Dearest Gentle Reader… Oh, sorry! I thought this was an episode of Bridgerton for a second. My bad! Anyway, it’s your friendly, neighbourhood Daniel here to brighten your day with more musings on life and wellness.
Lately I’ve been reflecting on how the heck I got into this world of wellness. People often assume that since I run a supercool, state-of-the-art wellness studio that I’ve always been into this stuff. And the truth is generally a bit shocking for people – I didn’t really start learning about health optimization and wellness technology until right before we began building Vortex. Weird, right? I certainly didn’t see it coming, but I’m glad to be here!
Today I want to chat about this exact thing – the experience of discovery on our journey through the wonderful world of wellness. Follow the yellow brick road with me…
wellness out of the blue
While I was always really passionate about personal development, that would usually involve a focus on mindset and manifestation and spiritual growth. It wasn’t until we started creating this self care haven that I recognized the power of affecting the mind and body using technology. As it turned out, there were (and are) a lot of ways to take personal development beyond the world of self help, and into another level of the mind and body.
Living in California for 4 years opened us to a progressive wellness culture that is heavily immersed in the optimization/longevity space. I didn’t really “get it” at first, but it certainly caught my attention. While doing research and development for Vortex we began to stumble across a lot of cool wellness tech – some we’d heard of and some we hadn’t. Our quest was to curate a studio that would have something for everyone, and thankfully to the amount of wellness solutions available, we were able to deliver.
That’s what I think is so great about the direction of wellness these days, there’s a lot to get excited about – all you have to do is look around, pay attention, and see what lights you up.
the curiosity catalyst
The easiest way to expand your health and wellness horizons is to get curious. If something is intriguing, dive in! Whether you get served a suggestion from a social media algorithm, or you stumble across a book that piques your interest, remember there’s no harm in dipping your toe into the water before you jump in all the way.
When it comes to health and wellness, I think a lot of what stifles people’s curiosity is that when someone or something is reported to provide great benefits we tend to err on the side of caution and assume it must be a nonsensical, capitalistic con job.
We don’t want to fall for a “snake oil salesman” who promises miracles. Now, obviously there are shady and misleading products, technologies, pills, and people, but as The Osmonds sang, “don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch, girl”.
As a Self Care Professional (a title I totally made up) I don’t think there’s anything wrong with jumping down a rabbit hole or two, as long as you use your discernment and trust your mind and gut.
The alternative is to build a cynical forcefield around ourselves, ignore the amazing advancements in the world, and miss out on all the well-intentioned, effective options that exist to help us. Why would we inhibit ourselves from experiencing something that could be beneficial to our lives? Point is, don’t knock it til you try it!
never too late to learn
No joke, when we first opened the studio I was so so so worried that I wouldn’t understand or be able to communicate all the information and science behind our sessions. With 8 different sessions, it started out feeling positively overwhelming. Infrared what? Neuroacoustic who? Pulsed electromagnetic huh??
Of course I’m now happily at the point where I’ve got it figured out thanks to experience and continuing education – and I still learn a little bit more every day! I’ve also realized you don’t have to know it all. Sure, it’s great to have an understanding, but you really don’t need to know how or why something works in order for it to work! If it makes you feel good, who gives a $#!%, right?
The important thing is we don’t discount our ability to learn and discover new things… even if the topic of health and wellness is not your forté. As a quick reminder: I have always been an artsy fartsy creative guy and now I’m all that and the CEO of a futuristic wellness studio.
Don’t put a cap on your interests, and don’t underestimate what you’re capable of learning!
don’t be a know-it-all
You know those people who watch a documentary and then start preaching everything they’ve learned with a high level of instant expertise? Yea, I’ve been that a$$hole a few times in my life. Here’s a hot tip: don’t do that.
It’s true that we learn best by teaching, so there’s nothing wrong with passing on the info you’re learning to interested parties, but be careful not to get too preachy; simply share from a place of excitement instead of expertise. If I’ve learned anything from exploring the world of health and wellness, you don’t need to shove $#!% down people’s throats – if they want to know, they’ll ask. Lead by example and then you can be your very own case study.
Also, there will always be people who love to take opposition to something that actually works. We live in a world where people like to tear things down if they think it’s too good to be true.
For example, I’ve come across articles and comment sections where people refute the validity of NuCalm and the claims that it provides science-back assistance with sleep, stress, focus and performance… the problem is – these trolls have never even used it! They read about it, decided it must be bull$#!% and then take to an online forum to “raise awareness” and tell people not to try something they’ve never tried. It used to bug me, but at this point I’ve facilitated hundreds of NuCalm sessions and done hundreds of sessions myself – I know it works, because I actually use it.
So whether it’s your Aunt Sally or @User1953758 forget about the snarky attitudes of the wellness trolls and if you find something that works for you, do it.
feeling good with fads and phases
With an endless barrage of new tips, technologies and trends in the health and wellness world – it can feel a tad overwhelming. Eat this, not that. Sleep like this, not like that. Poop like this, not like that.
I think it’s pretty simple – if something creates a spark in you, go for it! Give it a shot and pay attention to how you feel along the way.
Some fads are great! Take cold plunging for example – it’s probably the biggest fad in the wellness world right now. Why? Because it has a host of benefits, it’s quick, it’s extreme, it’s accessible, and – let’s be honest – it’s highly Instagram-able and makes you feel cool (literally).
It’s a great feeling when you find something that works for you, whether it’s a specific exercise routine, smoothie recipe, meditation practice, supplement regimen – I could go on. Us humans are always looking to feel good and when we find something that works for us, we’re more likely to continue with it, even if it’s for a short while.
As a professional Dabbler™, I’m here to tell you there ain’t nothing wrong with trying things in little starts and spurts throughout your life. Just like friends, wellness solutions will come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
The benefits of trying new things is that you broaden the horizons of what works for you and what doesn’t. All of the sudden you’ve got a bigger wellness toolbox with a lot more tools in it!
And that’s why I love that people come to Vortex to try something new on their wellness journey. Whether they pop in for a powernap or they sign up for our Discovery Pass to try everything we’ve got, they come because they want to feel better and they’re curious. Then they feel amazing. Then their world opens to new possibilities.
… and the journey of wellness discovery continues!
