The Art of Self-Preservation: Ancient Wisdom + Modern Wellness

What if your healthiest life wasn't a destination, but an art form? In this solo episode, host Sheri Davidson explores “the art of self-preservation,” a lifestyle design approach rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, personal responsibility, and mindful living. With insight, warmth, and practical wisdom, Sheri shares why self-care is a non-negotiable and how to start creating a wellness practice that actually sticks.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The ancient Chinese concept of Yang Sheng Fa and its modern relevance
• Why wellness is an active pursuit, not a passive state
• A mindfulness exercise to help you clarify your wellness vision
• The 9 pillars of holistic health Sheri uses in coaching (with a twist)

🎧 A must-listen if you’re ready to take your well-being into your own hands—and make it personal, powerful, and lasting.

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Transcript

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Hello, friends. Welcome to the Wellness Inspired Podcast. I'm your host, Sherri Davidson, and this is the second episode of 2022. And I have to say, I started 2022 outright. I just got back from Catalina Island. I had a 50K race there, and it was absolutely beautiful. The race went awesome. It was a race and trip that went better than planned. So if you listened to the last episode, my short race report on Franklin Mountains 27K, well, it was nothing like that. We are talking two ends of the spectrum here, but that's how it goes. Some races are great. Some races are bad and others are kind of like our days, but it was beautiful. I'm back and I have to say I'm still processing everything. It is one that's going to go down as one of my favorite races to date. It was that good. So once I processed it, I will share it with you on a short race report and what I learned. Well, let's talk about this episode. This is episode number five, the art of self-preservation. Most of you know, I am passionate about wellness and helping others. That's why I started this podcast. I believe in the philosophy that wellness is an active pursuit. You don't get well and stay well. It's an everyday choice. In this episode, I'm diving in to the art of self-preservation, and I am really excited to share this with you. But first, a few words. If you're new to the podcast, please check out the previous episodes on the glorious gut biome, spiritual direction, and animal communication and financial wellness. There are jewels of information in those episodes. I'll put the link in the show notes so you can click and listen. And please let me know what you think. I am dedicated to bringing you inspiring content So I would love to hear from you. Suggestions, ideas on what inspire you are always welcome. You can join the Wellness Inspired community to get updates on new episodes and wellness inspiration in your inbox. Go to thewellnessinspiredpodcast.com to sign up. I'll put the link to the website in the show notes as well. You can also join the Facebook community at the Wellness Inspired Podcast. And you can find me on Instagram at wellnessinspired. If you're interested in health and wellness coaching, we can connect in the clinic or Zoom. Reach out and we'll get you on the schedule. That wraps it up. All right, let's jump into episode number five, the art of self-preservation. So what is the art of self-preservation? The art of self-preservation, it's a way of life, a lifestyle you design to achieve your highest potential for well-being. It's a skill you cultivate and and master over time. And that's the art of self-preservation wrapped up in a nice little package. I really love this topic because I believe your greatest asset is your health. I truly do. As an acupuncturist and wellness coach, I see tremendous value in helping others stay well and healthy. This journey started for me back in school while I was getting my master's of acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin. Give them a little shout out here. Love that school. It was there the seed was planted. It was a quote from a book, The Yellow Emperor's Classic on Internal Medicine, 500 BC. 500 BC, that's a long time ago. This was a mandatory reading we had to read for foundations class. And the quote said, the physician who teaches people to sustain their health is the superior physician. This quote resonated with me and stuck with me through the years. It made sense on a personal and a professional level. I did not know then, but this quote was going to be the foundation of my life and practice. How can I achieve an enduring, healthy, vital life? How can I help others achieve an enduring, healthy, vital life? And there's more to the story. Chinese medicine has theories on both curative and preventative medicine. Of course, the preferred was preventative medicine. That was implied in another famous quote saying the doctor didn't get paid if the patient got sick. The doctor only got paid when the patient was well. If the patient got sick, the doctor treated for free until the patient was well again. What a concept, right? What if we did that today, didn't pay the doctors if we got sick? I like the concept, but in reality, it doesn't work because we have to take personal responsibility for our health and well-being. We cannot put the responsibility solely on doctors or other healthcare practitioners. And this is a side note. When I talk about preventative medicine, the art of self-preservation, the art of self-care, I'm talking about chronic diseases. I know responsibility is not a panacea. Unfortunately, disease and illness will always be around, but by taking personal responsibility for our own health, we can greatly reduce chronic diseases, suffering, and cost. Instead, by taking charge, we will feel empowered, inspired, and live a quality life. Okay. Back on track. There is a phrase used in Chinese medicine. The phrase is Yang Sheng Fa. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and it has been the foundation of TCM for thousands of years. Yang Sheng Fa translates to life nourishing principles. It is the art of enabling self-cultivation by taking your own health into your own hands to prevent illness and preserve well-being. So in essence, yang sheng fa is an ancient holistic self-care approach that considers all pillars of your health for a vital life. But here's taking it a step further. Not only was it important for doctors to keep their patients well, but it was imperative for the practitioner to follow the same life-nourishing principles to be an effective practitioner. I love that. Practice what you preach, right? But this is just not from an integrity standpoint. A practitioner that maintains good health and well-being has greater focus and positive outcomes in their practice. You see, wellness is not a new concept. It dates back to 500 BC. It is an ancient one that is being rediscovered. How did we lose our way of taking care of our most valuable asset, our health and well-being? And unfortunately, Chronic diseases are a serious issue today, and the cases are on the rise. The cause? Consistent, poor lifestyle choices that slowly build up over time and greatly affect our health. But there's good news. The good news is most are preventable or easily maintained. So let me ask you this. Do you suffer from a chronic disease? But let's take a step back. How is a chronic disease diagnosed? According to the CDC, a chronic disease is a condition that lasts one year or more and requires ongoing medical attention or limits activities of daily living or both. And there are some big contributing factors. One, we're living longer due to the ingenuity of our