Wellness
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been hearing the word Wellness tossed around a lot these days.
Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak, it seems like everyone is talking about how important it is to practice (cultivate) wellness in our daily lives.
But what does wellness really mean?
And, even more importantly, what exactly does it look like to “cultivate wellness?”
What Is Wellness
First, let’s start with a Definition of Wellness:
In the simpliest terms, Wellness can be defined as:
Making decisions and choosing activities that nurture your mind, honor your body and feed your soul, in order to help you live the most balanced and fulfilled life possible.
So, now that we know what it means, what exactly does it look like in practice?
WHAT ARE THE PILLARS OF WELLNESS?
The overall concept of Wellness is multidimensional, and includes these eight areas or Pillars of Wellness:
Career – Creating personal satisfaction and enrichment from one’s work.
Emotional – Coping effectively with life.
Environmental – Occupying pleasant, stimulating, environments that support well-being.
Financial – Feeling satisfied with current and future financial situations.
Intellectual – Recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills.
Physical – Recognizing the need for physical activity, nutritional food and sleep.
Social – Developing a sense of connection with others and creating a strong, personal support system.
Spiritual – Expanding a sense of purpose and meaning in life.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CULTIVATE WELLNESS?
Cultivating Wellness means looking at each of these eight different areas of your life from a place of complete honesty and transparency, and deciding which changes you need to make in order to live a more balanced and fulfilled life.
It also means doing so without judgement.
Simply put, judgement doesn’t help anybody change. Not you, not me, not anyone!
But … You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge!
Before any of us (myself included) can make changes in our lives, we first need to acknowledge that there’s a problem. But once we know better, we are able to do better by making healthier choices that support us in the pursuit of our goals.
Is This You?
- Are you working in a job you hate but feel trapped and unable to leave?
- Do you feel like you’re just surrounded by “stuff” but can’t seem to stop shopping?
- Are you exhausted everyday because you’re living on junk food and not sleeping at night?
- Do you feel like every time you get together with some of your friends, they drain the life out of you by always talking about themselves?
- Are you living somewhere you don’t want to be but feel too afraid to move?
- Do you know you want to to live a more balanced and fulfilled life but don’t even know where to start?
- Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Let’s face it … When one area of our life is out of balance, or feels like it’s not working, it definitely has an impact on all of the other areas in our life, as well.
When we’re working in a job we hate, we don’t do our best work because we’re too busy counting down the minutes until we can leave, rather than focusing on the job at hand.
When we are physically (or mentally tired), we usually make bad food choices because macaroni and cheese (or your comfort food of choice) sounds way better than a salad (at least to me!).
When we don’t have a strong support system at home, or close friends to call when we’re lonely, it becomes very easy to spend hours shopping online for things we don’t need or can’t afford simply because it takes our mind off of acknowledging how lonely we truly are.
How do I know all of this? Through PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!
If you can relate to any of the things I’ve said above, please know that you are not alone. I have been there done that more times than I care to admit!
You see, even though I had this vision in my mind of the kind of life I wanted to live when I arrived in Montana, until I started working with my own coach nothing changed. Why? Because I was too overwhelmed by not knowing how/where to start making the changes I knew I needed to make. Instead, I preferred sitting on the sofa while eating macaroni and cheese (my favorite comfort food) and shopping online!
But truth be told, even coaches need support and help from time to time! And, that’s where working with my own Wellness Coach has come into play, as she continually reminds me of my goals while also challenging me around my own perceptions and ways of thinking, as I pursue a balanced and more fulfilled life for myself.
Are you ready to begin Cultivating Wellness in your own life?
If so, I would be honored to support you on your journey.