Meet Emily Strong: Wellness Coordinator
What are some of your favorite ways to cultivate well-being in your life?
My goal for all things, is to find ways to have fun and make whatever I am doing as enjoyable as possible for myself. If I am not enjoying it or having fun, I will not continue doing it very long.
For my physical well-being, I prefer to stay active by playing my favorite sports – basketball, softball, kickball, indoor soccer, etc. Some of the teams I play for I have been with for years, but I recently also joined the St. Louis Arc as a community athlete where I am able to workout my body while connecting with a special community in St. Louis at the same time.
For my mental well-being, I have made it a priority to find different ways to let myself rest from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Some of my favorites are coloring, driving with the windows down and the top open in my Bronco, getting my dogs out for adventures, and any shenanigans I can find to spend time with my nephews. Even if it is simply playing video games while face-timing them.
The most important, and probably the hardest part of my well-being journey, has been learning to give myself grace. Whether it’s for a missed workout to give my body a little extra rest or saying no to making extra plans with others so I can focus on my well-being, I realized that perfect doesn’t exist, and taking care of myself isn’t selfish, but a necessity.
