whole journey meaning

10 Ways to Embrace Wholeness Every Day

Expert advice on how to cut through the noise and get in touch with your truest self.

Our editors handpick the products that we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

In the spirit of living more fully, we asked thought leaders we admire what wholeness means to them, and how they cultivate it in their own lives. Whatever their expertise—philosophy, movement, psychology, spirituality, nutrition, addiction—their answers came down to this: It’s an inside job.

Forget perfection

Seek purpose.

“I’m a highly sensitive person, and, like many sensitive people, my wholeness is tied to a sense of purpose. Purpose is essential for sensitive people because we’re wired to look at the big picture, and choosing a purpose helps us fit into it. It’s also a compass: When you choose a purpose for yourself, you get clarity on every stressful decision thrown your way. Should you accept an obligation, or pass on it? Should you fight a battle, or give in? The answers become easy because you can ask yourself whether the challenge aligns with your purpose. If it doesn’t, it’s not worth your stress. But if something does align with your purpose: Do it. Fight for it. Get up early for it. Because putting energy into your purpose gives you the opposite of stress. It gives you wholeness. And you will never regret the time you spent on the things that gave you meaning.” —Andre Sólo, coauthor of Sensitive and cofounder of SensitiveRefuge.com

Let stuff go

“Wholeness effortlessly reveals itself to me by my turning inward and tuning into the divine design that already resides within me—when I place my full attention on that which is within rather than on what I may think I am without. There is a well within all of us—vast and full of answers, clarity, and loving redirects. I am fully whole on a dance floor. Dance is an ever-evolving reflection of our lives. It is an invitation to release what I no longer need and to alchemize it, in order to provide space for what does, in fact, make me feel fully alive, aligned, and wholly well. Tune into when you feel your most alive, most at ease—who is near you, what are you talking about, thinking about, what are you feeling? Keep going in that direction. Stay and swim in that place, that wave, that frequency.” —Kristin Sudeikis, founder and CEO of Forward__Space , which offers sweat sessions that are equal parts cardio dance, athletic training, and moving meditation

Find your people

“Wholeness, for me, is simple. It’s being at home with my family. That’s really it. It comes down to finding the place and people that allow you to be the most you.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of The Water Dancer and Between the World And Me and host of the Wakanda Forever podcast

Enjoy the journey

“As a writer, I need a bit of structure in my day, and my to-do lists are often the tool I use to reach my goals. But we cannot think of our wholeness or healing as a thing to be achieved, or items ticked off a list. So instead, I frame wholeness in my life and writing as something to embody, a journey we choose to step into. Wholeness is fluid, seasonal, and cyclical, and diluting it to a to-do list doesn’t do it justice. It involves our grief and our joy, our difficult moments and our often-surprising epiphanies. Do you want wholeness? Consider the journey . In my new book, I give readers these words as a kind of daily medicine:

I am a human being. I am always arriving.

Embracing wholeness throughout your life is simply arriving and letting love and healing lead the way. For those of you who love a good to-do list or goal, it means you have to let go a little, trust the season you find yourself in, and find out what wholeness might be asking of you in this moment.” —Kaitlin Curtice, essayist, poet, public speaker, and author of Native

Stay true to your values

“For me, wholeness is compassionately acknowledging all of myself rather than living in a way that focuses on overcompensating for or obliterating any so-called shortcomings. It’s being aware of and releasing emotional baggage as it reveals itself so that you become more of who you really are. After recovering from an immune system disease 17 years ago, I adopted a holistic attitude toward myself instead of seeing anything I didn’t like—such as illness, low energy, a challenge, or people saying no—as an inconvenience or sign of how I’m screwing up or failing. Putting my values and how I want to feel at the center of everything means I go toward what looks and feels right and away from what doesn’t. This work-in-progress attitude invites me to be curious about what my body, approach, reaction to something, or the true nature of a situation is telling me about how I can take better care of myself and be more me.” —Natalie Lue, founder of the The Baggage Reclaim Sessions podcast and author of The Joy of Saying No

Lead with intention

“I feel most whole when I am living with intention. Knowing the ‘why’ behind my actions, whether I’m in pursuit of a conventional, healthy habit or learning one of life’s messy lessons, helps me feel aligned with myself in the best possible way. To bring more intention into your life, create a five-minute ritual of checking in with yourself daily (I think writing is the most powerful). Use this time to ask yourself if you need more or less of anything like self-compassion, discipline, or resources. By putting aside the noise of external advice, you can truly connect to what you need to feel whole.” — Lynn Saladino , PsyD, a psychologist in New York City

Nourish yourself in every way

“I’m a dietitian, so I was trained to think about health and wholeness from the perspective of food. Although we eat daily, patients have taught me that wholeness encompasses nourishing mind, body, and spirit. Through clinical experience, I have learned that the act of embodying one’s full self must be individualized and is always layered and nuanced. One of the ways I nourish my body and spirit is connecting with the land and its bounty. It gives me deep pleasure to visit farms and green markets and spend time in the kitchen preparing meals; I find it meditative and grounding. Food and nutrition are very much aligned to culture. I encourage my patients to embrace their culture and include foods that are culturally relevant as a way to expand what shows up on their plates, and this is very much a part of wholeness. We also work to build in intentional rest, which can mean spending time in green spaces, taking time away from screens, and carving out space for pleasurable movement, breath, and enjoying meals. I’ve found that time in nature is particularly restorative, and a reminder that we are part of a larger universe.” —Maya Feller, founder of Maya Feller Nutrition in Brooklyn and author of Eating from Our Roots

Stay curious

“I define wholeness as a continued ‘growing down’ process that helps you make what is unknown known, what is unconscious conscious. It is not about perfection or arriving at a specific destination; rather, it’s about the pursuit of meaning—following the directives of the soul and connecting to the wisdom of your inner world. Personally, I embrace wholeness through a methodology I created that I call Soulbriety. This process requires deep listening, insatiable curiosity, a thorough understanding of our personal values, and the willingness to clearly see our own issues. With Soulbriety, wholeness is achieved by following the soul journey—pausing in the darkness and applying a different way of knowing and allowing our pain to be alchemized into purpose. When we allow soul to be the meaning-making machine, it acts as a constant guide toward the pursuit of wholeness in our life.” —Elisa Hallerman, PhD, author of Soulbriety

Trust your gut

“As women, we’re told to look to others for guidance in our journey to be well. To me, wholeness means I check in with myself first , to ask, what do I need, how do I feel, where is my comfort? Women have received so many messages that we can’t trust our own bodies. Wholeness is when we affirm, ‘I am worthy of prioritizing my feelings, needs, and comfort, and can trust myself to know what's best for me.’” —Melissa Urban, author of The Book of Boundarie s and cofounder of The Whole30

Bethany Heitman has spent 15 years producing content for women; she is the former editor-in-chief of PeopleStyle and has held senior leadership positions at Cosmopolitan and Seventeen . She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York

Oprah Daily Insider Exclusive Previews

Dating as a Single Mom Taught Me to Parent Better

Working with Your Hands Is the Secret to Stillness

“The Most Devastating Thing My Mother Said to Me”

What Is the Mother Wound?

What I Learned from My Schizophrenic Mom

The Day I Broke Up with My Mother

I Tried to Quit My Mom and Failed

How to Fill a Mother-Shaped Hole in Your Life

How to Stop a Comparison Spiral

Should We All Be Cycle Syncing?

Will Cannabis Help My Menopause Symptoms?

The Path Within

Journey to the Home Within

• Nov 17, 2022

Wholeness: What Does It Mean to Be Whole

Updated: Oct 11, 2023

So here's another buzzword that had gained a lot of attention and usage in the past ten years or so. If you are interested in matters such as healing, trauma, spirituality, new age, mindfulness and modern-day meditation and yoga but have not come across this word like a thousand times already, you've probably not paying enough attention.

Many teachers these days throw this word around expecting us to understand what it means without further explanation. "You are already whole" is perhaps the most usual context in which the word is used, followed by "there is nothing you need to do to improve yourself".

Right so one may ask, "the compulsive liar; alcoholic; wife-beater in me is already whole and complete, therefore there is nothing I have to do to improve myself?". Or let's not even go that far, let's use an example that most of us can relate to.

Let's say,

- you realize you are not the most forgiving person and that you are still holding a grudge against a sibling or a friend who had done you wrong in the past;

- or you are living with regret/ shame over something you had or hadn't done and the regret/ shame is eating you alive;

- you have a terrible addiction to cigarettes or porn or your job and you are aware that the addiction is taking a toll on your life and your health;

- none of your relationship worked and you're starting to realize that there could be something wrong with you.

Can we honestly say to ourselves, in spite of all these "flaws", that we are truly whole and complete, that there is nothing that we have to improve. I for one, cannot. No matter how we try to lie to ourselves, deep down, there will be a nagging feeling that usually translate to guilt that will remind ourselves of the lie.

