When taking care of yourself comes at a cost, accessibility becomes part of the conversation.
We're constantly encouraged to take better care of ourselves. Go to therapy. Move your body. Get outside. Spend time with friends. Find a hobby. Make time for yourself.
And as a mental health professional, I agree that these things matter. I encourage many of these same practices because I've seen how much our daily habits, relationships, and environments can influence our well-being. But I also think there's something missing from the conversation: What happens when taking care of yourself becomes another expense you can't afford?
We're living in a time when the cost of everyday necessities continues to put pressure on people's finances. Rent, groceries, transportation, insurance, and other responsibilities already take up a significant portion of what many people earn. So when someone is encouraged to attend therapy, participate in yoga or another form of physical activity, go out with friends, or make more time for themselves, we have to consider what those things actually require.
For many of us, prioritizing wellness isn't as simple as just deciding to do it.
Understanding How Our Wellness Is Connected
When we talk about wellness, we often think about our mental or physical health. But how we're doing involves much more than how we're feeling emotionally or whether we're taking care of our bodies.
One way to understand this is through the Wheel of Wellness, a framework that encourages us to look at the different areas of our lives that contribute to our overall well-being. Depending on the model, these areas may include our emotional, physical, social, financial, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual, and environmental wellness.
While each area represents a different part of our lives, they're all connected.
Think about the last time you were stressed about money. Maybe you noticed yourself feeling more anxious, having trouble sleeping, becoming easily frustrated, or struggling to focus. Maybe you started turning down invitations because going out meant spending money you didn't have, or you stopped doing things you enjoyed because they no longer fit into your budget.
What started as financial stress may have eventually affected your emotional, physical, and social well-being. The same can happen in reverse. Struggling with your mental health can affect your ability to work, maintain relationships, keep up with responsibilities, or find the motivation to move your body.
So if we know these areas of our lives affect one another, why do we keep putting people in situations where they have to choose which part of their well-being they can afford to prioritize?
And realistically, when someone is deciding between paying rent and attending a yoga class or counseling session, they're going to prioritize their rent. As they should. Having a stable place to live, food to eat, and the ability to meet our basic needs is important.
But I don't think struggling financially should mean someone no longer gets to take care of their emotional, physical, or social health. If we know how much these areas influence one another, shouldn't we also be thinking about how to make the things that support them easier to access?
When Wellness Comes With an Unspoken Price of Admission
This is where I think we have to look beyond simply telling people to prioritize themselves and consider what we're actually asking of them.
Take therapy, for example. We encourage people to seek support when they're dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, or difficult life changes. Yet, even when someone recognizes that they could benefit from counseling, finding a therapist they can afford isn't always easy. Insurance coverage, copays, deductibles, and whether a provider is accepting new clients can all affect someone's ability to get started.
And even if someone can afford therapy, there's still the question of whether they can find an appointment that works with their schedule, have privacy for a virtual session, or find a therapist they feel comfortable opening up to.
We see similar challenges when it comes to physical wellness, especially in spaces like yoga studios.
When you picture a yoga studio or think about the people you typically see represented in yoga advertisements, who comes to mind?
For many people, it's a particular image: thin, flexible, predominantly white women practicing in beautiful studios, wearing matching workout sets, and moving into poses that may seem impossible for someone who's never tried yoga before.
There's nothing wrong with being any of those things. But what happens when that becomes the image we associate with who yoga is for?
What about the Black woman who's rarely seen someone who looks like her represented in these spaces? The person living in a larger body who wonders whether the movements will work for them? Someone with a disability, chronic pain, or limited mobility? Or the beginner who's interested in trying yoga but feels they need to become more flexible or physically fit before attending their first class?
Then there's the cost. A single class at some yoga studios can cost $15 to $30, and monthly memberships can easily exceed $100. For someone who's already trying to stretch their paycheck, spending that much on a regular activity may not be realistic.
And that's before considering transportation, childcare, travel time, and trying to fit classes around work or other responsibilities.
None of this is to say that therapists, yoga instructors, or other wellness professionals shouldn't be paid fairly for their work. Education, training, experience, and operating a business all come with costs. But I do think we have to acknowledge that the way services are offered can create barriers, even when that isn't the intention.
It also brings up a conversation about privilege. Having extra money, reliable transportation, flexible work hours, childcare, access to technology, and time to yourself can make taking care of your wellness a lot easier. But not everyone has those same resources, and not everyone feels equally comfortable in the spaces where wellness services are offered.
Something can be available to everyone without actually being accessible to everyone.
Accessibility Is Also About Feeling Like You Belong
Beyond money and scheduling, I think we also have to consider what it's like for someone to actually participate in a wellness space.
It's one thing to say everyone is welcome. It's another to make sure people feel that way when they show up.
Think about the spaces and relationships we're encouraged to be part of. We're told to put ourselves out there, make friends, find community, seek professional support, and try new things. But what happens when those spaces don't feel welcoming or we don't feel like we fit in?
Maybe you've wanted to try therapy but worried about whether a therapist would understand your background or experiences. Maybe you've attended social events hoping to meet new people but left feeling more disconnected than when you arrived. Or maybe you've considered joining a fitness class but felt intimidated because you didn't see people who looked like you or shared your level of experience.
These experiences matter because feeling comfortable, accepted, and understood can influence whether we're willing to participate in the first place, let alone return.
