As a wellness coach, one of the first tasks that I approach with a client is defining what wellness means to her. This is often something that she has never thought about before- most people know that they want to be happy, and happiness is most certainly a by-product of wellness.

Merriam Webster defines wellness as "the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal." Sounds simple enough. But what is "health"? As I dig deeper and deeper with a client, challenging her to consider these questions and what they mean for her particular life path, it becomes evident how daunting of a task this can be, but one that leads to clarity, awareness, and clear, well-defined goals that guide our coaching journey.

Ask yourself where you feel out of balance. By identifying these imbalances, you can identify ways to restore equilibrium to your life, contributing to wellness. For example, maybe you feel exhausted all of the time. Try saying that to yourself. "I am experiencing exhaustion right now." Don't attach the feeling to yourself, just identify it and identify your experience of it. Use "I am experiencing" rather than "I am". This allows you to choose a different experience.

Create a list of things that may be contributing to your exhaustion. At first, maybe nothing comes. That is okay. Continue to sit with the feeling and allow ideas to come to you. As you consider why you may be having this experience, you start to contemplate how you fuel your body. You oftentimes