Wellness. Finding your own wellness. The six dimensions of wellness discussed and how to find your own.
Wellness is much more than just your gym routine and what’s on your plate.
Wellness is the quality or state of being.. healthy in mind, body, and spirit as a result of deliberate and diligent effort. This “wellness” is different for everybody. Although, we can all have a generalized definition for healthy, wellness is multifaceted and dimensional encompassing the following aspects:
Physical, Emotional, Occupational, Spiritual, Intellectual, & Social
How is your life, your wellbeing shaped by these six dimensions and what are your goals for each? For me these are some ways that I work on each dimension daily in order to shape my wellness:
Physical– First and foremost I eat a whole foods, plants based diet. If you have read anything on my site, you already know the great health benefits that come from this way of life. I also have a gym routine and love the process of bodybuilding. Lifting weights to gain lean muscle to build a body I love is very therapeutic and improves my cardiovascular and musculoskeletal function, both preventing osteoporosis and assisting in my longevity. While, bodybuilding may not be your cup of tea, find something that you love to do physically. Hiking, yoga, running. There are so many things to do that gets your body moving.
Emotional– This topic can delve really deep but to keep things simple.. Always remember to take care of yourself emotionally. Whether its removing toxic relationships that are affecting your happiness or doing something daily that increases your happiness or keeps you in a balanced and SANE state of mind. One of the most enjoyable things for me daily to do is to reflect/meditate over my morning coffee. These two to three minutes of solitude allow me to be grateful, become grounded, and focused on the day at hand.
Occupational– Wellness in this area for me as a travel RN and Holistic Nutrition and Wellness coach is doing a great job every single time and helping people find their health, happiness, and of course WELLNESS. My patients and clients wellness journey facilitates my own wellness. More than that, in order to accomplish this feat, I am learning, yes, learning every single day. I strive to be as educated and knowledgeable in both the cardiac cath and electrophysiology lab land, as I am in the nutrition and fitness world. I am constantly reviewing research based articles and the latest science behind the what and the why to what we do as nurses and nutritionists.
Spiritual– This can be religion for some people. Your spirituality is defined by your beliefs and practices. I need not say more on this time old hot topic other than to find what floats your boat.
Intellectual– One of the big ways I find intellectual wellness, besides my occupational education endeavors, is by reading, either for sheer entertainment or interest. Reading stimulates my mind. I love to find a great book and loose myself in it. Reading was and still is something pivotal and powerful in my life. It gave me the critical thinking skills to be successful in grade school and college and it continually sparks moments of creativity and generates innovative ideas, and propagates perspective. Besides reading, learning a new skill or hobby is a great way to stimulate intellectual wellness. Intellectual can also be physical!
Social– We are all social beings to some degree, whether you are an introvert or extrovert. We need to socialize. I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people over the past two years as a travel RN. It is so exciting and fulfilling to meet and make new friends, but it is also so comforting to get talk to my family and “old” friends. Its like a warm, security blanket. Social wellness can mean a family, a circle of friends, or wider circles such as a community or culture.
Wellness is cultivating all of these dimensions consistently.