species of modern medicine, modern conveniences and technologies, three of the biggest players. And they're helping our lifestyles in good ways and bad ways. We're eating more, moving less. Our modern values drive stress, anxiety and burnout. There is more loneliness and social isolation. The quality of our food has gone down. I mean, sugar is in everything. It's in milk. Sugar is in milk. If you've never looked, grab your milk carton and look on the back. They add sugar to milk. We have a healthcare system that is failing to keep us healthy. Our environments, our physical environments play a role in our health and wellness and socioeconomic factors. And unfortunately, there are big costs associated with the contributing factors of chronic disease, and they are an economic and human cost. So I'd like to read another quote from And this is from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. And it says, the nation's collective health bears both an economical and human cost. Now, I'm going to talk about the economic cost. It's a macro view, and most of you will not connect to this macro view, but I think it's good to throw it out there. So chronic diseases have a significant health and economical cost in the U.S., 90% of the nation's$3.7 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures are for people with chronic diseases and mental health conditions. Preventing chronic diseases or maintaining symptoms when prevention is not possible can reduce those costs. 90% of the nation's$3.7 trillion. That is crazy. And the main players, obesity and overweight accounts for 47.1% of the total cost of chronic diseases, making it the greatest risk factor contributing to chronic diseases in the United States. Other risk factors are smoking, lack of physical exercise, and excessive alcohol use. So I just wanted to throw that macro view out there. Again, it's not something that most people are going to find inspiring and want to run outside and make some big change, but I do believe it is worth mentioning and bringing some awareness to that view. But it's the human cost. It's that micro level where you will find a connection to because it could be you. You know, six in every 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease. There are four in 10 that live with two or more. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. It contributes to loss loved ones due to premature death. Medical expenses are the number one reason for bankruptcy in the United States. And there is an immense amount of suffering and a low quality of life. Now, I don't have all the answers, especially to the macro problems. It seems very overwhelming, but I know we have to start somewhere. And the best place to start is with you, your health and wellness. And this is where it gets fun. So let's talk about wellness. Let's define wellness because you guys know I love definitions. So according to the Global Wellness Institute. Wellness is the active pursuit of choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. I really like this because it implies wellness is not a static state. You don't get well and stay well. Wellness is an active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. The action of pursuing wellness is self-preservation or self-care. It is essential to living an optimal, positive, productive, long, and healthy life. There is no way around it. And I prefer the art of self-preservation because art implies you are creating something uniquely to you. It's highly individualized and as it should be because there is only one of you. I also like art because you are cultivating a skill to achieve your highest potential for well-being. All you have to do is is start and stay consistent. So how do you start your journey? I would start with a mindfulness exercise. If you're driving, you may wait to do this until you get home or at work, but I would sit in a comfortable chair, somewhere where it's quiet, give yourself about 15, 20 minutes, and really be present in your life as it is now. Accept where you are without judgment now. And think about what your life would look like If you were in a state of optimal health, what does the picture look like? What are you doing? How do you feel? This is the end product. Now, there really is no end product because life is dynamic and it's always changing and so is wellness. It is not a static state, but it's a good place to start making change. If you don't know where you're going, you don't know where to start. So when you sit down to do the exercise, think about all areas of your life. Wellness is multifaceted. It encompasses physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and spiritual dimensions. And these are called your pillars of health. Now, if you look online, you will see the pillars are a little different depending on the source. I received my health and wellness coaching certification from Duke Integrative Medicine, and they use the will of health. However, I made one change. The Duke will of health didn't have financial wellness. Well, it had it, but it was not a standalone pillar. It was included in the personal and professional development pillar. And I strongly, strongly believe finances are a huge contributing factor to our health and wellness. Therefore, I feel it needs to stand alone. So here are mine. Number one is nutrition. Two, financial wellness. Three, relationships, connections, and communication. Four, mindfulness. Five, physical exercise and movement. Six, spirituality. Seven, sleep, rest, and recovery. Eight, personal and professional development. And nine, physical environment. So when you do the mindful exercise, think about all of these areas. I love doing this at the beginning of each year. I also like doing it every quarter. I like to check in to see what is working and what is not working. Also to make sure I'm on track. And the more you do this mindful exercise, you become aware of things you were not aware of before. This might change your course. So it is important to be flexible in your vision and plan. The more you become aware, the more nuanced you can be. It's like the details in a design that refine it and makes it unique. called The Timeless Way of Building. This is from my design years. I still consider myself a designer. But the book is by Christopher Alexander. And I talk about him all the time. So this will not be the last time you hear of him. He is a professor of architecture at Berkeley. I think he's about 85 years old now. And he describes a space that is alive. And he says, a space that is alive is where all your internal conflicts are resolved. This is peace. And this can also be your internal space. Where is this for you? Where do you feel most alive? That's a big question. And I think that is a good place to wrap it up. But first, I'd like to recap before I go. Why is self-preservation or self-care important? It's important because it's better to stay well than to wait for illness to strike. This is not a modern discovery. It is an ancient rediscovery. And no matter your current state of health, you can begin to appreciate yourself as a growing, changing person. You can change in healthy, positive ways to live a more vital, fulfilling life. So I hope you take on the adventure and start your wellness journey in 2022. Try the mindful exercise. If you are in an optimal state of health, what does that look like? How does it feel? What are you doing? How do you look? What are you thinking? I promise it's worth the work. And remember, the art of preservation is a way of life, a lifestyle you design to achieve your highest potential for well-being. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. And never stop exploring, learning, loving, and being you. Bye.