It took me several years to understand the concept of wholeness, not to mention a calamity of a serious illness to experience it. So I'd like to offer my view and take on this important concept that is the innate nature of who we truly are.

A One Word Description of Wholeness

Here's the best one word description of wholeness that I have come across: Lackless .

And now here's the long version:

You are whole when you are contented with whoever and wherever you are, whatever you have and whatever condition you are in. Lackless means you no longer wish for anything to be different. Be it your age and the way you look, your material possessions, your health, your status and relationship with the people around you. Wholeness means that you accept yourself the way you are without the need to look prettier, feel younger, live longer, weigh less, have better education, more confidence, or achieve more success.

Wholeness is about a deeper sense of being instead of a mere feeling. Wholeness is that state of being when you feel a constant subtle joy and peace as you silently witness the busy world going on outside of you.

Wholeness is not something that you can achieve by altering anything about you or your world. But it is indeed your true nature which you will discover as you peel off the layers of beliefs and conditionings that you think you are made of.

Lack is the Nature of the Human Being

Let's agree on one thing - that we as human beings come with all the weaknesses and flaws and therefore cannot experience wholeness. But it isn't our flaws that make us un-whole , but rather, it is the desire to be better and to have more.

As human beings there are constant needs and wants that we'd like fulfilled. Think about it, when was the last time you felt so contented that you could not think of or wish for anything to be different? And if by chance that you have genuinely felt this way, how long did that feeling last?

Desire equals lack . As long as we want something, it by default means that we do not have it, i.e. lack. And being in lack is the complete opposite of wholeness (lacklessness).

This is just part of the nature of the human being, the endless wanting and desiring and needing. The moment one gets fulfilled, a new one is already rearing its head around the corner.

"A happy man has no ambition". - J. Krishnamurti.

This is an indisputable fact, and the sooner we accept it, the faster we can move on to the next level of understanding.

This leaves us with an important question - How can we be whole when it is the nature of human beings to be in a constant state of lack?

Wholeness is Your True Nature

So since we are already whole, yet humans can't ever be, perhaps the question we must then ask ourselves is: What are we? Perhaps this quote below can be the starting point for our discussion.

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

This spiritual being has been called many names - soul, atman, the divinity within, and even god. How many times have you heard someone saying, "you are god" or "you are divine"? Are these mere soothing words to convince us that we are already perfect? Or another self-concept aimed at inflating our own ego?

Without a deep and earnest effort towards uncovering this highest knowledge, one may not achieve self-realization , that is, one may not fully understand the nature of one's true being and be fulfilled in this understanding. And I am not even referring to the ability to achieve one's greatest potential and to accomplish the greatest growth in life. Although, having self-realization first does open up one's pathway to greater fulfillment and joy in life, no matter the pursuit.

Because wholeness is the nature of the true divine self, without this realization, we remain in the bondage of our own desires and hates, likes and dislikes - that are keeping us in the state of lack. We are never fully satisfied, somethings we want to bring into our lives, while other things we'd like to get rid of.

A Glimpse of The True Self

Perhaps we should start by asking ourselves, where do these desires and repulsions come from?

We all have our own views of the world and how our lives should be. But as long as we look at the world through the lenses shaped by our experiences, we are unable to perceive it objectively.

How much of our perception is shaped by resentment, by jealousy and by our own insecurities? How much is formed by our own biasness, our likes and dislikes. And how much came from the inherited beliefs and fears of the parents, caretakers, educators, our culture, religious teachings and society at large?

What if we are to remove these layers and layers of filters that have impaired our views of reality? What if we are to shed the beliefs, concepts and judgements we have projected outward onto the world? What if we are to drop all of our conditionings to the point where there is only stillness? What would the world look like then? How would we feel about ourselves then?

If you are able to get to this still point for even a split of a second, you would have gotten a glimpse of your true self that is eternal and whole, that is the source of peace, joy and love.

An Exercise

So how can one start one's journey towards self-realization and towards wholeness? Of course there are many ways. One of the more popular and structured ways is as taught in the Vedantic school, that is through devotion to God (bakhti yoga), action (karma yoga), knowledge of God (jnana yoga) and through meditation (raja yoga) -these are the 4 paths of yoga towards self-realization. But I am not qualified to talk about any of these. So I will share instead a simple exercise to come back to this still point that is our true being.

Let's begin.

Sit in a comfortable position in a quiet room.

Close your eyes, breathe normally and try to bring your breathing to a slow and steady pace.

Sit in this way until you find a calmness in you, that is when the mind slows down its activities.

Now bring all your attention to the center of your chest. Say to yourself: "I am here". Place a hand on your chest if this helps you remain in this 'space'. Just stay here.

Once in a while, you will notice that thoughts start to arise in your mind. Continue to maintain awareness in your chest space. With the hand as an anchor (repeat: I am here), you can imagine pulling all attention that is now moved to the mind back to the chest.

If you still notice that the mind is busy with thoughts, continue to say, "I am here" and with 'here' (the chest/ heart area) being the anchor, watch the mind activities. Simply watch, observe. Now you can say, "I am not this thought, I am the witness", maintaining your awareness in your chest at all times.

Practice this as long and as often as you want to. Eventually when you are able to stay in this space without any interruption from the mind, notice what it 'feels' like to be " HERE ".

Thank you for reading. Be joyous and be blessed. <3

Recent Posts

Understanding the Ego from the Non-Dual Perspective

You are Whole: The Leaky Cup Metaphor

The Journey to Wholeness: Overcoming the Feeling of Not Good Enough & Embracing Your Inherent Worth

Unconscious

The psychology of our fall from wholeness, a process of transformation makes possible the merging of apparent opposites..

Posted December 26, 2022 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

• What Is Positive Psychology?
• Find counselling near me
• The individuation process initiates a remembrance of our innate wholeness.
• Though the "nameless" fragmented into the "named" becoming "ten thousand things," a hidden thread of wholeness still connects us all.
• As we communicate more with the inner realm, lost archetypes burst forth from within, giving us a timeless understanding.
• Our life journey consists of a process of knowing, forgetting, and remembering.

As we live out certain types of experiences that are common to all and become conscious of their meaning, we initiate a process of remembering our innate wholeness.

Carl Jung calls this the “individuation process.” It consists of the archetypes we are born with, embedded in our psyche or unconscious , bubbling up from within, released by those common life experiences, making us aware not only of their purpose for us but also of their transformative power in our lives.

Most often a very long process involving great struggle, the result of this conscious experience of merging life’s opposites into a new whole is a remembrance of our own wholeness.

The union of apparent opposites into a wholeness previously unimagined, in which all things are in harmony and balance, is made possible through a process of transformation that realigns and renews the entirety of our consciousness.

Is this transformative process of remembering our wholeness even necessary? Is it a process that is essential to fulfilling our potential? Is it something we choose, or not, or maybe just fall into? The short answer to these questions is yes. Let’s step back, look at the big picture, and decipher why.

There was a time when all things in existence made up a whole. In this holistic view of reality, apparent opposites—like yin and yang, feminine and masculine—were seen as complementary, interrelated halves of the same whole, transcending their own presumed duality.

Lao Tzu called this wholeness of existence the “nameless,” which is all there was at “the beginning of heaven and earth.” In this original wholeness, all things are in harmony with all other things and in perfect relationship.

However, the evolution of existence took a turn in the Garden of Eden with the eating of the forbidden fruit. And, in another version of this narrative, in Greek mythology, with the opening of Pandora’s Box.

These narratives are not only about asserting our individual will over a greater will but also about humanity’s fall from wholeness.

The separation of the “named” from the “nameless” fragmented the “named” into “ten thousand things,” as Lao Tzu noted, and broke the Whole into countless pieces.

At the same time, a hidden thread of wholeness still connects us all. This is what Jung identified as humanity’s archetypal heritage embedded within the collective unconscious.

We become aware of this connecting thread as we communicate more with the inner realm and as lost archetypes burst forth from our unconscious, giving us a timeless understanding that countless others have experienced before us, and will after us.

Many mystic traditions and mindfulness practices seek this state of unitive consciousness that is available to all. Many traditions also share versions of a legend in which our journey in life consists of a process of knowing, forgetting, and remembering .

These legends say that we innately know we have come from wholeness, but we are born into a realm that eventually causes us to forget what we once knew, and we spend our lives in search of what will enable us to remember the wholeness we once knew.

Since our consciousness originates in unity, this is where our search leads us back to. Remembrance, which is the essence of all mindfulness practice, gets us in touch with the source of that knowing and reminds us of our deeper nature.

Individuation, or remembering who we really are, is a necessity for reclaiming – and returning to – our original wholeness.

It also represents a process through which we come to realize the wholeness of the entire creation. In A New Story of Wholeness , this process is explained as a blueprint consisting of three archetypes: call to wholeness , path of purification , and return to wholeness .

