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Wellness
approaches life from the perspective that all human beings function at
four levels: the physical, intellectual, emotional
and spiritual levels. For optimum health we need to look at the
whole person. Each of these aspects/levels impact on the well-being of
the individual. Just picking the dimension of wellness that you like and
ignoring the others doesn't work in the long run.
The
physical level focuses on the physical body, its health and
sickness, its diet and nutrition needs and its fitness and
exercise/activity needs.
The
intellectual level focuses on the mind, its health and sickness, the
impact of thoughts on a person's life, the power of thought, the play of
negative and positive thoughts on our life, and the impact of other's
thoughts on us.
The
emotional level addresses issues of the impact of emotions on the
individual, stress and its affects as well as relationships and how they
impact on our well-being, as well as the social aspects and its impact
on the individual and vice versa.
The
spiritual level addresses the relationship with God, in
developing a philosophy of the purpose of your creation on this earth.
Looking at a bigger picture.
Healthy
Self-Esteem
Wellness is caring enough about yourself to take a look at your
life, making the necessary changes and finding the support to maintain
your motivation. Take an objective and honest look at your own thoughts,
feelings and actions for the purpose of learning from it. Know yourself,
know what motivates you and what holds you back. Growth comes from
working through the blocks, not around them. Being blind about yourself
does not promote growth or well-being. Change requires the hard work of
facing your fears and healing old wounds from your experience growing up
in your families of origin and your community.
Company
You Keep
Who you surround yourselves with either helps you stretch your wings and
soar, or clips them again and again. Healthy friends encourage wellness
lifestyle changes. Mutually beneficial relationships with friends,
family and colleagues who care about you as people are what you need to
seek and create in your lives. Rather than being threatened by your
personal growth, they support it.
Conscious
living
Becoming aware of all the choices you have and acting on them. It
involves a realization that you don't have to run your lives on auto
pilot. It means consciously working on your relationships, life goals,
and maximizing our potential.
Recognize that even when you think you are not taking action you
are making a choice.
Responsibility
There are the risk factors of genetics, toxic environments and the
like, but your emotional and lifestyle choices determine your health and
well-being more than anything else. As much as you would like to cling
to blame and copouts, you do have to be honest with yourself. Empower
yourself.
Self-sufficiency
From strength comes the confidence and power that overshadows fear.
Recognizing your interconnectedness, you grow tremendously when you can
care for yourself on many different levels. Skills, information and
tools that enable you to choose wisely, become more competent, etc., all
increase your self-respect and self-confidence.
Meditate
As much as we all need time with others, we all need time apart. Alone
time helps you relax and get beyond the distractions of modern
life that prevent you from really knowing yourself. There are some
powerful reasons that peoples from all around the world have spent time
alone in order to gain vision about the direction and meaning in their
lives.
Be
Realistic
Extreme perfectionism is a shame-based process that feeds a really
negative view of self. Often resulting in addictions. Extreme behavior
is a way to distract yourself from some other issue that needs your
attention.
Play!
We all need to lighten up and not take ourselves (and wellness) so
seriously. Integrate a healthy sense of humor and play into the
workplace.
There is no
concrete wellness formula. You have to discover what works for you. And
don't try to be perfect in creating one... take it easy on yourself.
;-)
