You drink the filtered water. You stretch in the morning sun. You swapped processed snacks for fresh fruit, maybe even ditched the plastic for glass food containers. You’re doing the work—taking care of your body, your mind, and your space. But here’s the thing no one really tells you: wellness isn’t just what you eat or how you move. It’s also about how you live. The little things. The daily choices. And when those choices start supporting the world around you too, something shifts. That’s where sustainable living steps in—not as another to-do list, but as a gentle companion to everything you’re already doing to feel better in your skin.
So if you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things and still wondering if there’s more to this whole wellness lifestyle—there is. It might be smaller than you think. And yes, it makes a difference.
The Energy Around You Affects The Energy Within You
When your home feels calm and clean, you breathe differently. When your space isn’t filled with throwaway stuff or harsh chemicals, your nervous system relaxes, even if you don’t notice it at first. Choosing sustainable habits creates this ripple effect—one that extends from your kitchen cabinets to your state of mind. Maybe it starts with switching out paper towels for washable cloths or keeping plants that clean the air. Maybe you find yourself turning off lights more often or pausing before you buy something you might not really need.
These shifts aren’t just good for the planet. They help build a more peaceful kind of daily life. A life where things feel slower, easier, less chaotic. When your surroundings feel more in sync with nature, your body follows. You’ll often feel less tense, less overstimulated. That’s because sustainability isn’t just about saving resources—it’s about creating balance, and balance is at the core of natural wellness.
Your Body Notices What It Touches And Breathes
You already try to avoid processed food. Maybe you’ve moved toward non-toxic cleaners or filtered water. But what about the stuff your skin touches every single day? What about the things you flush, the shampoo you rinse down the drain, or the sprays that linger in the air? Those choices matter too. And they’re often overlooked.
When you start choosing products that are easier on the environment, you usually end up choosing products that are gentler on your body, too. Simple choices like organic toilet paper—something you might not think about but ends up making a surprisingly big difference, especially for sensitive skin. Or shampoo without sodium lauryl sulfate instead of the chemical-heavy kind that dries out your scalp and irritates your eyes. These swaps support your natural microbiome, your hormones, and even your mood.
And it doesn’t stop there. Fewer toxins in your home means less pressure on your body to detox constantly. That means your immune system gets to focus on what really matters. It means fewer headaches, less inflammation, and a sense that your body finally gets to exhale.
Sustainability Connects You To Something Bigger Than Yourself
You don’t have to become an environmentalist overnight to feel connected to the earth. Just stepping into a lifestyle that values what’s already here—reusing, repurposing, reducing waste—can make you feel more grounded. There’s a quiet kind of peace in knowing your habits are part of something healing. It makes you feel less alone.
Whether you’re composting your kitchen scraps or choosing a reusable grocery bag, each of those acts is a small statement: I care. Not just about me, but about the space I take up. That kind of living builds a sense of purpose, and that sense of purpose can even help with anxiety. It reminds you that you’re part of a system, that your choices matter, that you’re not just floating through life without impact.
That emotional wellness—feeling rooted, feeling useful, feeling intentional—is just as important as physical health. A sustainable lifestyle supports that feeling every single day, without needing perfection from you. Just consistency, just care.
Sustainable Habits Encourage Slow Living (Which Your Body Loves)
Fast everything—fast food, fast fashion, fast shipping—it all adds up to stress. Rushed decisions, impulse buys, chaotic schedules. But when you slow down, your body gets the message. Living more sustainably naturally invites you to slow things down. You cook more from scratch. You repair instead of replace. You walk to the store instead of driving.
These things seem small, but they change the pace of your life. They create space. And in that space, there’s healing. Your digestion improves, your sleep deepens, your breath softens. When you’re not being pulled in every direction, your nervous system can finally reset. And it turns out, living in harmony with the earth has a way of putting you back in harmony with yourself.
That’s not just a nice idea—it’s something your body feels. Less noise. Less waste. Less chaos. More peace. More intention. More ease.
Your Children And Future Self Will Thank You
If you’ve ever thought about what kind of world you’re leaving behind—or even what kind of body you want to live in twenty years from now—sustainability matters. It’s not about guilt or pressure. It’s about modeling care. When your kids see you recycling, making your own cleaners, or growing herbs in the window, they learn to value that rhythm. They learn to value life itself.
And for your future self? The one who wants fewer toxins stored up, fewer autoimmune symptoms, less clutter, more time—this way of living is a gift. The habits you build today become the wellness foundation you stand on later.
It’s all connected. You’re not just helping the planet or checking off a wellness trend. You’re aligning the inside and outside of your life. And when that happens, things feel different. More real. More calm. More alive.
Sustainable living doesn’t ask you to be perfect. It just asks you to care a little more, notice a little more, and choose a little better. And the best part? When you do, your body, your mind, and your life start feeling better too. It’s all part of the same story—one where every piece, even the smallest one, counts.
Dr. Laura Kostrzewski, a San Diego native, completed her undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University, earning a BS in animal science with minors in Spanish and Psychology. She then earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and taught fifth grade in the central coast of California for two years. After being extremely involved in her grandfather’s journey with Parkinson’s disease and end-of-life care, Dr. Kostrzewski decided to move back to San Diego and enroll at Bastyr University California. Dr. Kostrzewski received her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University California in June of 2019, and then went on to complete her residency at Bastyr. Before AVENA Wellness, DR. K started her own private practice, focusing on management of neurodegenerative conditions, and continued teaching at Bastyr as adjunct faculty, until founding Avena Health.