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Ahhh wellness! It is probably a word you see being thrown around often, especially online. Well, let’s get into it a little and talk about what wellness is and how we can be more mindful of all the pieces. There are 8 pieces involved in the whole make-up of the “wellness wheel” - all different, all very important. There’s the emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual well being. With so much information available to us, I’ll try to shorten it as much as possible.
Emotional wellness comes down to your approach to life (consider your perspective) and how you handle everyday stressors. When considering emotional wellness, think about your ability to seek and accept help - maybe you’re dealing with anxiety and/or depression; the activities you participate in - that encourage and reinforce your approach; and overall balance - what makes you happy and what does this look like day to day.
Environmental wellness speaks to your connection and awareness (or lack thereof) regarding the environment (as a whole) and your own space. Things that may come to mind when considering your environmental well-being are accessibility, sustainability, nature and creating safe and nurturing environments.
Financial wellness can feel difficult to achieve - it’s hard to feel peace when your finances aren’t in order. It’s important to do things like not living beyond your means, track your expenses, build good credit, and establish overall healthy money management.
Intellectual wellness is all about both brain stimulation and rest. A challenged brain is a happy brain, but rest and recovery are both important for critical thinking and creativity. Make sure you are challenging yourself with something new; expose yourself to different places and ideas; read a book; engage in healthy debates, and be aware of your own boundaries and values.
Occupational wellness: Consider engaging in work that is meaningful to you and being apart of something you can feel proud of. It’s important to pursue career paths that support your goals and professional growth while creating or keeping a healthy balance between your professional/personal lives.
Physical Wellness is pretty straight to the point - this speaks to your physical health. It involves getting to know your body and what it needs for health, healing and energy. A balanced diet, consistent movement and proper sleeping habits are really important here. Health is wealth.
Social wellness is building and maintaining trusting, respectful and authentic relationships with friends and family (yes, family too). Don’t forget about yourself here! It’s important to engage in relationships and spaces where you feel safe and considered and overall, where you can just be yourself.
Spiritual wellness is understanding and connecting to a deeper meaning of life. Explore your spiritual core; take some time to reflect and meditate on what matters the most to you. Make moves with purpose and intention - Always.