Wellness – Is it for You?
Wellness is a state of balance. In fact wellness is the process of becoming aware and practicing healthy choices to live a more balanced, happy and successful life. At Wellness Solutions we use a holistic model to help individuals find wellness. We realize you play roles in your environment. You have the ability to make choices. You have been in situations and have experienced things. You look at the choices you have made in your life, the situations you have been in, and the experiences you have had and determine your level of success in life based on the outcomes of these choices, situations, and experiences.
There are a few areas in your life that require balance and contribute to overall wellness, happiness, and success.
Emotional – identify, acknowledge, and accept feelings
Physical – maintaining a healthy body
Mental – open self up to accept new ideas, concepts, and information
Social – maintain social roles in a comfortable, effective, and safe manner
Spiritual – belief you have a higher human purpose, believe in existence of a Higher Power
Is wellness for you? Of course it is! As a person you have emotions, you have your health and your body, you have a brain full of thoughts, memories, and ideas, you have friends, family, and social interactions, and you have hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
The things you have learned, the things you have seen, the things you have done, the things you have been told, and the things you have experienced influence how you understand others, yourself, and the world. This combination influences how you think, feel, and behave. What is important to remember is that you are a whole person. You are more then just your experiences, your relationships, you self-esteem, your feelings, and your choices. However when one area of your life suffers negative interactions or consequences you start to lose balance. Losing balance in one area of life will throw off the balance in other areas of your life and cause you upset.
It can take effort to restore balance in life. It takes working on yourself. And this effort must be intentional. If you are not setting aside time ON PURPOSE to take of you, you will continue to neglect yourself and your wellness. So how can you start working on making you the best you possible? Here is my Wellness Checklist. I created it just for you. Go ahead steal it, share it, and use it!
Emotional Wellness
Identify feelings
Accept emotions
Express emotions
Cry/yell/throw an adult temper tantrum
“I feel” statements
Hug/hold hands/physical intimacy with a loved one
Journal
Arts/crafts
Talk to a friend/get advice from colleagues
Positive affirmations/reframing/see things in a positive light
Mental Wellness
Read a book for fun
Read a book for personal growth
Take a continuing education class
Write a blog
Travel/vacation
Hobby/learn a new skill
Meditate
Practice time management and organization
Declutter
Physical Wellness
Avoid drugs/limit alcohol
Fitness/exercise
Yoga
Running/walking
Weight lifting
Regular/routine doctor checkup
Follow doctor orders
Adequate sleep
Practice good nutrition (avoid processed foods, fatty foods, sugary foods)
Eat more vegetables/fruits
Personal hygiene
Social Wellness
Go out with friends
Dinner with family or friends
Volunteer
Attend community events/fairs
Group fitness classes
Join a network group
Fellowship
Church/religious activities
Hobby/activity organization
Spend alone time with spouse/partner/significant other
Turn off computer, phone, iPad, and social media at the same time every night
Spiritual Wellness
Mediation
Pray
Read religious texts
Volunteer at church
Fellowship activities
Exercise
Enjoy nature
Freedom and release control to Higher Power
I recommend choosing 1-2 items from each wellness element. Practice these behaviors daily. Try scheduling time for these behaviors to incorporate them into daily routine. Some behaviors can be practiced weekly (such as fellowship and church attendance) but others (like exercise, eating healthy, and journaling) can be practiced every single day. How you can start living well today?