This universal pattern, embedded within our unconscious, provides a roadmap for achieving the greatest expansion of consciousness that is humanly possible. It allows us to fulfill our innate potential, which leads naturally to passing on this understanding to others and transforming the world in the process.

The purpose in having forgotten our inherent wholeness and undergoing a transformative process to remember this, which may be repeated many times over in our lives, is that this is how we discover we are more like others than not. The goal in going through this process is not escaping from the world but the fullest possible psychospiritual development through our work in the world.

All perceived distinctions or differences between things that are complementary parts of the same whole can become catalysts for our own growth, just as are life’s difficulties, struggles, and challenges that contribute most to meaning-making.

Life as a quest for the union of opposites leads to this all-embracing unity of the whole. As we live our lives consciously and deliberately, with universal motifs and archetypes emerging from within, we discover not only who we are but also why we are here and that our lives are directed toward experiences that naturally and purposely bring about personal and collective transformation.

The journey from wholeness to duality and back to wholeness is the journey humanity has been on for millennia. What’s getting us to our destination is that consciousness evolves toward wholeness.

Atkinson, R. (2022). A New Story of Wholeness: An Experiential Guide for Connecting the Human Family. NY: Light on Light Press.

Jung, C.G. (2012), Man and His Symbols . New York: Random House, Part 3.

Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Maine and Nautilus Book Award-winning author of The Story of Our Time: From Duality to Interconnectedness to Oneness.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• International
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Therapy Center NEW
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

Understanding what emotional intelligence looks like and the steps needed to improve it could light a path to a more emotionally adept world.

• Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

• Rules/Help/FAQ Help/FAQ
• Members Current visitors
• Interface Language

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

• English Only

complete/entire/whole journey

• Thread starter belongedto
• Start date Sep 15, 2021

Senior Member

• Sep 15, 2021

Good morning, everybody. Lewis and Clark’s complete journey took a little over two years and covered over 11,200 kilometers. Source: VOA Learning English - U.S. History - The U.S. Expands West What are the differences if I say entire or whole in this context?  

belongedto said: What are the differences if I say entire or whole in this context? Click to expand...

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Helpful Free Resources
• Happiness & Fun
• Healthy Habits
• Love & Relationships
• Mental Health
• Mindfulness & Peace
• Purpose & Passion
• Fun & Inspiring
• Submit a Post
• Books & Things
• Tiny Buddha’s Breaking Barriers to Self-Care

“Always engage in the quest for life’s meaning, which is inner peace.” ~Longchenpa

When is a person complete? When have they finally “made it”?

Is it when they find love ? Success? When they prove themselves?

I must have asked myself these questions a thousand times growing up. As soon as I recognized that you could be deemed successful or not, accepted or not, loved or not, I wondered where I fit in.

I questioned whether I was on the right path and when I would finally arrive. I wanted to be a total package. You know, the real deal. A real catch. In a word, complete .

Of course, at the beginning, I didn’t have much to go on. Just the minor dramas and bothers of middle-class suburbia, but I put those pieces together as best I could and set off to become complete.

During adolescence, being complete meant getting the good grades, wearing the right sized jeans, and being “nice” or “sweet” or “cute.”

Later it was awards, relationships, and status.

Then came the Ivies, the ring, the house, the kids.

I wanted to be successful, so I did what I was supposed to. I followed rules, checked boxes, and really applied myself.

I wanted to be happy, so I planned out everything with precision as if my lasting happiness lay in getting the details just right.

I wanted connection, so I tried to please everyone . I figured it was easier that way and a small price to pay for being universally loved.

When all was said and done, I was good, but I could have been kinder.

I did everything I said I would, but I could have done more.

I was a real powerhouse, but I didn’t feel confident .

And I still wondered when I would feel complete.

At least half of me felt unsuitable to be seen by the rest of the world.

I was painfully shy. I gave myself a pep talk every day just to make it out of my room. I cried without warning. I worked out too much and didn’t eat enough. I wore too much makeup.

By adulthood, I’d become hurried and hardened.

I denied myself the simple pleasures, and I didn’t even remember what listening to myself felt like. And as much as I longed to be known, I avoided being seen.

There was no room in my life for sweet contentment or stillness. Living was about getting to tomorrow, not being right where I was.

Somehow, I must have confused complete with perfect.

Complete meant existing within a narrow scope of our human experience. It meant having all of the light and none of the dark. Having flaws or struggles made me less than . (I held my attachment to my ego against myself, too.)

So, round and round I’d go.

The more I held on to these beliefs, the more they let me down. I didn’t feel successful, happy, or connected, and I sure wasn’t confident. None of my planning and plotting stopped me from being hurt or rejected . None of the hardness made me stronger.

How can anyone feel complete when they only ever accept a fraction of themselves?

There were plenty of times I considered letting it all go and making a big change, but I feared that my empty hands wouldn’t find something else to hold on to. We need a way to understand how the world works and where we fit into it. Once we’ve got it, we’ll hold on— even if it hurts.

All I ever wanted was to feel secure, connected, and fulfilled, and you don’t just let go of that. But, I also felt misled, and I was ready to uncover the truth.

I started by asking different questions, like what gives a person meaning, how do you define success, and what makes a person whole?

Whole. It was an interesting thought. Whereas complete felt like finding the missing pieces and becoming something, wholeness felt like being what you already are.

Slowly, softly, things shifted.

I started looking at the whole of me, not just the shiniest parts. This wasn’t easy. We all have that side of us we’d rather not see, and I’d pushed mine far, far away .

Even with this desire for something deeper and more authentic, I worried that maybe I’d missed my chance. Maybe I really was incomplete.

Oddly, that’s when it clicked.

Those parts of me, even the one struggling with this whole being whole thing, are all part of my wholeness. Being whole means seeing perfection and imperfection, hurting and healing, fear and courage as one in the same. It’s the shadows that give the light away.

Okay, I thought. What if wholeness included all of me?

Like being a painfully shy child?

Or the years of abusing my body?

Or crying in the car outside work?

What if it included the dysfunctional relationships I stayed in too long and the healthy ones I ran away from?

Or the ways I allowed myself to be changed and the times I resisted authentic expansion?

This shift has been richer than being kinder to myself, though I have learned to be my own best friend. And it’s deeper than having confidence, though I feel bigger and stronger than ever before.

This shift toward wholeness is about loving the whole of me fully and openly. Not in spite of the flaws but including the flaws. It’s those parts of you that you probably don’t want to see, the ones that are struggling to keep up, that need your love the most.

I’m not perfect about this by any means. Sometimes I forget and slip into old patterns, sometimes on autopilot, and sometimes with full awareness of what I’m doing. But perfect has nothing to do with it anymore.

There’s nothing to hide or change when you’re focused on wholeness. Being whole is simply a matter of being.

Whole is complete in itself, and it’s always enough.

Right now, whether you’re standing in the shadows or basking in the light, you are whole.

You’ve hoped and dreamed, doubted and feared.

You’ve surprised yourself (for better and for worse).

You’ve done exactly what you set out to do.

You’ve fallen flat.

You’ve succeeded and failed, fallen and risen, hurt and healed.

You’ve loved, lost, and lived to love again.

You’ve stood in the shadows and danced in the light.

You’ve sung and cried, whispered and yelled.

You’ve been winter, and you’ve been spring.

In your lifetime, you’ve learned to crawl, to walk, to run, to soar.

You’ve said just the right thing at the right time and the things you didn’t mean.

You’ve been right and wrong, hard and soft, fearless and afraid.

You’ve felt pride, shame, joy, sorrow, serenity, distress.

And you will again.

All the things you’ve done and the things you’ve seen, the people you’ve known, the heartbreaks you’ve stitched back together, the plans you’ve made, and the plans you’ve had to let go, the celebrations and growing pains are part of your wholeness.

Maybe you’re feeling like you’re really not okay. You’re still whole.

The key to making this shift is trusting in the process of working it out as you go and picking up the little gems along the way. No part of this needs to be perfect.

So, take a step, any step in the direction that feels closer to whole.

If you can, give thanks to the shadows as much as you would to the sunlight.

Thank you falling for teaching me I won’t break.

Thank you sorrow for reminding me to care for my heart.

And learn to look at all of yourself from the most loving perspective. You are the exact right combination of experiences, insights, strengths, and imperfections that make a person whole.

You always were and always will be wholly beyond compare.

About Leslie Ralph

Leslie is a psychologist, writer, and artist on a mission to make the world a brighter place. She creates things for people who want to bring the light back into their lives and love themselves unconditionally. She’s the author of How to Have Your Back: Simple Instructions for Loving Yourself Through the Ups and Downs of Life . Download her free ritual for releasing and receiving to let go and create space for more clarity, courage, and compassion in your life.

