STRONGER TOGETHER: When wellbeing means letting go, not adding more

"STRONGER TOGETHER" is a weekly column where Tanya explores key issues. This week, Tanya discusses why the key to better wellbeing may not be adding more to your calendar, but removing the things that leave you running on empty.

By IMPACT Community Services Managing Director Tanya O'Shea

Many of us work hard to support our health and wellbeing.

We exercise regularly, try to eat well and make time for activities that are meant to help us recharge. There is often an assumption that if we put enough effort into trying to be healthy, we will eventually feel energised and more in control of our wellbeing.

Yet for many people, the reality can be quite different.

Despite doing all the things that are supposed to support wellbeing, it is still possible to finish the day exhausted or wake up feeling as though the energy battery never fully recharged. It can feel like constantly operating on low power and can leave you wondering why all the effort is not producing the expected results.

Perhaps the problem is not what we need to do more of.

What many of us have been taught about wellbeing is that it comes from adding activities into our lives. Daily movement, a massage, a weekend away, or a meditation app can certainly be enjoyable and beneficial. But if our daily routines are constantly draining us, these activities often provide temporary relief rather than lasting change.

Real wellbeing comes from understanding what is depleting us in the first place.  

The first step is awareness. We need to be honest about what is consuming our energy. Sometimes it is obvious, such as an overloaded schedule, too many meetings or long days without a proper break. Sometimes it is less obvious, such as relationships, commitments or expectations that quietly drain us over time. Identifying the sources of depletion allows us to address causes rather than simply manage symptoms.

The second step is creating structure.

Boundaries are often described as something we need to enforce, but they are much easier to maintain when they are designed into our lives. A protected period for focused work, a commitment to finish at a reasonable hour, or a short walk to get some fresh air outside are all examples of how structure can support our health and wellbeing without requiring extra effort.

Finally, we need to stop treating rest as something we earn.

Many of us believe we can rest once everything is finished. The challenge, of course, is that life is filled with unfinished business. There is always another email to answer, another task to complete or another responsibility waiting for our attention.

Rest is not a reward for productivity. It is one of the wellbeing practices that makes productivity, and life itself, sustainable.

Wellbeing is rarely created through dramatic changes. More often, it grows from small adjustments: doing less of what drains us and more of what nourishes us.   The most effective wellness strategy is not always adding something new to the calendar. Sometimes it is having the courage to change, reduce or remove the things that no longer serve us.