With the current condition that our world is in, and with COVID-19 showing no signs of stopping, social media has been the means of everything we do. It’s noticeable that a lot of wellness programs have been popping up on social platforms. Wellness programs that teach you how to gain “6-packs” in 2 weeks, or how you could keep a positive outlook in life or how you could simply meet your daily deadlines. With all these in the table, it brings out the question, what really is WELLNESS?

According to WHO, “…a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

In other words, it’s not just having a 6-pack and huge biceps.

From here, the topic brings more questions. What are the types of wellness and goal per each dimension?

5 Dimensions of Wellness

EMOTIONAL WELLNESS

According to the National Center for Emotional Wellness, the term refers to an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of your emotions, and your ability to manage effectively through challenges and change. When you’re tuned into your feelings, then you can more easily become aware of your bodily sensations.

How do you achieve emotional wellness?

• • Be aware of your emotions and reactions – observe what in your life makes you sad, frustrated, or angry. Try to address or change those things.
  • Express your feelings in appropriate ways – Let people close to you know when something is bothering you. Keeping feelings of sadness or anger inside adds to stress. It can cause problems in your relationships and at work or school.
  • Manage stress – Learn relaxation methods to cope with stress. These could include deep breathing, meditation, and exercise.

SPIRITUAL WELLNESS

Spiritual wellness is the process by which you seek meaning and purpose in life. It can be achieved in a variety of ways including organized religion, prayer, meditation, yoga, as well as a careful assessment of your morals, values, and beliefs.

How do you achieve spiritual wellness?

• • Think positively – Once you start viewing things in your life in a positive manner, you will find yourself thinking differently and refocusing your mind to a happy, healthy place. When you eliminate negativity and re-frame how you think of certain things and situations, you’ll notice yourself being more relaxed. But be careful, you might fall into toxic positivity. Read more about it here (backlink to toxic vs conscious positivity)

INTELLECTUAL WELLNESS

Intellectual wellness is nothing more than engaging in creative, mentally stimulating activities, building your knowledge, and sharing your knowledge with other people.

How do you achieve Intellectual wellness?

• Look for deeper meanings – Looking for deeper meanings in your life and analyzing occurring patterns will help you see that you have control over your destiny. Being aware of this can help you achieve a happy and healthy life.
• Take time to meditate – While managing your time and daily tasks can be hard, it is crucial to devote time to connecting with yourself. Whether in the morning when you wake up, during your lunch break, or before you go to sleep, take five to 10 minutes to meditate each day. Fitting mediation and relaxation into your lifestyle will free your mind and foster a stronger relationship with your spiritual wellness.

PHYSICAL WELLNESS

 Physical wellness is prioritizing one’s general physical health, promoting a better body, functionality, efficiency, and endurance, thus gaining the ability to maintain a certain quality of life. This involves more than just losing weight it is about gaining health particularly the physical, bodily systems.

• • Exercise 3-6 or more times a week, 20-120 mins per session (if it gets too easy push harder)
  • Get adequate and consistent sleep
  • Learn to feel out your systems, pay attention to its warning signs
  • Practice safety in all aspects
  • Eat in variety, healthy and well, do not starve nor binge. (Breakfast is the most important meal of the day)
  • try to avoid smoking cigarettes or breathing in too much second-hand smoke, control your vices.

FINANCIAL WELLNESS

While I can put a definition on it, remember that it also can mean something very different to you. There is no exact right or wrong answer, as everyone has various personal finance goals and interests. 

That said, financial wellness is simply your overall financial health as an individual.

CONCLUSION

One can work hard to achieve a good state of wellness. But really, it’s the journey that matters.

Every minute that you spend lifting weights, or learning to play an instrument, every decision that you make that leads you closer to the result you are aiming for gets you closer to a balanced wellness life.