Wellness

Wellness, or well being, is not the same as good physiological or psychological health. Wellness is a state of the mind which exists even in diseased states of the organic body. Wellness can be a benefit of humanist practice. 

The anxiety and pain of illness is amplified by the fear of death or disability. Wellness is a state in which the fear of death is eliminated by an acceptance of the the human mortal condition. Wellness is facilitated by an understanding that all things, including pain and disease, are transitory. Understanding that pain and fear are simply natural irrational reflexes in response to injury facilitates acceptance of these experiences for what they are without magnifying their impact on living. 

Wellness is a state of balance in the face of the inevitable trauma of life. A daily practice of proper diet, exercise and meditation support wellness. For some, psychotherapy facilitates wellness. Learning about disease and death from the sick and dying is a path to developing wellness while healthy. Those who develop the balance of wellness in their lives live in greater joy and peace, despite the trials along life's path.