Wellness, to me, is when you are well enough to do the basic things daily. When we are well, these things are easy for us to do. Wellness has many dimensions in our life; They all work together, and if one is off the balance in our lives, you will know it. Most choose to ignore it, but the signs are always there. I decided to show a picture of the umbrellas; each can represent an aspect of our lives. 

 

There are several dimensions to living a life of wellness, having love and living free. When things seem to be going wrong in my life, I don't feel in flow, at peace, or sound with my situations. I will ponder and review these areas. Having somewhere to start helps. I didn't make these dimensions as Dr. Bill Hettler did in 1976. I wanted to share them because they make sense and give a nice organized place to start. 

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When your life is upside down, and you feel that something isn't right and you've lost control of your life, you can refer to these seven categories to get you back on track. I think it's nice to see where you could be doing better for yourself. Based on the research I looked up, I will break them down as short as terms best I can. You can also google the terms and find more information. 

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The Seven Dimensions Of Wellness

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Physical Wellness

Emotional Wellness

Social Wellness

Intellectual Wellness

Spiritual Wellness

Environmental Wellness

Occupational Wellness

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Physical and Nutritional: diet and food choices, healthy weight vitality, active lifestyle practices, structured exercise

Psychological and Emotional: mental state, coping and problem-solving skills, stress management, decision making

Social and Spiritual: core values, identity, and purpose, family and social support and cohesion

Behavioural and Intellectual: thoughts and actions that have positive or negative effects on life

Environmental: living conditions and physical surroundings from immediate to global

Occupational and Financial: planning and saving, cash and credit management, risk management in which we engage, interests, skills, performance, satisfaction,

Medical and Dental: screening, prevention, adherence

 

Physical Wellness 

Stand in a mirror naked and look at yourself. Is everything where it's supposed to be. Touch your skin and feel it; if what you think feels right and you are satisfied, then maybe look at another area in the wellness chart. If not, then focus on the below examples of things to start to consider.  When your body is put through intense exercise and movement, it releases endorphins, chemicals that reduce stress and anxiety and improve self-esteem and sleep, among many other benefits.

 

If you want to achieve optimal physical wellness, take into consideration the following guidelines below:

Nutrient Intake: Consider this because most don't and later suffer the health consequences. Use a macronutrient calculator to determine how many calories to eat daily and do your best to hit those numbers.

 

 Maintain a balanced diet, limit alcohol intake, and reject harmful drugs (even some medication if it can be avoided. Solve the problem. Spending time in the sunlight daily can raise hormone levels like serotonin. I want to mention that even if you don't see the sun, it's still shining above the clouds; make it your best to try and adventure outside. 

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Sexual Health also plays a role in our lives, and having a healthy relationship in this area has many benefits. 

Even exercising or yoga, using your body as a weight for 20 minutes daily will produce considerable benefits. A combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is ideal. Never stop, a lesson I learned the hard way.

Get regular checkups. If you’re experiencing pain or something doesn’t feel right, go to the doctor. Learn to listen to your body and identify the signals it sends you. The body speaks very loud. When something is wrong, do your best to resolve the issues instead of powering through.

Growth and nourishment are only attainable if you allow your body to recover properly. Get between seven and nine hours of sleep every night to ensure you get enough rest. I like to use a Fitbit. Since getting this watch last Christmas, I have been shocked at the numbers and sometimes lack, I use this watch as a tool, and it has given me an idea of things I can improve and need to work on. 

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Physical wellness is possibly the most crucial dimension to get right. Improve your physical well-being, and you’ll notice a substantial improvement in your overall health and wellness. I have been down this road several times, so, from personal experience, it's a game-changer. It's why I explained a bit for the first one; I didn't want this post to be too long, and I believe having to do our research will help us to understand better; we all learn differently, so maybe you would like to look into your way of educating yourself on all the rest of the areas.

 

However,  I don't want to leave you high and dry; I created a short program you can take, something tangible to go through and complete to ensure you have covered all these topics in your life. Click the heart below and head to my Patreon, where I will have everything you'll need to get started. 

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I hope this brings some light, ideas and a sense of direction. It's nice to have somewhere to start when we feel lost or

confused. Make these questions a habit in your life in the future, put them in your journal, and you should healthily navigate through life. 

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