey. I hope it resonates with you. If not, I hope it at least challenges you to become curious and ask deeper or different questions.

The Misuse Of The Word “Wellbeing”

The term “wellbeing” has become almost meaningless due to its vastness and complexity. Even more concerning is how it's now ironically and sadly used by those within a “profit over people” industry—particularly large tech companies who charge extortionate prices to customers while paying a pittance to the therapists and coaches delivering the sessions.

What Wellbeing Is NOT

• Holistic wellbeing is not about excessive power or material wealth, as often depicted in social media and advertising.

• It is not a single process or static goal.

• There is no one-off “silver bullet”—no perfect diet, medication, expensive machine, book, guru, or hidden doorway that leads to holistic wellbeing.

  
  

Wellbeing is not about being happy or positive all the time. It’s about appreciating and expressing the full array of emotions—with compassion and responsibility to the present moment. This awareness helps prevent us from being triggered into historically programmed egoic reactions that perpetuate fear, trauma, or dis-ease.

If you’ve ever experienced deep depression, you’ll know what emotional numbness feels like—when you’re not able to laugh or cry.

The Disconnection In Modern Societies

In many developed countries, we seem to have forgotten the essential foundation of survival as outlined in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We've inverted the pyramid—prioritising self-esteem and self-actualisation over basic physiological needs like clean water, organic food, air, clothing, and shelter.

We exploit and pollute our natural resources in a desperate attempt to fill the gaping hole of disconnection and discontent we feel toward ourselves, each other, and nature.

Born from political, religious and social propaganda that encourages this separation and disempowerment. By making people give up their personal sovereignty, self-empowerment and direct association with the Divine to follow or obey someone else without question.

So What Is Wellbeing? A Deeper Definition Of Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a level of awareness, perspective, understanding, and trust—of who you truly are and your place in the symphony of life. To wake up each morning with enthusiasm, we need a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose.

Whether you place your trust in science or a spiritual/religious belief system, that foundation shapes your thoughts, actions, and wellbeing. It doesn’t matter what or who you believe in, as long as it inspires you to act with honesty, kindness, and harmony toward all life.

The Energetics Of Life

Both science and spirituality teach us that the essence of all life is energy. From the microscopic to the macroscopic, everything is interconnected—manifesting in spirals, vibrations, and patterns of opposites.

In simpler terms:

• What goes around, comes around.

• What goes up must come down—and what goes down, rises again, albeit differently.

• What happens to one affects the whole.

Energy is everywhere and cannot be destroyed—it merely transforms, whether as light, sound, heat, motion, electricity, or emotion (energy in motion).

Wellbeing is a dynamic state of mind and a perspective—an inner and outer dance of managing and balancing opposing energetic forces. While we are autonomously lived, we also have the free will to choose how we live and die. Choosing wellbeing means choosing to live in harmony, balance, and integrity—aligning thoughts, words, and actions to create the momentum of wellbeing.

Embracing Change

Change is the only constant. Nothing lasts forever—not even planets. Everything is either growing or decaying. Yet, many fear change, and that resistance often causes our stress and dis-ease.

We frequently assume that what’s around the corner will be worse (or better) than what we have now. This perpetual anticipation stops us from truly living in the now. It erodes the foundation of our health and future.

We must learn to use the winds of change to sail in our chosen direction—and be open to letting that direction shift. It’s not what happens to us, but how we interpret it through the lens of our beliefs and identity that determines our wellbeing.

Wellbeing As Practice And Responsibility

For me, wellbeing is the consistent practice of nourishing, resting, balancing, and harmonising the mind, body, and soul. It’s understanding that our thoughts and emotions directly affect our physical health—and vice versa.

Holistic wellbeing also means having faith in the interdependence of all life. When well managed, life can be harmonious, balanced, and abundant. But fear, panic, greed, and disconnection can throw everything off balance.

What we do to others, we ultimately do to ourselves. We cannot continue to treat life as separate, compartmentalised boxes—ignoring the interconnected whole.

Radical Honesty, Compassionate Responsibility

True wellbeing requires radical honesty, compassionate responsibility, and integrity—not just toward others, but toward ourselves.

This means being present with what is—no denial, no numbing, no avoidance. It means noticing when our thoughts, words, and actions are misaligned. Yes, moments of pleasure and fun are essential—but alignment brings an unparalleled sense of flow and harmony.

Radical honesty is one of the most powerful wellbeing forces. The more honestly we express ourselves, the more deeply we are known, trusted, and understood—and the more we receive what we truly want.

If we fail to take responsibility for even the tiniest “white lies” we tell ourselves and others, we remain trapped in fear and trauma. Lies poison the body, confuse the mind, chain the heart, weigh down the soul, and destroy relationships—with others and with life itself.

Making Conscious Lifestyle Choices

If we want to live socially responsible lives, we must scrutinise all our lifestyle choices. When our habits become addictive or unbalanced, they can cause immense suffering—sometimes even death.

We must become more aware and discerning about why we do what we do. Are our actions short-term distractions from fear and pain? Or are they investments in long-term health and happiness for all?

The Dance Of Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a dance—a continuous practice of seeking balance, alignment, integration, and loving connection within life’s contrasting polarities.

It is a balance of the masculine (courage, effort, doing) with the feminine (surrender, ease, being). Together, they create the beautiful flow of harmony and wellbeing.

—Andrew Cuerden