It’s more than likely that at some point you’ve heard the term “health and wellness”. The “health” part can seem self-evident, but what about “wellness”? What exactly is that about? It’s mostly about how we choose to live. Wellness incorporates our emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, social, work and spiritual presence.
Your state of wellness can be measured by your health, especially if you face some challenging conditions. Even with health problems, you always have a choice about your wellness. During an illness, eating a balanced diet, exercising and working on a mind-body balance can make all the difference on how successfully you face those challenges. Working towards optimum health uses the exact same methods.
Here are some ways to maximize your wellness:
- Eat well – what you chose to eat affects both your physical and mental health. Skip the processed foods and stick to whole foods like fruits and vegetables, lean meats and plant-based proteins and healthy fats.
- Exercise – Get the body moving. A brisk walk keeps the blood flowing, the muscles tuned and the mind active. Yoga is a great tool to get what you need all at once.
- Workout your brain – Word puzzles, reading and interactive activities can stimulate the brain and support intellectual wellness.
- Sleep- getting quality z’s improves memory and concentration, lowers stress, increases energy and regulates hunger levels. Make quality sleep a priority.
- Get a social life -this includes regularly being with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Make room for play. It makes the challenges easier to handle when you aren’t on your own.
- Be positive – surround yourself with positive people. Utilize their energy to fuel your outlook.
- Take care of yourself too-self-care can lead to self-awareness, self-esteem, self-control and your best self.
- Be creative – Share your knowledge, skills and vision to enrich your community.
- Practice emotional wellness – don’t run away from your anger, fear or sadness. Take measures to face these challenges knowing that these aren’t permanent states of mind.
- Get the spirit- use whatever energy source you can find to establish peace and harmony in your life. Find a meaningful way to pay attention to things bigger than ourselves.
- Engage with your environment. The the quality of the air, water and land we use makes a big impact on us all and contributes to your environmental wellness.
- Strive for personal fulfillment from your job or career field. The desire to contribute has a positive impact on both society and your own personal wellness.
- Open your mind to new ideas and experiences. Learn new concepts, improve on skills and seek challenges that contribute to your intellectual wellness.
- Make your health care a priority – the ability to maintain quality of life includes attention to details like getting routine check-ups, paying attention when your body sends signals and working with your doctor to stay healthy.
- Avoid bad habits like tobacco, drugs and alcohol to achieve optimal wellness.
Get the balance right – life constantly takes twists and turns You can apply these techniques to adapt and adjust to whatever comes at you to increase the “wellness” part to your healthy life.