Did you enjoy this post? Please share the wisdom :)

Related posts:

Free Download: Buddha Desktop Wallpaper

Recent Forum Topics

• self anger and regret
• Feeling low and can’t control my mind
• Heartbreak sucks
• Family tragedy Donation-Charlotte Arp
• Anxiety and Obsession Struggles
• Surrender, Accessing Shakti by clearing samskaras, eliminating false selves
• Body Positivity & Gratitude
• The wounds are fresh and raw.
• Loneliness and Limberance
• Can’t just live with myself

Fun & Inspiring

I Wish for Days…

GET MORE FUN & INSPIRING IMAGES & VIDEOS .

Latest Posts

The Tremendous Pain and Beauty of Letting Things Die

6 Reasons We Ignore Our Needs and How to Stop

How My Wellness Passion Was Actually Destroying My Health

Are You Paying Attention to the Beauty of this World?

Embracing Equality: How to Stop Putting People on Pedestals

This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The content on Tiny Buddha is designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.

Tiny Buddha, LLC may earn affiliate income from qualifying purchases, including from the Amazon Associate Program.

Before using the site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

Click to opt-out of Google Analytics tracking.

Who Runs Tiny Buddha?

Get More Tiny Buddha

•   Twitter
•   Facebook
•   Instagram
•   Youtube
•   RSS Feed

Credits & Copyright

• Back to Top

Browser Security Check…

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of journey in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

journey noun [C] ( TRIP )

• She gave the children some sweets to chew on during the long car journey.
• The journey was quite quick because the road was clear .
• I expect you'd like to rest after your long journey.
• We did the journey to Wales in five hours .
• The train journey took us through a valley past rolling hills .
• break-journey
• circumnavigation

journey noun [C] ( EXPERIENCES )

• advance the cause
• advancement
• formatively
• from A to B idiom
• progressive
• progressively
• punctuated equilibrium

journey noun [C] ( BOOK )

• absorptive capacity
• acquisition
• hit the books idiom
• mug (something) up
• non-academic
• recognition
• subspecialty
• swot up (something)
• uncredentialed
• around Robin Hood's barn idiom
• communication
• super-commuting
• transoceanic
• well travelled

journey | American Dictionary

Examples of journey, collocations with journey.

These are words often used in combination with journey .

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

Translations of journey

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

relating to the scientific study of animals, especially their structure

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• journey (TRIP)
• journey (EXPERIENCES)
• journey (BOOK)
• Collocations
• Translations
• All translations

Add journey to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

How To Become Whole

By: OHI on Sep 1, 2022 12:00:00 AM

Let’s take a deep dive into the concept of “becoming whole,” and learn how it can impact your life journey.

What is “wholeness”?

What does it mean to become whole?  To be whole is to feel worthy — it’s the feeling of fulfillment, harmony, unity, oneness, completion.  To be whole is to feel connected to you, to others, to the world, and to God.  Becoming whole is about accepting life on life’s terms.  When we strive to become whole, we open ourselves up to heal.

Why do we “feel broken”?

People feel broken after they have experienced trauma.  When you experience trauma, you can either process it or store it.  When you process trauma, you feel it, deal with it, and release it.  When you don’t know how to process trauma and pain, your mind goes into survival mode.  You think “out of sight, out of mind” is an efficient way to cope with unresolved trauma, so you stuff down the pain you are feeling and store the trauma. Stored trauma and negative thoughts always come back to haunt us.  It’s like an emotional balloon that gets bigger and bigger as you fill it with fear, shame, anger, and hopelessness, and eventually that balloon pops and you feel broken.  Stored trauma eventually turns into sadness, anxiety, and depression.

People who are broken feel stuck.  Their nervous systems are trapped in chronic “fight or flight” survival mode.  Some people who feel broken numb their pain with food, drugs, or alcohol.  Others struggle in personal relationships.  Still others find themselves drifting through life, taking little interest in work or hobbies.  So how do you break the cycle of fragmentation, and work to become whole?

The work to become whole

Becoming whole is the process of digging deep into your stored trauma, dealing with the emotions and fallout from it, and releasing the trauma out of your body, out of your mind, and out of your heart and spirit.  When you’re whole, you accept yourself, you love yourself, and you look for meaning within yourself, within the things you do, within your own emotions and perspectives and opinions.

Everyone’s journey to becoming whole is different.  Here are just a few techniques that might jumpstart your own healing journey:

Mindfulness:   Stay present in the moment.  Practice gratitude.  Trust you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Meditation:   Clear your mind.  Focus on your breath.  Let go of thoughts and worries as you just breathe.

Prayer:   Prayer cultivates a deeper relationship with God.  Close your eyes, and contemplate God’s greatness.

Counseling:   Do the inner healing work to truly process your trauma.  Get in touch with your emotions, and validate the impact that your life experiences have made on your psyche.  Talk it out.  Empower yourself to feel all of it.

Enjoy Nature:   Engage all five senses, and experience the wonder of God.

Spend Time Alone:   Break the bonds of codependency, and learn to appreciate your best friend — YOU!

How does OHI help you on your journey to becoming whole?

At OHI, we are very proud that our holistic program — which focuses on body, mind, and spirit — is truly holistic.  A lot of programs claim to be holistic, but mainly focus on the body (diet/exercise), or the mind (mindfulness), or a combination of body/mind.  But the OHI program focuses on ALL aspects of body, mind, and spirit:

Body:  Cleanse and nourish the body with diet, fasting, and exercise

Mind:  Quiet and focus the mind with journaling and meditation

Spirit:  Renew and awaken the spirit with study, prayer, and celebration

When all three elements of healing the body, mind, and spirit converge, that is where the individual is on the right path for them toward becoming whole.  Based on ancient spiritual disciplines, the OHI holistic healing program is designed to:

• Inspire and motivate you to make healthy choices in life
• Explore physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being
• Integrate helpful tools and teachings in your daily life
• Enable transformation so that you can achieve optimum health

The journey to becoming whole involves inner healing work.  The first step on that path is when you commit to growing and evolving into a WHOLE you.  You are worth it!  May the journey bring you peace.

At OHI, our entire program – including our classes, diet, and community fellowship – supports all dimensions of becoming whole. Remember, wholeness is a life-long pursuit.  Strive for balance, control what you can (diet, exercise, stress), and surround yourself with supportive care for the rest of it.  May the changes you make to your wellness habits change your life for the better! Visit our website at  www.optimumhealth.org , and call us at  (800) 588-0809  to make your

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Authentically Del

Self-Care, Mental Wellness, & Self-Improvement

in Goals , Mindset , Self-Care , Self-Improvement · March 8, 2022

How to Start Your Wellness Journey in 5 Easy Steps

This post may contain affiliate links meaning that, I may make commission if you purchase through my links. Learn More . 

When first exploring how to start your wellness journey, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with differing advice and contrasting opinions. It doesn’t have to be so complicated!

Here are 5 steps to starting your own personal wellness journey – along with additional tips, tricks, essentials, resources, and reminders!

What is a Wellness Journey?

To start a wellness journey, it’s important to have a clear idea of what a wellness journey is and what it looks like for you.

As a whole, wellness can be defined as “ the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health “.

With that, a wellness journey can be used to describe the act of pursuing and developing habits, routines, and lifestyle choices that better your health.

The term “health” here can refer to many different areas: mental, physical, emotional, etc. We have different areas of life that are all incredibly important for our overall health.

Because of this wide range, a wellness journey is going to be slightly different for everybody.

For example, say you feel that your financial/career health is strong, but would like to focus more on mental health. This would mean that your wellness journey would be directed towards mental health habits/activities.

Everyone’s wellness journey will look different.

Even more so, your own wellness journey will likely shift over time.

Your goals and intentions may shift over time from when you first start this wellness journey.

With all of that said, at its core a wellness journey is simple.

A wellness journey is about pursuing health – inside and out.

A healthy, happy, and well-balanced life is the ultimate goal of starting a wellness journey.

Here’s how we can achieve that…

5 Steps to Start Your Wellness Journey

1. identify where you are.

Do you already have wellness habits in place? What things are you already doing that make you feel good?

On the other hand, do you have habits that you know are making you feel unwell ? When you start a wellness journey, what do you think will have to change?

By being really honest with yourself and answering some of the questions above, you can get a really good idea of where you’re at right now. This is important for determining where you need to go.

When starting a wellness journey (or any new journey), it’s always a good idea to take a quick look at where you are starting from.

Chances are good you have some habits that actually don’t need to change! (Look at you!!)

For example, maybe you’re already really good about drinking your water or you have great self-care habits.

This is awesome!

With this information, you can better identify and pinpoint the places that DO need to change. Then, you can proceed with setting some goals for how you want to start your wellness journey.

2. Set Goals for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness goals can look very different depending on the person. We most often hear the term wellness in relation to physical health (drinking water, eating nutritious foods, etc.)… but wellness goes way beyond the physical body!

I highly recommend looking at each of the 7 areas of life and taking a deep dive into how each area looks for you.

Maybe your social/relational wellness needs some work… or maybe you notice that you feel unwell in your career. This is all super valuable information when setting wellness goals.

From here, you can set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) for your wellness journey.

