There is a word in French that is the total opposite of well-being.
well-being is “bien-être”
The opposite in French is "mal-être"
It looks like there is actually no such word in the English vocabulary. The translation I got is "malaise" that does not resonate the same way at all, at least for me.
Would the exact opposite of well-being be "bad-being"?
I would love to get my native-English speaking audience on this.
My point here is that well-being is about BEING well. not doing well. BEING well.
In my own experience of chronic anxiety at work, I was doing well: I was producing the results expected from me, I had good relationships with my teammates and managers.
But I can assure that I was not being well. I was experiencing a deep "mal-être", malaise, "bad-being".
My anxiety was the symptom of a misalignment between what I was doing and the way I was doing it and who I was.
I was constantly pushing myself and my internal experience was was painful.
Looking back, with all I have learnt and all the path I have walked, I can clearly see that this anxiety was the result of my own self-sabotaging. Instead of trusting my intuition and inner wisdom, I was pushing back and trying to fit in in ways that I thought were the ones expected from me, external voices and expectations ai had internalized and made mine, but that were not.
It is totally clear for me that the Gaelle I evolved into will have a a totally different experience of her career. She will lean into her strengths, trust her intuition, connect to her love of learning. She will lead her career from a place of love, not a place of fear.
And yes, there will be stress, struggles, conflicts... but nothing she cannot move through and learn from.
Why: because I know (most of the time) that I am enough. and when I doubt, I remind myself that I am.
I do not write about myself to brag or surf on the waves of "vulnerability".
No. I share my story because I know that there are others, right now, living with the deep pain I once experienced. And it brings tears to my eyes.
Your internal mal-être, your anxiety, is a message from your inner wisdom to get your attention. To tell you there is another path for you. A path where you are being well. A path aligned with who you are. A path where you give the world the best of you.
Give yourself a voice. Listen to it.
I am here to support you and guide you on a path where you free yourself from your anxiety and head towards alignment, peace and joy... being well!
PS: I chose a short video where I am being really well ;)
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