Achieving Wellness: Your Guide To Healthy Life

Have you ever stopped to think that our body works non-stop, day in and day out…late nights, parties, early morning preps, midnight binges, training for a sport, studying for an exam, preparing a presentation – our body just does whatever we demand of it….no rests….no stops…no complaints.

At times, there are hiccups and loud alarm bells – and that’s the time we slow down only to pace it up once we feel well again…

But is that the way to live?

Our body is like a temple which houses our soul. It’s the only thing that will remain constant with us throughout our life – how are we nurturing it?

Fitness, diets, meditation, yoga, laughter workshops, walks are probably some of the answers which I get – but doing only one is not enough…overall body care and wellness comes from taking care of your body from different dimensions.

WHO defines as “Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth. A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Wellness as an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.

Just as various parts of your body come together to perform one task, similarly these 7 various types of nurturing will help your body,mind and soul stay fit, happy and healthy.

Here we’re going to delve into the 7 dimensions of wellness and how one can measure oneself on the wellness scale.

These dimensions integrate social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical wellness to improve our quality of life.

 

• Social Wellness:measures how we relate to and connect with other people in our world. Our ability to maintain positive relationships with family, friends and colleagues contributes to our Social Wellness.

 

• Emotional Wellness:is all about how we cope with life’s challenges. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner contributes to our Emotional Wellness.
• Spiritual Wellness:is the ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives. Whether it is the peace and order our religion brings or the values we live with and the actions we take in our day to day  lives. Basically our ability to discover meaning and  purpose to life.

• Environmental Wellness:is the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of the air, the water and the land that surrounds us. The ability to value and improve on the quality of our environment, be it our homes, our communities or our planet contributes to our Environmental Wellness.

• Occupational Wellness:is the ability to get personal fulfilment from our jobs and work-life balance. Our desire to make a positive impact on the organizations we work in leads to Occupational Wellness.

• Intellectual Wellness:is the ability to open our minds to new ideas and experiences that can lead to our own betterment and continued growth. The desire to learn new concepts, improve skills and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning contributes to our wellness.

• Physical Wellness:is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthful habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will lead to optimal Physical Wellness.Taking  charge of our health by making conscious decisions to be healthy.

 

Creating a culture of wellness

You can’t change and sustain your entire lifestyle overnight! What you need to do is take a deep breath, analyse your daily routine, habits, eating pattern and factors which stress you out.

Prioritize tasks in order of importance, plan ahead in terms of work preparations, meal preparations and activities that you want to do.

Make small do-able changes that make you feel happy, energised and positive about yourself.

Do remember, wellness is not about deprivation and achieving infinite tasks in one day! Go slow, listen to what your body wants and be in tune with your deeper needs.

My quick tips would be:

• Eat right
• Move more
• Breathe easy
• Stress less
• Work smart
• Live well

Recently I found this extremely good resource  from North West Wellness Services, Missouri and I’d really like to share it with you.

Print the attached wheel or draw it out and answer the questions that follow. There’s no answering to anyone, no right or wrong and it just gives a wonderful perspective on where you individually stand today.

All you need to do is fill in the corresponding pie-shaped section of the wheel to the degree you are achieving this.

For example, question #1 is: “I eat a balanced nutritional diet”

If you feel you are doing this 100% of the time, colour in all of section 1. If you do this 60% of the time, colour 60% of the section.

Complete this for all 36 sections of the wheel.

 

1. I eat a balanced nutritional diet.
2. I exercise at least 3 times per week.
3. I practice safe sex.
4. I do not use alcohol or use in moderation, am a non-smoker and avoid street drugs.
5. I am generally free from illness.
6. I am a reasonable weight for my height.
7. I have a solid balance between saving for the future and spending for the present.
8. My beliefs/values surrounding money are harmonious with my behaviour.
9. What I am doing with work has purpose.
10. I use money positively, e.g. no gambling or excessive massing of goods.
11. I have a balance between work and the other areas of my life.
12. I have financial plans for the future.
13. I have specific intellectual goals, e.g., learning a new skill.
14. I pursue mentally stimulating interests or hobbies.
15. I am generally satisfied with my education plan/vocation.
16. I have positive thoughts (a low degree of negativity and cynicism).
17. I would describe myself as a life long learner.
18. I commit time and energy to professional and self-development.
19. I have a sense of fun and laughter.
20. I am able to feel and label my feelings.
21. I express my feelings appropriately.
22. I have a sense of control in my life and I am able to adapt to change.
23. I am able to comfort or console myself when I am troubled.
24. Others would describe me as emotionally stable.
25. I am able to resolve conflicts in all areas of my life.
26. I am aware of the feelings of others and can respond appropriately.
27. I have at least three people with whom I have a close trusting relationship.
28. I am aware of and able to set and respect my own and others boundaries.
29. I have satisfying social interaction with others.
30. I have a sense of belonging/not being isolated.
31. I practice meditation, pray or engage in some purpose in my life.
32. I have a general sense of Serenity.
33. I have faith in a higher power.
34. I have a sense of meaning and purpose in my life.
35. I trust others and am able to forgive others and myself and let go.
36. Principles/ethics/morals provide guides for my life

Your response will vary depending on your age and stage of life. Consider the wheel you have created as a source of feedback.

REFLECTION

Which section of your wheel has the most colour? Which section of your wheel has the least colour?

GOAL SETTING

As a result of doing this assessment, how can you improve your life balance?

What will be your first step? How will you achieve your goal?

Also do set a timeline for your progress!

Wishing you a healthy happy life!

 

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