Goal Ideas for Your Wellness Journey:

• Drink ‘X’ oz water/day
• Get outside daily
• No more than ‘X’ amount of time on social media everyday
• Attend one social even each week
• Journal every morning
• Meditate daily
• Unfollow negative accounts online

RELATED POST: 10 Tips to Make Instagram More Positive

• Get 8+ hours of sleep/night
• Develop a skincare routine
• Develop a morning/night routine
• Make time for at least 5 minutes of self-care every day
• Focus on more foods that feel good to eat
• No work after (set specific time)

3. Develop Daily Wellness Habits

Habits – what you do consistently on an everyday basis – is where you are going to want to focus when you start a wellness journey. The day-to-day behaviors and habits are what make up your life. Shifting habits is what will cause great, lasting change.

Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations. james clear, atomic habits

These habit changes don’t need to be extravagant or overwhelming. In fact, too many big changes may set you up for burnout. (We don’t want that!!)

Instead, improving your small everyday habits on a consistent basis is the best way to achieve long-term success .

Habits to Consider on Your Wellness Journey:

• Water intake
• Daily movement
• Nutrient intake
• Social media consumptionn
• Social life/behaviors
• Money habits
• Making your bed
• Opening your blinds
• Night routine habits
• Organization habits
• Self-care habits

These are just a few of the MANY wellness habits you can focus on. Again, this will be entirely personal and individual.

Once you know where you’re at (wellness journey step 1) and have goals set (wellness journey step 2), you can really hone in on what habits are going to bring you closer to the life of wellness that you desire.

4. Keep Track of Your Wellness Journey

When we start a wellness journey, it’s very easy to lose sight of our progress and how far we’ve come. Tracking your progress along the way can help you stay motivated and appreciate how far you’ve come.

I highly recommend journaling on your wellness journey and using a habit tracker.

Habit trackers are a great tool for a wellness journey. I personally keep my habit tracker out on my desk with my planner. It’s a constant reminder of the habits I am working to adopt. Plus, it allows me to look back at the end of the week/month and see the progress I’ve made.

No matter how you choose to track your progress (with a habit tracker , in your planner , in an empty notebook , etc.), it’s incredibly valuable to keep track of your wellness journey.

Stay motivated, on track, and aware of your progress.

5. Be Flexible

Give yourself grace and be flexible when you start a wellness journey.

Adopting new habits and changing your lifestyle is no small task. In fact, it takes a ton of work and dedication. (You can do it though!)

This means that it’s super important to be kind to yourself through the process. Sticking to a routine and being dedicated is great… but don’t allow it to consume you and take a negative toll on your life. That defeats the whole purpose of your wellness journey!

Give yourself grace and leave room for mistakes. Be flexible and adaptable.

Life happens. I’m can almost guarantee that you will “mess up” on your wellness journey (probably many times!). This does not mean failure. You’re human.

To be honest, even an established wellness lifestyle is not structured and routine 24/7. I t’s all about balance. Some days may be filled with more “wellness habits” than others.

That’s the whole point of wellness… to be able to live a life of happiness, spontaneity, and adventure. A rigid and strict lifestyle is not a wellness lifestyle.

With all that, don’t be too hard on yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, compassion, and self-care always.

Top Wellness Journey Essentials

When starting a wellness journey, having the right tools and resources to help you is essential. Whether it be a good Podcast, an inspiring book, or a reflective journal, having the proper wellness journey essentials will be crucial for guiding you through the process.

Best Podcasts for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness podcasts are one of the most essential tools on my own wellness journey. Every time I go for a walk (nearly daily!), I thoughtfully choose a podcast that will inspire, motivate, encourage, or teach.

Listening to wellness podcasts is one of the simplest ways to incorporate wellness into your everyday life.

They are convenient and easy. Pop in an earbud while you walk, turn them on in the car, or play them out loud while you clean your house.

Here are some of my favorites.

Mental Wellness Podcasts

These podcasts focus on self-care, motivation, self-improvement, inspiration, routine, healthy habits, and overall mental wellness.

• The Happiness Lab with Laurie Santos
• Mood with Lauren Elizabeth
• SHE with Jordan Lee Dooley
• Manifest with Tori DeSimone
• We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle (My #1!!)
• Not Your Typical with Katelynn Nolan
• The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast

Physical Wellness Podcasts

While some of the above podcasts touch on physical wellness, these podcasts are specifically about physical wellness – food, exercise, nutrition, etc. Don’t worry – these podcasts all take an anti-diet approach to health. You’re safe here!

• DEATS with Deanna
• Find Food Freedom with Sam Previte
• What the Actual Fork? with Sam Previte and Jenna Werner
• Take the Cake with Kate Noel
• The Dear Body Podcast with Jessi Jean
• The Socieaty Podcast with Colleen Christensen

All of these podcasts have been a part of my own health, healing, happiness, and wellness journey. What podcasts do you love? Leave me a comment below!

Best Books for Your Wellness Journey

The first thing I did to start my wellness journey was investing in some wellness books. Whether it be about self-discovery, self-improvement, mindset, etc., these books are my absolute favorites for a journey to wellness.

These are the top 10 books I’d recommend to anyone looking to start a wellness journey.

1. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Untamed is my #1 favorite book for anything related to personal growth. I cannot say enough about this book or Glennon Doyle. She’s an incredible author and exceptional human being. I just got her Untamed journal to go with the book and I’m excited to work through it.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is probably the #1 book I’d recommend for starting a wellness journey specifically. Since habits play such a huge role in this venture, it’s important you know how to work to change your bad habits and develop positive habits . I used my 50% off my first book on AudiobooksNow and I am so glad I did. This book is a life-changer.

3. Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating was a game-changer for me. After recovering from years of disordered eating and dieting, the concept of Intuitive Eating changed my life. Learning about true intuitive eating (it’s not just “eat whatever whenever”) is essential for starting a wellness journey, especially if you don’t already have a good relationship with food. I recommend this book to everyone!

4. Unf*ck Yourself by Gary Bishop

Uf*ck Yourself is a super popular and well-loved book – for good reason! Gary Bishop has gone on to write multiple more books of a similar fashion. However, I can only speak to Unf*ck Yourself… and it is good! It’s all about getting out of your own way in order to build the life you want for yourself.

5. Mark Manson Books

I couldn’t choose between Manson’s two most popular books, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything Is F*cked . Both of these books are a great mix of humor and humility, teaching you how to let go of things that don’t serve you and the art of caring less.

6. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is a must-read for anyone looking to release self-limiting beliefs and overcome mindsets that hold them back. To be honest, all of Don Miguel Ruiz’s books are gold in my eyes. Toltec wisdom is something that I love and reading his books has been life-changing for me. ( The Mastery of Love is my #1 favorite!)

7. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

Anyone that’s read my blog before knows that I am ALL about self-love. I believe that loving yourself is an essential part of a happy, fulfilling life. Good Vibes, Good Life is about practicing and cultivating self-love to transform your life for the better. King does a great job of sharing his personal story in a way that inspires others. Love this book!

8. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul is a classic book about mental wellness and inner work. This book is all about how to free yourself from the constraints that hold you back from your highest potential. Whether it be self-limiting beliefs or external restraints, The Untethered Soul is a guide to freedom from all things that hold you back.

9. Anti Diet by Christy Harrison

As someone very against diet culture and the effects it has, Anti Diet is a book that I love and respect. So many of us (myself included) have been caught up in the hold of diet culture, wasting time, money, energy, health, and happiness. If you are wanting to start a wellness journey, learning about why diets don’t work and why you should be anti-diet can be very helpful. Don’t lose yourself in diet culture!

10. Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton

Overthinking is something that holds so many of us back. As a chronic overthinker myself, this book was eye-opening to just how much overthinking limits my happiness in everyday life. Stop Overthinking is intended to call out negative thought patterns, recognize how they negatively impact your life and help guide you forward into a life free of overthinking.

(This is the most recent wellness book I’ve read and I loved it!)

Best Journals for Your Wellness Journey

Podcasts, books, and journals – the wellness journey starter pack. 😉 In addition to the podcasts and books above, journals were a key tool when starting my own wellness journey.

Here are 5 of my favorite wellness journals.

1. The 5 Minute Journal

You’ve probably seen The 5 Minute Journal on TikTok or Instagram. It’s incredibly popular – and for good reason! Not only is it super aesthetically pleasing, but it’s simple, to the point, and effective for starting a wellness journey.

I actually just finished all the pages in my 5-minute journal last week… I’m going to order a new one. Using this journal has become one of my favorite parts of my morning routine. I love it.

2. Morning/Evening Affirmation Journal

By incorporating positive affirmations into my life, I’ve been able to shift my mindset and boost self-confidence. By no means do I believe positive affirmations are a magical fix, but I do think they’re a great tool!

Get FREE Positive Affirmation Cards HERE !

