Owning Your Mental Health w/ Allison Fritchman – SWAN Power
Discovering the Power of Spirituality, Wellness, Arts and Nature
Hi there! Thanks for dropping by! In an effort to live out my values, I’m tapping into SWAN Power. That is, I’m delving into the ideals of spirituality, wellness, arts and nature through a lens of curiosity, openness and wonder. These are tenets in my life I have a profound interest in, and am sharing my discoveries so you can benefit too!
SWAN Power
I’m happy to announce the launch of my podcast, SWAN Power! SWAN is an acronym for spirituality, wellness, art and nature. The idea of this show is to expand our understanding of these virtues which may in turn spark some new experiences for you, because new and novel experiences are good for us! The Power in SWAN Power implies potential – potential that can be enhanced for improving human lives, starting with your own.
The S in SWAN stands for Spirituality.
Regardless of your personal belief system, I encourage you to really examine your relationship with the metaphysical, the existential, the transcendental dimensions of life. For I believe that we are not just bodies with a spirit, but rather a spirit with a body. For us to neglect our spiritual welfare is tragic; it is good for us to believe in something beyond ourselves. I hope and pray that you find the material that is provided here will be a blessing to your spiritual life. May you find inspiration and enlightenment here. And if and when you do, let your light shine!
The W in SWAN stands for Wellness.
The World Health Organization defines wellness as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. It is health. It is wellbeing. It is our quality of life. It is the harmony of our life with others. It includes our emotions, even our occupation and our finances. Making wellness a priority in your life prepares you meet life’s challenges, and let’s face it: Life is challenging. Optimal wellness equips you to face the unexpected more successfully.
The A in SWAN stands for Arts.
We will be looking to understand arts in the broadest sense. Art is a fundamental characteristic of the human species and a biological necessity to our existence. Ellen Dissanayake, in her book, What is Art For?, claims that the arts evolved as means of making socially important activities memorable and pleasurable, and thus have been essential to human survival. It is taking the ordinary and making it special. We need art. Dissanayake also wrote that making art gives us “the ability to shape and thereby exert some measure of control over the untidy material of everyday life.” Now who doesn’t want a measure of control over the messiness in their life?
The N in SWAN stands for Nature.
Our natural world is magnificent, and we are part of the natural system, not outside it and not above it. We need to honor this system, to preserve it and to protect it. For some of us, that starts with simply noticing it! With increased urbanization and technological developments, human beings have been spending less time outdoors which is resulting in nature deficits, that is, a loss of connection between humans to their natural environment. Nature has a significant role in human development and conduct. It has a vital contribution to the way we think, feel, and behave with others. Indeed, nature is a healer.
A new episode of SWAN Power will be published the first Sunday of each month. In addition to the podcast, I invite you to peruse the writings I have housed here. They are a testament of how my attitudes toward spirituality, wellness, arts and nature have evolved. I hope you find some great takeaways from them. The advantages may go farther than you could ever imagine.
