Barriers to Wellness: What Keeps Communities from Thriving?

Wellness isn't equally accessible. I'm not going to play like its not a privilege to be able to prioritize your wellbeing.

Many people face real barriers:

- Lack of time due to multiple jobs. I mean you have to live right. If you cant take care of basic needs the rest of this is just icing for a nonexistent cake.

- Unsafe neighborhoods that limit outdoor activity. Period. Being able to play outside or take a walk knowing that there are sidewalks or safe green spaces means less to spend on gyms and wellness.

- Limited access to nutritious food or safe transportation. Safety means security: job security, the ability to buy what you need from where ever and get it home, and more.

- High healthcare costs. Being sick or not having insurance to prevent illness is costly.

When I was a resident, I remember bringing home less than 35k a year while working 80 hours a week and still having to tutor on the side to afford gas and groceries. The struggle to be healthy is real. It didn't just limit my choices, it raised my stress level even more! So many patients assumed that I didn't know the life not realizing that I too was just trying to get ends to meet. My apartment forced me to walk my dog to the mailbox daily. When I moved into my home, the combination of old fences and very large unsupervised dogs made it unsafe to do our daily walks. Likewise, some areas have no sidewalks so you have to be in the street with cars zooming past. Eventually, I was able to afford to go somewhere else to exercise but that's not the story for all.

Consider:

- Advocating for walkable communities and public transit

- Expanding access to community health resources

- Supporting wellness programs at schools, churches, and clinics

It's clear that we must acknowledge these structural barriers to promote wellness for everyone. We may have to do things differently, but it is not impossible to get well.

Your LivingScript: Ask yourself what would wellness look like if it were truly accessible to all? How can you amplify that?

Be a part of the change.

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