3. 3-Minute Positivity Journal

The 3-minute positivity journal focuses on improving 5 main areas of your life:

This journal is 60 days long and all it takes is 3 minutes in the morning and night. While this journal alone didn’t make me a positive person, the routine bursts of positivity definitely benefitted me and my mental wellness.

For the price, I’d definitely recommend giving this journal a shot!

4. 5-Minute Self-Care Journal

Having a guided journal dedicated to self-care can be really helpful for staying committed to your wellness journey. This journal includes prompts related to positive affirmation, self-care activities, goals, and more. It is affordable, simple, quick, and effective. I can’t complain!

5. My Self-Care Journal Bundle

After years of my own wellness journey, I decided to create a bundle of pages that includes all of my favorite self-care, health, and wellness resources. I made this bundle in hopes that I could help others pursue a life of happiness and wellness too.

This bundle is over 35 pages of guided wellness prompts and worksheets.

Once you purchase it, you have unlimited access to the PDF file of all the pages. That means you can print out as many copies as you want.

I am in love with this resource and I hope you love it too!

5 Important Reminders for Your Wellnenss Journey

Now that you know the best tips, steps, and essentials for starting a wellness journey, you’re almost ready to get started on your own journey. Along the way, it’s important to keep these 5 things in mind.

1. Your Wellness Journey is Unique

Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparing your journey to someone else’s will not serve you in any way.

There are lots of pictures and videos online from others sharing their own wellness journey (for example, the TikTok “That Girl” trend ). These videos can be inspiring, motivating, or fun to watch, but comparison can creep up quickly.

Your journey won’t look like theirs – and it shouldn’t!

Don’t compare yourselves to those around you or the people you see online. Your life is unique, your goals are unique, your wellness journey is unique. Stay true to yourself. It’s okay if that looks a bit different than what’s trending online.

2. Have a Strong ‘Why’

When you start a wellness journey, motivation is often high and it’s normal to feel the desire to give it your ALL. This is great!

But, if we’re honest, this motivation will dwindle over time. Motivation is great for getting started, but having a really strong “why” is what will keep you going.

Ask yourself: why do you want to start a wellness journey?

What will this add to your life? What are you hoping to achieve?

Having a clear reason for pursuing wellness will carry you through any waning in motivation or energy. A “why” gives your purpose – it’s important to have a strong one.

3. Consistency Over Perfection

Your wellness habits are not going to be 100% “perfect” 100% of the time. This just isn’t realistic and, honestly, is no way to live.

Perfectionism can be detrimental to your wellness journey.

In any circumstance, perfectionism can leave you feeling defeated. Drop the unrealistic expectations of perfection. Free yourself from those pressures.

Instead, focus on consistency.

Are you living your life in a way that overall aligns with your goals? If so, you’re doing great. Keep at it.

4. Give Yourself Grace

Again, perfection is an unrealistic expectation. Expecting perfection of yourself (in any area of life) is likely going to do more harm than good.

Instead, practice giving yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. Grant yourself permission to be human.

Ironically, dropping the perfectionism around starting a wellness journey is one of the best decisions you can make for your wellness journey. Take the pressure off and allow yourself space to learn and grow.

Unnecessary added pressure will only add stress to your life and hinder your wellness journey. Be flexible, be kind, and give yourself grace.

5. Mental Health First

Mental health is the priority – always . Without our mental health, our wellness journey will never be successful. Our mental health is at the root of everything we do.

Be sure to take care of yourself when you start a wellness journey. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in developing new wellness habits that we feel overwhelmed and stressed by the change.

If this is happening, remind yourself that mental health is the #1 priority.

Changing habits, developing routines, and starting a wellness journey are all intended to improve your mental health. If, at any point, it is doing the opposite, you should readjust.

Practice lots of self-care. Whether it be a 5-minute self-care activity or a full day of self-care , make it a priority to show yourself love and kindness at all times.

RELATED POST: 6 Types of Self-Care + Ideas for Each Type

Be kind to your mind, be gentle with your soul, and prioritize mental wellness above all else.

How will you start your wellness journey?

Now that you have all the tools, tips, and tricks for starting a wellness journey, where will you begin?

What wellness goals do you have? Which wellness journey essential will you explore first? What wellness habits do you hope to pick up?

Let me know in the comments! I love to chat about all things wellness!

Take care of yourself,

Hi! I’m Delaney (but you can call me Del)! Welcome to Authentically Del where we discuss all things self-care, productivity, self-improvement, mindset, and more. I'm here to offer authentic tips and advice in hopes that I can help make your life a bit brighter! More About Me...

Reader Interactions

Pratibha says

April 27, 2023 at 10:46 pm

Good to know information

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Trending This Week in the Shop…

Just me popping in to tell you that you are doing great. While productivity is fun, self-care and a healthy mindset are most important. Take good care of yourself. Rest if needed. You are enough always – regardless of productivity levels.

Your Authentic Guide to Self-Care, Productivity, & Self-Improvement

Want to Work With Me? Click Here!

Looking for something specific? Search for it here!

Copyright - Affiliate Disclosure - Cookie Policy - Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy - Disclaimer

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

• Spiritual Resources

Wholeness: 3 Sacred Paths to Finding Your Inner Center

by Aletheia · Nov 10, 2023 · 13 Comments

“Become whole,” “Seek for wholeness,” “Experience more wholeness.”

What does this mean?

We’ve mentioned wholeness a lot on this website. And if you’re a spiritual seeker, soul searcher , or self-growth veteran, you would’ve heard this term a lot. 

But what does it actually mean?

Is it another whimsical, idealistic concept? Or is it actually something possible to experience?

My answer is that yes, wholeness is actually at the core of the spiritual path – and it’s tremendously important to learn about.

So if you’re searching for something deeper, truer, and more satisfying than what the material world can ever offer you, this is the place to be.

Table of contents

What is wholeness, new age vs. psychospiritual –> two ways to understand wholeness, individuation is the enchanted door to wholeness, how to experience more inner wholeness (3 paths), wholeness = holiness, love is the essence of wholeness.

Perhaps the simplest way to put it is that wholeness is an experience, a process, a journey, and also a trait of your innermost Self.

We are dealing with the world of paradox here where two seemingly opposing states can both be true. 

As humans, we are innately flawed, imperfect, and ‘broken.’ Yet at the same time, we contain within us a deeper essence (that goes beyond the ego) that is whole and complete.

Can you see the paradox here?

Wholeness is a trait of your innermost Being and therefore, it’s also an experience you can have in moments of silence, stillness, contemplation, and present moment awareness. 

Furthermore, wholeness is a process and therefore a journey because in order to experience it, we need to slowly dismantle the layers shrouding that inner Whole Core.

‘ Psychospiritual ’ is a word that means psychology and spirituality combined together – it’s the main approach we use here on lonerwolf.

‘ New Age ’ refers to a broad spiritual movement that is defined by an eclectic range of metaphysical practices that focus on positive feelings of love and light.

Both approaches have different ways of seeing wholeness.

The New Age sees wholeness as an oceanic field of oneness . Take renowned mainstream guru Deepak Chopra’s perception, 

Body, mind, spirit, environment, relationships, social interactions are all one wholeness, and you’re a part of that one wholeness.

The emphasis is on inspirational positivity.

The psychospiritual approach is a bit different in that it talks about creating unity in our being. To do this, we must integrate the many often opposing parts of ourselves. It’s a pragmatic approach.

Take depth psychologist Carl Jung’s perception as an example,

Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by integration of the contraries.

Which perspective is true?

Sign up to our LonerWolf Howl newsletter

Get free weekly soul-centered guidance for your spiritual awakening journey! (100% secure.)

Both are valuable and in some sense true. 

The New Age does rightly highlight the beauty of wholeness. But it also neglects to focus on the hard, and often inconvenient reality that we must put in some work to experience the cosmic wonder of wholeness.

Jung called this inner work the process of individuation .

If you can’t tell already, Jung (who is a Sage at heart), has a lot to say about wholeness.

Jung defines individuation as becoming a complete person,

I will try to explain the term “individuation” as simply as possible. By it I mean the psychological process that makes of a human being an “individual” – a unique, indivisible unit or “whole man.”

As we can see, individuation is a journey towards wholeness in which we create a balanced relationship between our inner and outer worlds .

But how do we do this?

There are no “7-steps-to-becoming-whole.” 

This isn’t a listicle. It can’t be – that wouldn’t do justice to this sacred journey.

Wholeness is also not linear, it’s a circular process. 

We’ll go back and forth and in and out as we slowly dissolve the layers obscuring our wholeness or Inner Light.

As I said previously, wholeness is at the center of the spiritual awakening journey .

To reconnect with your wholeness isn’t a side-project or fun hobby. It’s a commitment. It’s a calling that arises from your heart and soul.

Here are a few main psychospiritual practices you can incorporate into your life to experience more inner wholeness:

1. Embrace all sides of yourself through self-compassion (even and ESPECIALLY the warty ones)

Connecting with the heart is at the core of finding (and creating) inner wholeness.

