September 13 through 19, is National Wellness Week. It’s a time to focus on our overall well-being and introduce practices that can help to keep us healthy, happy and successful throughout the year.
Maybe you already work out, or simply feel you work too hard to do anything more… Understandable. But are you truly taking care of all of you? In the way that you deserve? So often, we focus all of our energy on one or two aspects of our lives, almost to the point of ignoring the others. We’re great employees but not great friends. Or we exercise our bodies but not our minds. We are great parents but can’t seem to be great spouses or we lose our sense of purpose all the while living for the next pay check. I know. I get it. I’ve been there.
Maintaining balance is not always easy when other things seem to be competing for our attention. But if we are not careful, we can overlook pieces of ourselves that deserve and demand greater care, and unwittingly, fall right out of harmony. We are multi-dimensional beings with varied needs. And if we are serious about wanting to be happy and successful, it is not enough to just address a few of the pieces of who we are. We must care for the whole of our person. So are you serious about wanting to be happy and successful?
If so, keep your overall well-being at a healthy high by creating a lifestyle that consistently supports your six dimensions of wellness:
1. Emotional - Feel Good
Your feelings determine your energy levels and that energy is what carries you through the rest of your life.
Tip - Meditation can transform the way that you feel. It has been proven to have significant effects on a person’s long term feelings of life satisfaction[2]
2. Social - Connect
We are all connected in some way and honoring that connection (with boundaries) is a great way to promote wellness.
3. Spiritual - Feed Your Soul
Spiritual wellness is always controversial because it is often confused with religion. But, it is about exploring your values and your sense of purpose, not your commitment to a religious institution.
Tip - Practice gratitude. Find the helpfulness in any and every person, place, thing or situation and use it to fuel your positive outlook on the relationship between you and the rest of the world.[4]
4. Occupational - Love What You Do
With an average hour commute to work and another hour home, our eight hour work day quickly turns to 10. And that’s if your workday is only eight. That’s 50+ hours of our week (only a little less than half of our lives) spent on our jobs. So why not love what you do?
Tip - List positive aspects. Take a minute or two each day to document those things about your current job that you like. Try to fill a page of a standard note pad. Focusing on the positive aspects of your work will allow you to more joyfully experience your work day.[5]
5. Physical - Honor Your Body
Your body really is your temple. Treat it as such. As the vehicle for your physical experience, it must get the proper maintenance, if it is going to chauffeur you around.
Tip - Exercise. People who work out regularly live longer lives and tend to have greater levels of energy throughout their days. Traditional gym workouts are great but everyone should find what works for them. Other ways to give your body a good work-out include yoga, Tai-Chi, dance, pilates, hiking, swimming, and even window shopping.[6]
6. Intellectual - Open Your Mind
Your brain is a muscle too, and like any other muscle, it benefits greatly from a strengthening work out.
Tip - Be creative. Creativity brings together different regions of the brain to work collaboratively. It also helps express thoughts and emotions in constructive ways. Write poetry, draw, build model rockets or fill a scrapbook or two.[7]
Two other dimensions that are often discussed are[8]:
7. Financial - Mind Your Money
Money is a resource just as are your time and energy. Believe in its abundance but be mindful of how you spend it.
Tip – Spend less. Many people are sure that they can’t do this until a financial consultant comes in and suggests that they live in a smaller space, eat out less, shop less, move to auto-pay to avoid late fees, etc. Then it becomes clear.[9]
8. Environmental - Own Your Space
You should feel at peace in your home, at work and in your larger community. Manipulate the aesthetics of your situation to promote a sense of well-being that you can enjoy.
Tip - Decorate Your Home and Office with items pleasing to your senses. Have mint and lavender smells available for different times of day. Put up calming art or sayings that will motivate you. Keep soothing sounds playing in the background, like those of a rain or waterfalls .[10]
By caring for yourself in these ways, you will ensure that your thoughts and habits support the joyful evolution of your total person. With this recipe for wellness, happiness and success await you!
References:
[1] Edlin, Gordon, Eric Golanty and Kelli McCormack Brown. (2000). Essentials for Health and Wellness. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Chan, Amanda L. “Mindfulness Meditation Benefits: 20 Reasons Why It’s Good For Your Mental And Physical Health.”Huffington Post Healthy Living. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 8 April 2013. 7 September 2015.
[3] Advani, Priya. “How Random Acts of Kindness can Benefit Your Health.” Huffington Post Healthy Living. Huffington Post, Inc. 11 August 2013. 7 September 2015.
[4] Tierney, John. “A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 21 November 2011. 7 September 2015.
[5] Harrell, Keith. “Attitude in the Workplace.” Success Home. Success Magazine. 13 January 2009. 7 September 2015. < http://www.success.com/article/attitude-in-the-workplace>
[6] Mayo Clinic Staff. “Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity.” Mayo Clinic Healthy Lifestyle Fitness. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 5 February 2014. 7 September 2015.
[7] Kauffman, Scott Bary. “The Real Neuroscience of Creativity.” Scientific American. Nature America, Inc. 19 August 2013. 7 September 2015.
Swarbrick, M. (2012). A Wellness Approach to Mental Health Recovery. In A. Rudnick (Ed.), Recovery of People with Mental Illness: Philosophical and Related Perspectives (chapter three). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
[9] Palmer, Kimberly. “Twelve Millenial Inspired Ways to Spend Less.” U.S. News & World Report Money. U.S. News and World Report, LP. 8 April 2015. 7 September 2015.
[10] Helmrich, Brittney. “5 Simple Scientific Ways to Love Your Job More.” Business News Daily Build Your Career Office Life. Purch. 26 June 2015. 7 September 2015. < http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8138-love-your-job-tips.html>