_edite.png)
Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit. Although it always includes striving for health, it’s more about living life fully, and is “a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that… allows you to become the best kind of person that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow” (Stoewen, 2017).
A lot of people are under the assumption that being healthy just pertains to exercising and eating right. The truth of it is that those two things are only a portion of the big picture of truly experiencing overall health and wellness. There is often also a misconception that habits can be made in 21 days. That also is not the case. To realize true health and wellness, a plan needs to be developed that incorporates the physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, occupational, and social aspects of an individual. There is no quick fix, but slow and consistent methods will give the results that are being sought after. A wellness plan is about developing a lifestyle that is sustainable and healthy. A wellness lifestyle includes a balance of healthy habits, including but not limited to getting good quality sleep, adequate rest, and proper nutrition, productivity and exercise, participation in meaningful activities, and connections with supportive relationships (Swarbrick, 2012). The first topic discussed will be about the power of ‘the habit’.
Habits are defined as actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with their performance (Gardner, Lally, & Wardle, 2012).
Dismantling and rebuilding habits is key for long-term health and wellness. It is also the most challenging thing to do. Remember that one is aiming for a lifestyle change and not a hasty remedy. Quick fixes come and go, while steady paced changes and adjustments will last for a lifetime, only needing maintenance to keep the favorable outcome consistent. The brain does not know the difference between bad and good habits, it understands that there is a cue, routine, and a reward. These are automatic, so the brain uses less energy after it has developed a habit, good or bad. The Golden Rule of habit change is that you cannot extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it. If one can use the same cue and provide the same reward, then a shift in the routine can be made, leading to a change in the habit (Duhigg, 2012).
One study revealed that repetition is key, and depending on how strong the habit is, will lead to it requiring more self-control for a significant amount of time before the wanted behavior has become automatic for the brain. The median time to reach 95% of asymptote was 66 days, with a range from 18 to 254 days (Lally, Van Jaarsveld, Potts, & Wardle, 2010). This can be interpreted as the average amount of time necessary to develop a new habit is approximately 66 days. Another study was based off “habit-formation advice, paired with a ‘small changes’ approach.” Patients had to choose a new behavior (for example, eat an apple) rather than give up an existing behavior (do not eat fried snacks) because it is not possible to form a habit by not doing something. The automaticity of habit means that breaking existing habits requires different and altogether more effortful strategies than making new habits. Patients should be encouraged to aim for small and manageable behavior changes, because failure can be discouraging (Gardner, Lally, & Wardle, 2012).
Each of the eight categories or ‘dimensions’ are very important to work on if one wants to obtain overall well-being. The eight mutually interdependent dimensions include: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental. Attention must be given to all the dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will adversely affect the others, and one’s health, well-being, and quality of life. They do not, however, need to be equally balanced. The aim should be for a “personal harmony” that feels most authentic. Everyone has their own priorities, approaches, and aspirations, including their own views of what it means to live the life you love (Stoewen, 2017).
Physical wellness is recognizing the need for a healthy lifestyle that includes consistent physical activity, nutritious foods, quality sleep and avoiding high risk behaviors to maintain good health (Thousand, 2021). There are people who work out and diet and feel that they are physically well, however, they will be running off 4-hours’ worth of sleep and
coffee. This isn’t physical wellness. A person should also make sure they are eating the proper amount of nutrients to support the demands that they are placing on themselves, proper amount of sleep and taking care of their bodies (Boiani, n.d.). There is great importance to taking care of oneself before attempting to take care of others. Self-care is a big aspect to this dimension as well as to the emotional wellness.
Emotional wellness, according to the National Center for Emotional Wellness, refers to an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of one’s emotions, and their ability to manage effectively through challenges and change (Raab Ph.D, 2019). Emotional stability helps an individual to recognize conflict as being potentially healthy and enhances self-acceptance and contentment (Swarbrick, 2012).
Spiritual wellness is very personal and cultural. It represents one’s beliefs and values, being sacred and meaning something different to everyone. It includes recognizing the search for the meaning of life and developing an appreciation for life and the natural forces that exist in the universe (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2016). Spiritual wellness does not have to be based on one’s religion. Discovering oneself at a spiritual level can lead to a sense of self-identifying or belonging. This can be as simple as going for a walk within nature without any technology as a distraction.
The Environmental dimension involves being able to feel safe in one’s surroundings. Being able to have access to food, shelter, air, and water. These are all necessary for survival. This includes micro- and macro-environment settings. Having a change in scenery is good for the spirit, living as green as one can, and keeping one’s home and work environment clutter free are all parts of environmental wellbeing (Swarbrick, 2012; SAMHSA, 2016).
Intellectual wellness involves lifelong learning, application of knowledge learned, and sharing knowledge (Swarbrick, 2012). Areas that can be used to improve intellectual wellness include but are not limited to finding personal interests, continuing education, puzzles, and other brain exercises as well as simply having conversations.
Humans are social animals, and our social wellness relies on the interaction that we have with each other. Social wellness involves having relationships with friends, family, and the community, and having an interest in and concern for the needs of others and humankind (Swarbrick, 2012).
Financial wellness can play a part in one’s emotional wellness. It can be very stressful when living paycheck to paycheck and having to decide between paying the electricity bill or buying food. This aspect involves income, debt and savings and an individual’s understanding of financial processes and resources. Present situations and prospects play a part in all this as well (SAMHSA, 2016). Having financial instability can lead to emotional distress causing an imbalance in the emotional, spiritual, and physical dimensions.
Occupational wellness is closely related to financial and environmental wellness. One’s work environment should feel safe and secure. Occupational wellness involves participating in activities that provide meaning and purpose and reflect personal values, interests, and beliefs, including employment (SAMHSA, 2016). It involves the social wellness aspect because there must be interaction with co-workers and the community. Through their jobs, people find self-definition, structure in their lives, develop a sense of self-efficiency, develop, and maintain relationships, maintain incomes that support financial wellness (Swarbrick, 2012).
Additional Resources:
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or for personalized guidance pertaining to this topic.
Scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter homepage to sign up for future newsletters.
References:
Boiani, D. (n.d.). Sakura: Buddhist Mala Blog. Retrieved from buddhistmala.com: https://www.buddhistmala.com/the-8-pillars-of-wellness-and-health-the-new-dharma/
Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. New York: Random House LLC.
Gardner, B., Lally, P., & Wardle, J. (2012, Dec). Making health habitual: the psychology 'habit-formation' and general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 62(605), 664-666. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X659466
Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology(40), 998-1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674
Raab Ph.D, D. (2019, October 10). What is Emotional Wellness? Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201910/what-is-emotional-wellness
SAMHSA. (2016, April). Creating a Healthier Life: A step-by-step guide to wellness. Retrieved from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: www.samhsa.gov/wellness-initiative
Stoewen, D. L. (2017, Aug). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian Veterinary Journal =La revue veterinaire canadienne, 58(8), 861-862.
Swarbrick, M. (2012). A Wellness Approach to Mental Health Recovery. In A. Rudnick (Ed.), Recovery of People with Mental Illness: Philosophical and Related Perspectives (pp. 30-38). Oxford Press. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304747943_Swarbrick_M_2012_A_Wellness
Commentaires