Inspiring Wellness to Live Your Best Life

Wellness Inspiration to Live Your Best Life

Death and Cancer.

These two words often co-exist and can strike fear, anger and grief into the heart with one cruel blow.

And chances are, you have been affected by either one of these at least once in your life so far.

Last weekend Jess Ainscough, founder of The Wellness Warrior, peacefully passed away at 30 years of age after living with a rare cancer (epithelioid sarcoma) for 7 years. She was so young and outwardly positive.

Jess inspired wellness into the hearts of thousands who received her regular emails. She spoke and wrote enthusiastically on life and cancer, self-care and meditation, alternative therapies and healing protocols – particularly the Gerson Therapy.

When her mother passed away from breast cancer in 2013, she wrote of her deep loss and the aggressive return of her own cancer.

Personally I was filled with sadness when I heard. We had several mutual colleagues and friends in our business and wellness circles. Our communities were heart broken, in tears and out of sorts. So many were reaching out to share their emotions, process their feelings and extend their sympathies, united in grief.

Across social media there was more of the same: shock and sadness, tears and disbelief. Even though most had never met her in person, Jess Ainscough was a part of their lives too.

News of her death arrived only two weeks after the third loss in as many months for my own family.

Perhaps I needed this jolt to my soul; a timely reminder to attend to my self-care.

Perhaps we all need reminding that life is shorter than we think, and we best get attending to our own health and wellness without delay.

Social media was rife with whether Jess Ainscough should have trusted more in conventional medicine and not solely in alternative. Regardless of her personal choice and whichever methods she followed, this young woman lived her truth and shared it with honesty and humour, inspiring so many to look at their own lifestyle choices and start making healthy changes.

As obvious in her last few blog posts, it is evident that this young woman was suffering underneath all her outward positivity.

Maybe this is a perfect reminder to acknowledge and feel your feelings and allow your life to get messy, instead of masking your true emotions underneath a happy exterior. Emotions live in our cells after all.

When grief arrives we are again confronted with our own mortality.

I am reminded that I don’t want to end up like my mother, or my aunts, or my cousins or my friends, who all lost their battles with cancer even though they fought so hard to live.

Instead I have an opportunity, as do you, to make this day, this meal, this moment count in how I live my life.

We all have our own stories, even if we don’t choose to see them. We all have a purpose and path in life even if we can’t visualise ahead. I believe if we don’t choose the path we’d prefer, we could be lead down any one of them.

Jess Ainscough chose her own path and lived it with authentic gusto. Although you may not know where you’ll end up, you can at least have input into the direction your own life path will take.

In being honest with yourself about where your health is at and what you likely already know needs attention, you have an opportunity to change direction and possibly prevent a future illness and disease.

Each death is a reminder that we all have a time limit.

Will this be enough for you to change your lifestyle choices today?

I truly hope so.

 

Love and Wellness

Viki  xo

 

About Viki

Viki Thondley, The MindBodyFood Coach

Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from dieting and restriction to whole-self nourishment, self-care and healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and retreats to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.