So when we talk about accessibility, I think we also need to ask ourselves: Are different body types and abilities considered when movement is offered? Can someone participate without feeling pressured to keep up with everyone else? Are people's cultural backgrounds and experiences respected? Can someone show up as they are, or do they feel like they need to change something about themselves to fit in?
These are some of the things I consider through my work as a mental health professional and trauma-informed yoga facilitator.
In trauma-informed counseling, I recognize that people bring different experiences, backgrounds, and needs into the therapeutic space. What feels supportive to one person may not feel the same to another. This means taking time to understand someone's experiences, respecting their boundaries, and creating opportunities for them to have a say in their own care.
Through Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), I approach movement with a similar emphasis on choice-making, being present in your body, and noticing your own experiences. Rather than focusing on achieving a particular shape or moving exactly like the person next to you, participants are invited to explore movement in ways that work for them.
Different bodies move differently. People have different comfort levels, abilities, experiences, and preferences. And I don't think someone should feel like they have to meet a certain standard before they're able to participate.
I believe the same consideration should extend to the social spaces we create. Not everyone is outgoing, comfortable meeting new people, or interested in connecting in the same ways. Creating opportunities for community also means making room for those differences rather than expecting everyone to show up or participate in a particular way.
For me, that's another part of accessibility. It's not just about whether someone can afford a class, find a therapist, or make time to attend an event. It's also about whether they feel comfortable, respected, and included once they're there.
Why I Created A.M.L. With Accessibility in Mind
All of these things played a role in how I approached creating A.M.L. Counseling & Wellness. I wanted to create a practice that recognized how much our mental health, physical health, relationships, and everyday circumstances influence one another, while also considering what might prevent people from accessing opportunities to care for themselves.
I think many of us can relate to having a growing list of things we'd like to do or try. Maybe you've been thinking about starting therapy, finding a new hobby, trying yoga, or getting out more and meeting new people. Sometimes we're looking for support through a difficult time, and other times we simply want to explore something new or make more room for ourselves outside of our everyday responsibilities. But then comes the process of figuring out where to go, what you can afford, whether you'll feel comfortable, and how you'll fit it into your already busy life. Before you know it, something you were genuinely excited about becomes another thing you keep telling yourself you'll get around to.
And while I recognize that different needs may require different resources, I also wondered what it would look like to make some of those opportunities easier to find in one place.
At AML, my work centers around three pillars: Authenticity, Meaning, and Living Purposefully. To me, these are things we continue exploring throughout our lives. We learn more about ourselves through our experiences, discover what matters to us, and make choices about how we want to live. Sometimes that happens in a counseling session, through movement, or by building connections with people who help us feel more like ourselves. Having access to different experiences gives us more opportunities to reflect on what we need, what we enjoy, and what feels aligned with who we are.
That's part of why I wanted AML to offer more than one way to care for yourself. Not because everyone needs counseling, yoga, and community programming, but because our needs and interests are different, and they can change over time. I wanted someone to be able to explore those opportunities without always having to start their search from scratch.
And I wanted those opportunities to feel realistic for the lives people are already living. That meant thinking about affordability, flexibility, and comfort from the beginning. It influenced decisions like offering more affordable yoga classes, creating virtual opportunities for people who may not have the time or transportation to attend in person, and providing different ways for people to access counseling and connect with others. I know that even when we're interested in something, the cost of participating or the effort it takes to get there can be enough to make us reconsider.
Of course, I recognize that accessibility looks different for everyone, and I can't remove every barrier. Virtual services, for example, still require access to technology, reliable internet, and a space where someone feels comfortable participating. And no single practice or organization can meet everyone's needs.
But I believe we can be more intentional about the opportunities we create and how people are able to participate in them. Because taking care of ourselves isn't always about addressing something that's wrong. Sometimes it's about discovering something we enjoy, making time for an interest we've neglected, finding people we connect with, or simply having the freedom to explore what makes life feel more like our own.
And I want AML to be a place that makes more of those experiences possible.
Accessibility Is a Choice We Have to Keep Making
I don't think accessibility is something we figure out once and never have to think about again. Our circumstances change, our responsibilities change, and what we can realistically afford or make time for changes, too. What works for someone today may not work for them a year from now.
And I get it. Even as a mental health professional, I find myself making those same decisions in my own life. There are things I'd love to do more often, places I'd like to go, and experiences I'd like to have, but sometimes I have to consider whether I can afford them or fit them into everything else I have going on. And that's coming from someone who talks about the importance of taking care of yourself for a living!
That's why I believe accessibility deserves to be an ongoing conversation, especially among those of us creating spaces and offering services intended to support people's well-being. We may not be able to remove every obstacle, but we can continue asking who we're reaching, who we might be leaving out, and what we could do differently.
And for those of us trying to prioritize our wellness, I think there's something worth considering, too. What parts of your well-being have you been wanting to give more attention to? Maybe it's your mental health, your relationship with your body, your friendships, or simply making time for something you've always wanted to try. What's been getting in the way? And what would make taking that next step feel more realistic for you?
You don't have to address every part of your life at once. But I encourage you to think about what you need in this season of your life, what opportunities are available to you, and where you might need more support.
Prioritizing wellness shouldn't be another expectation we place on ourselves without considering what it takes to follow through. It should be an opportunity to better understand ourselves, explore what matters to us, and make room for the things that help us live more fully.
Creating a life that works for you also means having opportunities to discover what that life could look like. And at AML Counseling and Wellness, I prioritize creating those spaces for you to learn how to make your life work for you, in practice.
