The benefits of practicing self-care aren’t limited to medical professionals, of course. Everyone should include at least basic self-care in their daily routine
Dr. Katie To
The wellness industry is big. So big that it’s responsible for some 5.3% of the world’s economic output. With mental wellness, wellness tourism, and the physical activity markets accounted for, a study by the Global Wellness Institute found that the wellness market of the world is $4.5 trillion. And as people continue to become more invested in their health, it’s only going to grow. According to a report by the International Food Information Council, in the United States alone, 54% of all consumers admitted that the healthfulness of their choices was of bigger concern in 2020 than in 2010. This trend doesn’t have to end anytime soon.
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As one of the foremost practitioners of wellness dentistry in the United States, Dr. Katie To is at the forefront of wellness education and advocacy. Here, she shares five of the things she thinks are most consequential to people’s wellness.
Admitting the Need for Help
The first step toward solving any problem, or fulfilling any need, is recognizing that it’s there. Some people might have a hard time recognizing signs of a wellness crisis before it gets bad, so working on one's self-awareness and emotional intelligence is key. That’s just the beginning, though.
“A lot of people are afraid to get help because they feel like that means admitting to failure,” explains Dr. Katie To. “And it’s not. The practical reason for admitting that you need help is that you can then get it and get better faster.” Taking that first step on the road to wellbeing is crucial.
Finding the Time for Wellness
Today’s society has a complex relationship with being busy. People seem to be wearing it like a badge of honor, like it’s a point of pride to have barely enough time to eat mindfully or get enough sleep, let alone to invest in advanced wellbeing.
Wellness is one of those things that fit into the schedule no matter how busy it gets. “My favorite piece of advice is this: If you don’t make time for wellness,” says Dr. Katie To, “you’ll be forced to make time for illness.”
Practicing Self-Care
A lack of self-care is something Dr. Katie To sees as endemic to the healthcare industry, and there’s plenty of undesirable effects. “When we don’t have enough self-care,” she explains, “we run out of love and care for others — and that’s our patients.”
The benefits of practicing self-care aren’t limited to medical professionals, of course. Everyone should include at least basic self-care in their daily routine.
Soothing the Emotional and Spiritual, Too
As a practitioner who uses a holistic approach to people’s health and wellness, Dr. Katie To would advise her patients to adopt a more inclusive approach to their bodies. “There are three bodies people need to take care of,” Dr. Katie To says. “The physical, the emotional, and the spiritual body.”
Finding the balance between the three is the key to well-being. Healing spiritually and emotionally is just as important as healing physically.
Staying Curious
The final wellness secret people should take into 2022 and beyond is to stay curious. Listening to signs from one’s mind and body and deciding to explore them and find out what they mean is a basis for a solid relationship with one’s well-being.
“My mentor taught me that I should never stop learning,” finishes Dr. Katie To. “It’s the spirit of curiosity, of conquering what we don’t know that keeps us vital and strong.”
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