Holiday Caramels & Wellbeing

What’s always struck me about this recipe—and how it connects to mental health and wellbeing—is its simplicity. The ingredients are straightforward:
Karo syrup, sugar, heavy cream, butter, chocolate, vanilla, and walnuts.

But mastering the recipe takes time, patience, attention, and practice.

The written steps are simple:

1. Combine the first ingredients and bring to a gentle boil until the mixture reaches the softball stage.
2. Remove from heat, add the remaining ingredients.
3. Pour into a greased pan and let cool.

In reality, it’s easy to miss the mark.
Cook it too long and the caramels turn into hard candy.
Remove it too early and they never quite set.
Rush the process and the mixture burns or turns into cement.
Get distracted and forget it on the stove—and the batch is lost.

Making these caramels can take hours. And sometimes, after a failed attempt, the temptation is to give up entirely.

Mental health and wellbeing often work the same way.

We already have time-tested, research-supported, and often low-cost practices that support wellbeing. The “recipe” sounds simple:

• Mind: Read, learn, reflect, problem-solve
• Body: Move, sleep, hydrate, eat
• Spirit: Pray, meditate, practice kindness or meaning-making

So why is it so hard to do consistently?

Because knowing the recipe isn’t the same as living it well.

Like my grandmother with her caramels, we often need teachers, guides, and support—people who help us understand timing, technique, expectations, and believing in the process. People who encourage us to keep practicing when the outcome isn’t what we hoped for. People who remind us that mistakes don’t mean failure—they’re part of the process.

Eupraxia means the practice of wellbeing.
It’s not perfection. It’s intentional, sustained practice over time.

Check back often for reflections on the art and practice of wellbeing.