Finding Joy in the Journey: How I’m Learning to Love My Wellness Walk (Even When It’s Hard)
You know that feeling when you just can’t? Like life has sucker-punched you so hard, you’re left sitting on the kitchen floor, holding a bag of chips or pint of ice cream, wondering, “What even is wellness right now?”
Yeah. Been there. Ate that.
I used to think wellness was a plan: a checklist, a routine, a perfect smoothie. But it turns out, wellness is a journey, and sometimes that journey looks less like a mountaintop and more like crawling your way through the valley with your celery stick (or icecream) in one hand and your faith in the other.
For me, the valley came when I had to face the hardest truth I’ve ever had to face — that it was God’s plan to take my dad home to heaven.
That day, I literally fell to the ground. Dread, sadness, pain… it felt like my whole body broke right along with my heart. Dinner didn’t matter. Water didn’t matter. Wellness? That was a language I couldn’t even speak. I was just surviving. Praying, “Lord, please, just help me breathe.”
So I stopped eating right. I stopped resting. I stopped caring. I skipped meals all day, then ate anything and everything at once to make up for it. I didn’t have energy for walks or workouts. My version of exercise was walking down the hospital hallway to sit beside my dad in his last days. And honestly? That was holy ground.
I had no choice but to put myself last.
But what I didn’t realize was how long I’d stay there.
After dad passed, Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before I knew it, I wasn’t just grieving my dad — I was losing myself.
The turning point didn’t come with a big epiphany. It came in tiny whispers. God didn’t shout at me to “get it together.” He just kept nudging me gently:
“Take 20 seconds. Take that walk, choose a better snack…Breathe, daughter. You’re still here.”
Little by little, I started choosing moments of love over habits of neglect. (And before you get any idea that I’ve “arrived”…I still battle this and still have to choose those moments every day)
I stopped demanding perfection and started remembering:
”I’m an imperfect, perfect creation — loved, chosen, and enough, even when I don’t have it all together.”
And the real game changer?
Mindset.
One day I was grumbling about having to go for a walk again (because let’s be honest, I don’t love exercise). And a dear friend said, “Girl, you don’t have to walk — you get to walk.”
That hit me and it has stuck with me EVERY TIME I walk out my door.
So now, when I walk, I don’t count steps. I count blessings. I notice the trees swaying, the birds singing, the sky preaching God’s faithfulness. Movement became less about losing weight and more about finding joy.
And let’s be real — it’s not always graceful.
Like the day my dog got the zoomies right after our walk. He took off like lightning, yanked the leash, and sent me into a full slow-motion fall — arms flailing, dignity gone, landing in the grass laughing so hard I could barely breathe.
Because of course the one time I decide to “do something good for myself,” I end up face-first in the lawn. 🤦♀️
But honestly? That laughter was healing. Because joy isn’t found in perfection — it’s found in presence. In falling down, getting back up, and laughing along the way.
These days, my wellness journey isn’t about a finish line — it’s about faithfulness.
I plan ahead now — not because I’m chasing control, but because I’m creating space for grace. I block out 15 minutes for a healthy snack, 20 minutes for a walk, and time to breathe with my dog (even if he’s plotting my next fall)
Every time doubt comes knocking, I return to this truth:
What rises from within me is enough — because my source is unshakable, and it will not fail.
That’s the heart of wellness for me now — not looking perfect on the outside, but being anchored in love on the inside. The amount of praying I do for God to just get me through this next moment is unREAL. But it helps.
Maybe your wellness journey feels like a mess right now. Maybe you’ve been surviving on caffeine and chaos, putting everyone else first. Maybe you’ve fallen (literally or figuratively), and you’re wondering if you’ll ever get back up.
Hear this, friend:
-You don’t need to do it all today.
-You don’t need to “fix” yourself.
-You just need one moment — one deep breath — one choice to love yourself a little more than you did yesterday.
Because you don’t have to do this — you get to.
And every small act of care is an act of worship, a whisper of gratitude to the God who made you.
So rise, Take that walk. Eat the apple. Laugh at the fall. Remember, you are enough.
For those who have made it this far…You should know I have yet to reach my goal weight, in fact I have only just started. I have a long way to go, but I’m going to try my hardest to keep this mindset.
If you’d like to start a wellness journey…Id love to help coach you through it. I have defeated MANY a wellness demon in my life, and love helping others reach those same goals. Feel free to schedule a free chat with me and we can go on this wellness journey together! Click link here to schedule: https://www.besimplybalanced.com/connect
