A Therapist's Guide to Sustainable Health and Energy
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
By Aja Chavez, LMFT, LPCC
VP of Adolescent Services at Mission Prep Healthcare
After more than a decade working with adolescents in mental health care and running my own practice, I've learned that the most important wellness lessons often come from watching what doesn't work. I've seen countless young people and families crash from trying to maintain unsustainable routines. I've felt it myself as a working mother of two, trying to balance leadership responsibilities with family life and self-care. The truth is, most of us are getting it wrong when it comes to long-term health and energy management.
What wellness habit has stood the test of time for you?
The single practice that has carried me through career transitions, graduate school, raising children, and leading programs is deceptively simple. Walking. Not intense workouts or complicated fitness regimens, just consistent, daily walks. When I moved from upstate New York to Southern California, I discovered that a morning walk before the family wakes up gives me mental clarity that no amount of coffee can replicate. It's not about burning calories or hitting step goals. It's about creating a non-negotiable space where my mind can process the previous day and prepare for what's ahead. This habit has survived every major life change because it requires almost nothing. No gym membership, no special equipment, no significant time commitment. On my most overwhelming days at work, when I'm managing multiple adolescent programs and coordinating with various departments, that walk is often the only thing keeping me grounded. The sustainability of a wellness practice matters more than its intensity.
How can people avoid burnout culture in health?
Working in mental health has given me a front-row seat to burnout culture, both in the people we serve and in healthcare professionals. The biggest mistake I see people make is treating health like a project with an end date. They commit to extreme diets, punishing workout schedules, or rigid self-care routines that demand perfection. Then they inevitably fall short, feel guilty, and abandon everything. In my work with clients, I often address the trauma of feeling like a failure at basic self-care. The solution starts with rejecting the all-or-nothing mentality. When I transitioned from education to counseling, I had to completely reimagine what taking care of myself meant. I stopped asking "What's the optimal thing I should do?" and started asking "What can I actually maintain?" That shift changed everything.
Real wellness doesn't look like what we see on social media. It looks like choosing the salad most days but not spiraling when you need comfort food. It looks like moving your body regularly without punishment. It looks like sleeping seven hours instead of forcing eight when that's not realistic for your life stage.
What does sustainable wellness actually look like?
Sustainable wellness looks boring. That's the secret nobody wants to hear. It's consistent bedtimes, regular meals, movement that feels good, and honest relationships with a few trusted people. In my role overseeing adolescent programs, I emphasize this constantly with our young clients. They arrive expecting transformation through intensity. What actually helps them heal is routine, predictability, and gradual progress. The same applies to adults. My wellness routine now includes that morning walk, relatively consistent sleep, staying connected with my husband despite busy schedules, and protecting time with my children. I don't always succeed. Some weeks work demands more than I want to give.
Some days I'm too tired to walk. The difference is I don't let imperfect days derail the overall pattern. Sustainable wellness is about building a life where health-supporting choices are the path of least resistance, not an act of heroic willpower. That's how you maintain energy and wellbeing for decades, not just weeks.
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