Page 26 - Bulletin Vol 28 No 2 - May - Aug. 2023 FINAL

Member Article | What is Wellness?

By Dr. Brett Kessler

What is wellness? I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I had the opportunity to share these thoughts with
some of my colleagues recently.

In the last few months, the dental community has lost friends and colleagues to addiction, physical and mental
health issues and suicide. The quantity and frequency seem to increase, and untimely passing often causes us to
pause and take stock of our own lives and community circles.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned over the years was magnified during the pandemic: Tomorrow is probable,
but it is NOT guaranteed. Therefore, we need to live our best lives today. We need to make time for our own health
(mental and physical), even when there doesn’t seem to be any time to spare. There’s a meme that pops up every
now and again that says this: “If you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll be forced to make time for your ill-
ness.”

I’m often asked about what I do to train for my endurance races. People see pictures of me on top of mountains or
at finish lines of races, and they assume that I am some super talented athlete. Frankly, I am very average. I don’t
win anything. I like to push myself to see what I am still capable of achieving—and I just try to get better every day.
The physical push of training and racing gives me so much more than good physical health. It is a time where I con-
stantly find inspiration and truths about myself that motivate me to live my best life.

All this said, wellness is so much more than physical health. I want to emphasize that I look at wellness from a holis-
tic perspective addressing these four categories. These are not my original ideas, but they are concepts that I active-
ly practice on a regular basis.

Physical Wellness – I try to move every day. Mix it up. I lift weights or do resistance training. I don’t go to
the gym often, so I do a lot of body weight exercises and stretching. As a triathlete, I swim, bike, run,
etc. It doesn’t have to be extreme, just move—every day! I am also mindful of what I put in my body for
food. I try to eat clean by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables and limiting processed foods. I am not
perfect with this and have a weakness for certain foods that aren’t so good for me (there are few Chica-
go-style hot dogs I’ve resisted). I just do my best to remember the cleaner the fuel, the better the en-
gine runs.
Mental Wellness – I take time each day to enlarge my mental game—to learn something new, read a book,
listen to a podcast, engage in stimulating conversations. I try to live in curiosity. I look for ways to grow
my professional skills so I can be a better dentist. I try to be open to widen my perspectives.
Emotional Wellness – I find ways to explore and experience my emotions to the fullest every day. I find
ways to express my joy, my sadness, my gratitude, etc. I try to be there to support people in my circle of
influence when they are struggling. IT’S OK TO NOT BE OK. We all are going through something and it’s
not ok to bury it or ignore it when you’re struggling. Be ok to ask for help from people you trust, or seek
professional help, mentorship, and coaching. It takes courage to ask for help, but it will pay off!
Spiritual – Find your purpose and do everything you can to actively live in your purpose. Then share your
purpose with the world in your own unique way. Spirituality can be religion or nature or mindfulness.
Basically, anything that gives you energy through action or intention (anything that grows your spirit). I
take time every day to pray, to reflect, to journal—all of these things help me gain clarity in my life.
Mindfulness practices have been much more impactful to my successes in life and have been invaluable
for me, especially when I am struggling.

I combine many of these practices. I will often listen to a podcast or audiobook when I am running or biking. They all
feed into each other. Please recognize that I am far from perfect in my practices. It is part of our humanness to be
imperfect. And one of the most important aspects of serenity is accepting our humanness. When I am intentionally
spending time in these four areas, I am truly living my best life that day.
26| Nassau County Dental Society ⬧ www.nassaudental.org