Reimagining Holistic Well-Being Through a Narrative Self-Study: I Am Nature

Abstract

I thought I was doing everything right: practising gratitude, choosing happiness, and considering how my actions affected the broader community. Even with all the right tools, I was exhausted, disconnected, and living in a body that did not feel like home. This narrative inquiry is an arts- based self-study that became a call to explore a deeper question: How have my personal and professional experiences contributed—or not—to my happiness and well-being? Guided by the wisdom of nature reflected in the Medicine Wheel, the work unfolds as a circle of becoming. It mirrors the seasons of transformation: burnout, release, rest, and renewal. Through a thematic analysis of personal writing and other creative expressions, I discovered that sustainable happiness cannot take root through strategies alone; it only flourishes when built on unconditional self-love and a sense of belonging. Unlearning old paradigms became the first step in breaking away from internalized beliefs about self-worth and sacrifice. These insights invite a reimagining of education through the lens of teacher well-being, not as a systems fix but as an invitation to feel alive again. What transpires ahead is not simply a new way of teaching but rather a new way of being watered in self-compassion, seasonal wisdom, and the kind of living that transform everything it touches.