August is National Wellness Month: A Gentle Invitation to Care for Your Mind, Body, and Soul
As a therapist, I believe wellness is not a destination, it’s a practice. August, recognized as National Wellness Month, is a beautiful opportunity to slow down, reconnect with ourselves, and reflect on the small daily choices that nurture our mental health and overall well-being.
We often associate self-care with massages or bubble baths, and those can absolutely be part of it, but true wellness goes deeper. It’s about creating space for rest, reflection, boundaries, joy, and intention. It’s about tending to your nervous system, honoring your energy, and showing up for yourself with humility and compassion.
This month, I invite you to pause and ask:
- How am I really doing?
- Where in my life do I need to nourish myself and more ease?
- What small shift can I make to better care for myself?
Self-awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving and maintaining mental health. It’s the quiet, ongoing practice of tuning into our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and internal needs without judgment. While it might seem simple on the surface, self-awareness forms the foundation of emotional resilience, personal growth, and overall well-being.
Without self-awareness, emotions can feel confusing, overwhelming, or misplaced. You might feel irritable but not know you’re actually burned out. Or anxious, without realizing it’s from a need for more stability. Self-awareness lets you name your feelings and trace them back to their roots, giving you more control over how you respond to them.
Therapeutic healing begins with awareness. You can’t heal what you don’t acknowledge. Whether you’re working through anxiety, trauma, relationship patterns, or self-doubt, self-awareness acts as a flashlight illuminating what needs attention and guiding you toward healthier coping and communication.
To help guide this journey, I’ve created two simple and supportive tools you can use throughout the month:
30 Days of Self-Care: Gentle Daily Prompts
This simple 30-day self-care calendar includes one small wellness prompt per day. These aren’t meant to overwhelm or add more to your to-do list. Think of them as invitations, not obligations.
Here’s a peek at what your month might look like:
- Day 1: Write one kind sentence to yourself
- Day 4: Practice 5 minutes of deep belly breathing
- Day 7: Declutter one small space (a drawer, a corner)
- Day 12: Rest without guilt
- Day 16: Journal about what’s been weighing on your heart
- Day 20: Do something creative (doodle, bake, dance)
- Day 25: Practice a grounding exercise outdoors
- Day 28: Say “no” to something and notice how it feels
You can print it, keep it on your phone, or use it as inspiration for your own self-care plan.
A Gentle Reminder from Me to You
Wellness isn’t about doing everything “right.” It’s about paying attention to what helps you feel more whole and alive. You don’t need to fix everything this month. Just choose one thing that supports your peace, and build from there.
And if this month feels hard, that’s okay too. Rest is part of the work. Slowness is a valid pace. You are already enough, exactly as you are.
Here’s to a month of small moments of care, clarity, and connection.
With heart,
Stephanie Thibault, MSW, LMSW