As Dr. Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist writes ,

We are compassionate with ourselves when we are able to embrace all parts of ourselves and recognize the needs and values expressed by each part.

Practicing self-compassion involves learning how to firstly practice self-care and secondly learning how to love yourself .

The more you hone these habits, the more you can be gentle and caring toward yourself. 

Internal family systems – or ‘parts work’ – is another approach you might like to explore. Parts work helps to unify buried, shunned, and traumatized parts of yourself back into the Whole. 

Ultimately, self-compassion is the most powerful when it’s applied to the insecure, angry, jealous, grief-stricken, ugly, and embarrassing parts of ourselves.

For over 12 years, we've poured our hearts into creating free content on this website. Unlike many platforms, we believe this guidance should be accessible to everyone. If this post empowered you in any way, please consider making a donation to keep us going. Any amount (one-time or ongoing) makes a huge difference.

So get into the habit of saying “I love you,” “It’s okay,” and “I accept you” to even your most warty and flawed parts. This heart work is powerful medicine. 

2. Draw and meditate on mandalas

Mandala is a Sanskrit word for ‘circle’ and the circle is an ancient shape that represents wholeness.

As author Jan Fries writes ,

A mandala is a map, a model of the world, a model of the mind, and a powerful visual device to invoke specific consciousness states. Like sigils and symbols, mandalas touch the deeper layers of the mind. 

The fact that mandalas reach the deepest layers of our minds was something well understood by psychologist-sage Carl Jung.

In his book Jung and Shamanism , C. Michael Smith explores how Jung would use the mandala as a doorway into the psyche :

In the mornings he would sketch a circle in his notebooks, a mandala … and within it he would draw what he felt to be his inner situation at the time … Jung discovered that through such drawings he could observe his own psychic transformations from day to day. Gradually it began to dawn on Jung that the mandala is really a mirror of the psyche in its totality.

Jung was also known to incorporate mandalas into his psychotherapy practice with patients.

Intuitively, I believe we can all sense that the mandala represents wholeness. It is an image that is both fractured and whole at the same time – just like us human beings.

So why not try drawing your own mandala? It’s simple. Just get a piece of paper and a pencil. There’s no need to get fancy with colors if you don’t want to.

Here’s a simple youtube tutorial:

If drawing a mandala intimidates you, find a mandala image to meditate on. There are many freely available mandala images on the internet.

Make this into a daily practice and journal about what you experience and feel.

3. Hold hands with the devil inside of you

We’re all imperfect and therefore we all carry a ‘dark side.’ 

This dark side is often referred to as the shadow self because it’s hidden from us, buried within the unconscious mind, and suppressed from everyday awareness.

The tendency of New Age spirituality is to deny the shadow, seeking to focus only on spiritual ascension . But denying the shadow only makes it grow larger and angrier, like the lava in a volcano about to erupt.

It’s for this reason that I tend to favor the union of psychology and spirituality (or psychospirituality) which, amazingly enough, willingly reaches out to the shadow. 

To experience more inner wholeness, we need to be able to embrace all elements of our being. Introducing psychological exploration into our spiritual practice is, therefore, crucial to moving toward this inner wholeness. 

The psychospiritual approach that I advocate on this website is inner work which contains three foundational practices:

• Inner child work
• Shadow work

To hold the hand of your inner devil you must first build a strong foundation of self-love. Otherwise, how can you befriend your darkest shadows? You’ll just end up rejecting/hating them and fragmenting yourself even more.

Inner child work helps you to soothe and comfort your wounded innocence so that you can feel safe enough to venture into the dark.

And shadow work is the final step, allowing you to experience more inner peace and opening a doorway to greater spiritual growth .

Inner Work Journal Bundle:

Did you know that wholeness and holiness are connected?

Holy comes from the Old English word hālig , which means “whole, healthy, entire, and complete.”

So to be whole means to be holy. 

Wholeness is holiness – and this is why when we have a direct experience of our wholeness it tends to feel like a mystical experience of awe, gratitude, love, and reverie.

What does every pathway to wholeness have in common?

If you stretch a human’s body out, you will see that the heart is roughly at the center. Perhaps this is why wholeness is likened to the experience of ‘ Christ Consciousness ’?

The symbol of Jesus on the cross is a metaphor for the heart. He is often depicted holding a heart with thorns wrapped around it known as the ‘Sacred Heart.’

Indeed, wholeness is a byproduct of connecting with and living from the heart. 

And it is this spiritual integration of the light and dark within us that helps us to awaken our True Nature . 

In the words of the Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen,

True Enlightenment and wholeness arise when we are without anxiety about non-perfection.

Anxiety is a result of rejecting the imperfect within us. 

Love (or enlightenment and wholeness) results when we embrace the imperfect within us.

I hope this article has helped to shed more light on wholeness.

May you be graced to experience the wholeness at the core of your being through the power of love.

Remember that while the mind may be fragmented, your Soul and deepest Essence isn’t and can never be. 

So tell me …

What is your experience with wholeness? I’d love to hear below.

More Integration

About Aletheia

Aletheia is a prolific psychospiritual writer, author, educator, and intuitive guide whose work has touched the lives of millions worldwide. As a survivor of fundamentalist religious abuse, her mission is to help others find love, strength, and inner light in even the darkest places. She is the author of hundreds of popular articles, as well as numerous books and journals on the topics of Self-Love, Spiritual Awakening, and more. [Read More]

Support Our Work

We spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours every month writing, editing, and managing this website – you can find out more in our support page . If you have found any comfort, support, or guidance in our work, please consider donating as it would mean the world to us:

Custom Amount:

I'd like to receive your latest weekly newsletter!

To those who have a hard time loving themselves, clearly you feel like you have to obey society’s strict rules of judgment and punishment on yourself. But hear me out with this? Isn’t there a part of you that’s tired of that? So exhausted with putting up with society’s rigid rules, that you barely even have any breathing room to do anything you want in life? Don’t you have a little voice in your head that tells you to rebel against that? Isn’t there a part of you that’s just furious with how much you’re told to think of yourself as less? Don’t you secretly want to think of yourself as more? To be more, to feel more, and to do more? Some part of you that just wants to do everything you want, and to be free to find your happiness as you do? Now, what I want is for you to be aware of that inner voice you have in your head that’s like that. That’s just tired of putting up with society’s judgmental and impossible high standards all the time. I’m not telling you to agree with it. Just . . . listen to it more. Acknowledge …  Read more »

You guys are brilliant once again! Creatively and informatively putting together this read that has opened my mind, my eyes, and helped me to understand why I’ve been stuck in my journey. I can feel my wholeness completely when I’m in meditation, but obviously due to life I can’t stay in that peaceful state of being all day and night and I find myself wondering off to past habits and paths knowing it doesn’t feel right, but heavy. So I find myself going back and forth, like you mentioned and I feel so good. To understand that I’m human and not alone. And this, exploring and integrating my light and dark side instead of suppressing it, made a light bulbs go off in my mind! I’m ok. I’m going to be ok. And I thank y’all for the inspiration, knowledge, enlightenment, I don’t know where I would be without it all! Peace and love! Namaste.

Thank you for your articles. It always gives me insight on learning more about myself and my spiritual journey. My experience with wholeness has been amazing, almost to good to be true. The more I listened to my heart space the more messages I received. I never would have imagined that I had to be still in order to experience oneness. I’m forever grateful and thankful that I travel the depths that I needed too because it brought me so much clarity about my inner world and outer one. I am able to see and feel things on a profound level because we’re all connected to the life force or divine force. Now I truly innerstand that God is love and love is God.

Wholeness for me isn’t simple for me to define. I did approach it from the perspective of the individual and that’s based on seeing first hand that everything is reflecting what is active for me. My love and shadow are imprinted on everything and everyone I experience. That realization is closing the gaps/ or lifting the veil for me. I don’t seek the intangibles outside of me as much anymore. Some areas still need work. Learning to not attack the manifestation which seems to recycle it but see it for what it is and treat it as such.

This article was amazing. I have always been shocked, if not disbelieving the idea that humans were whole from the start. But when I read this, it all makes sense. Its all about accepting the self and letting oneself be imperfect. I struggle a lot with this. I am desperate to be as good a person as possible, but often end up as a doormat as a result and beat myself up severely if i do anything wrong. This was a liberating read!

“The Whole Child” is a great book! Oi! CAT

To be whole is to know the sum of the parts that make up wholeness. Often we only see the outer shell of our being with its petty worries grievances, anxieties, with our own vested interests and desires. With these in tow, we attempt to veer away from the imperfections they represent, by avoidance, laziness, too much sleep, or just cannot be bothered in facing them. We push for only the bright side and forget to withdraw somewhat or just a little from this outer reality and to be as Sol and Luna speak, to find the stillness within. So the deeper we dive into the mind and the more crap rubbish and past foibles we can sort out shift around and in many cases choose to delete that which no longer functions well, we find this quietens the mind, allows for recreation and rest to be truly beneficial and brings peace and harmony within our being…Bliss! Also getting to know yourself and the inner functions of your being both good and bad help us to live at variance. When some parts are out of kilter and extreme and negative, we already can take stock of ourselves and choose from …  Read more »

Guide to creating a whole journey employee experience

• December 13, 2021
• James Scott, CEO - Thrive.App

Considering how your employees experience their workplace is important for retaining talent, particularly now staff shortages are at their highest for decades.  Here are some tips for creating a great experience for your employees at every stage of their employment journey.

The employee experience – put simply – is the journey taken by an employee within your organisation. Such a journey shouldn’t just happen: it should be planned, prepared, and executed carefully to ensure that every employee not only feels like part of the organisation, but knows their purpose and has opportunities to grow.

If employee journeys are poorly managed employees may eventually become disengaged and less committed to their jobs.

This is easily avoidable with some straightforward planning; just as a marketer or operations team would use a customer journey map to improve customer or client experience, business and HR leaders can use an employee journey map to both visualise and improve employee experience.  

How to create an employee journey map The process of plotting your employees’ experiences on a map is a proactive approach to developing a holistic view of stages. It also allows you to better track what’s working and what’s not.  

Firstly, start by outlining the journey stages, which may look something like this:  

• Recruiting & hiring 
• Engagement & retention
• Development 

  Next, plot on your map what ought to be taking place at every stage for the best possible employee experience. Consider: 

• what the objectives are for each phase. 
• what the employee may be feeling or experiencing at each phase. 
• what actions should be taken and by whom. 
• what the main touchpoints are. 
• how the experience will be measured.   

  This works best when done for each employee “segment” within your organisation. A segment could be specific to the department in which they work (such as sales, IT or marketing) or to their role (such as a manager or coordinator), or – ideally – both. It should also consider their location: deskless employees will have a vastly different experience in their journey than someone sitting in the corporate office, for example.  

Using the example of the journey stages outlined above, here is a more in-depth look at each one, with some suggestions on how to create an excellent experience throughout.

Stage one: recruiting and hiring

How your prospective employee may be feeling: Prospective employees may be feeling fearful or apprehensive about their ability to find a job, or perhaps eager to discover a new role in another company.

How to make it an excellent experience: This phase is likely to be the very first time your prospective employees get a sense of your company values and culture. Therefore, your hiring process should be clear and engaging, helping to effectively communicate those values while outlining job requirements. 

Ease any concerns about your organisation with strong communication from this earliest phase. 

Stage two: Onboarding

How your employee might be feeling: At this stage the employee may be feeling both excited and nervous about starting their new role, as well as overwhelmed at the amount of information they must consume and retain.

How to make it an excellent experience: A Gallup study found that only 12% of employees think their companies do a great job of onboarding new employees. Rather than sink your organisation into the other 88%, kick off onboarding as you mean to go on, with a thoughtful approach to this phase of the journey.

• Provide information that is as targeted to their role and as personalised as possible, so they feel welcome and valued (and not like just another new hire). Bonus experience points for offering multi-lingual onboarding support.  
• You’ll be providing a ton of logistical information, company documents, policies, and so on. Make it digestible, easy to locate and access, and available on any device.  
• While they’re getting up to speed on essentials, make sure they know where to find the fun; perhaps you run events and competitions, for example, designed to bring your teams together. 
• Make sure they know who leadership is and how to access other contact information via a readily accessible directory of people.  

Stage three: Engagement and retention

What your employee might be feeling: Ideally, by now your employee will feel part of the team and that they have valuable skills and ideas to contribute. However, a 2019 study showed that, after just six months of employment enthusiasm among employees declines by about 22%. Depending on the experience and other factors, the employee may be discouraged, feel overlooked, or like they don’t quite fit in or measure up.  

How to make it an excellent experience:

• Provide the ongoing training and support your employees need not just to perform their job functions, but to progress professionally as well. This will lead to greater retention and help your organisation avoid being swept up in the “turnover tsunami” that has affected so many this year.  
• Foster inclusion and encourage all voices to contribute in a variety of ways, whether it’s by creating user-generated content or participating in pulse surveys to share their opinions and experiences.  
• Proactively communicate with employees, and ensure they have ways to offer feedback. Then, respond to that feedback so employees know they are being heard.
• Celebrate achievements and empower team members to recognise each other. Consider integrating an employee app into your existing recognition programmes to make recognition more immediate.

Stage four: Development 

How your employee may be feeling: Many employees will be keen to grow their skills and even gain promotion. Conversely, some may feel disgruntled or bored. Both types of employees need opportunities to grow while gaining recognition. 

How to make it an excellent experience: 

• Take pulse surveys and use the resulting data to know where the business can improve its employee experience and what employees want in terms of development opportunities.  
• Motivate employees with an abundance of training and development modules alongside other learning and growth opportunities. Make these things easy for employees to access where and when they would like. Personalise training for each employee.  
• Continue to recognise employees on a frequent basis by publishing success stories on your communication channels. 
• Host events and competitions to encourage interaction and connection.  

Ultimately, taking time to focus on your employee experience strategy and making a conscious effort to ensure your workforce are engaged and satisfied within their roles can be hugely beneficial for your organisation. After all, those who are happy at work are undoubtedly more likely to enhance the customer experience – and what business wouldn’t want that?

Receive more HR related news and content with our Free Newsletter

How to avoid employee disengagement in the age of ai, myths surrounding ai in the recruitment industry busted, fourth industrial revolution navigation: a guide to thriving in the digital economy – article of the week – issue 234 – april 2024, latest news, how hr can help protect businesses and employees against cyber threats, 23 april 2024.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing , The Workplace

22 april 2024, understanding high-functioning anxiety in the workplace.

Artificial Intelligence

21 april 2024, moving the hr function forward, receive the latest hr news and strategic content.

Reimagining Employee Incentives: Key Strategies for Motivation and Retention

Half of employees unaware of what their pension is invested in

Why are UK firms struggling to recruit AI experts?

Majority of UK leaders confident of meeting pay expectations this year

Flexible jobs market booms despite return-to-office demands

Latest hr jobs, hr officer (108974-0424), payroll and human resources (hr) administrator, hr coordinator, head of compliance/ ops role – education recruitment – scr2r – newcastle upon tyne.

Peter Banks

Founder & ceo, jason spiller, digital marketing, beenu weerawardena, hady elsayed, subscriptions, sonja grimes, advertising, advertising sales, publication and online, 01454 292063   [email protected], recruitment, 01454 292 069     [email protected], customer service, 01454 292 060 [email protected] m, subscriber service, +441454292060 [email protected].

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Definition of whole

 (Entry 1 of 3)

Definition of whole  (Entry 2 of 3)

Definition of whole  (Entry 3 of 3)

• concentrated
• focussed

perfect , whole , entire , intact mean not lacking or faulty in any particular.

perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state.

whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained.

entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing.

intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state.

Examples of whole in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English hool healthy, unhurt, entire, from Old English hāl ; akin to Old High German heil healthy, unhurt, Old Norse heill , Old Church Slavonic cělŭ

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing whole

• a greater whole
• a whole lot
• a whole lot of
• committee of the whole
• go (the) whole hog
• heart - whole
• in the whole wide world
• mean the (whole) world
• on the whole
• out of whole cloth
• run the whole show
• tell the whole world
• the whole bit
• the whole caboodle
• the whole enchilada
• the whole / entire way
• the whole kit and caboodle
• the whole nine yards
• the whole schmear
• the whole shebang
• the whole shooting match
• the whole time
• the whole truth
• the whole works
• the (whole) world over
• whole cloth
• whole language
• whole - life
• whole life insurance
• whole nother
• whole number
• whole - souled
• whole story
• whole wheat

Articles Related to whole

'Wholistic': A Natural Evolution Of...

'Wholistic': A Natural Evolution Of 'Holistic'

The 'w' brings the meaning full circle.

'Whole Milk', 'British English', and 16...

'Whole Milk', 'British English', and 16 More Retronyms

New(er) words for old things

Where Does 'Hello' Come From?

Don't answer the phone with 'ahoy'

Dictionary Entries Near whole

who goes there

whole binding

Cite this Entry

“Whole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of whole.

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Kids Definition of whole  (Entry 2 of 2)

Old English hāl "healthy" — related to hale entry 1

Medical Definition

Medical definition of whole, more from merriam-webster on whole.

Nglish: Translation of whole for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of whole for Arabic Speakers

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day, tendentious.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More commonly misspelled words, commonly misspelled words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), absent letters that are heard anyway, how to use accents and diacritical marks, popular in wordplay, the words of the week - apr. 19, 10 words from taylor swift songs (merriam's version), 9 superb owl words, 10 words for lesser-known games and sports, your favorite band is in the dictionary, games & quizzes.