If we aren’t the best version of ourselves in our daily lives, we aren’t able to give the world our best. If we aren’t feeling well, we’ll never give 100%.
There are eight different wheels I like to talk with my clients about regarding wellness. They are:
- Physical wellness
- Intellectual wellness
- Emotional wellness
- Work life wellness
- Social wellness
- Environmental wellness
- Spiritual wellness
- Financial wellness
Often times people do really well in one or two areas of wellness, but lack in others. Here is what each aspect of wellness means:
Physical wellness includes nutrition, correct supplementation, running functional medicine labs to obtain a wellness plan specific to one’s genetics and dialing in a sleep routine.
Intellectual wellness includes anything that uses the brain and that can help improve cognition. These mental activities can include reading books, learning a new language, completing puzzles, and so much more! Often times when people retire, they let their brain become stagnant, and their cognitive abilities tend to suffer.
Emotional wellness includes activities that help calm the body and mind. These activities include meditation, journaling, attending a yoga practice, and reading self-help books.
Work life wellness includes finding a balance between work life and free time. As with everything, it’s all about the balance. Take time off work (use that vacation time) and learn to enjoy rest! Having a job you love and are passionate about helps as well! Our society puts a lot of pressure on work life. Unfortunately, too many of us are “keeping up with the Joneses.”
Social wellness puts an emphasis on having healthy relationships. Loneliness can be a leading cause of depression, other chronic diseases, and early death. Make time to see your friends even if it is as simple as meeting to go for a walk. There—now you are combining physical wellness with social wellness!
Environmental wellness includes spending more time in nature which has been proven to improve mental and emotional wellbeing. Clutter in the home or work environment can lead to cluttering of the mind.
Spiritual wellness can also include spending time in nature and connecting to mother earth. This doesn’t mean you have to be religious by any means, but find something that you can connect with that resonates with you. The power of prayer has been proven to be a real thing whether you are praying to a God or the universe!
The final wheel of wellness is financial wellness which includes making sure you are not spending outside of your budget, having a savings account in case of emergencies, making smart investments, and having enough income to meet your daily needs.
As you are reading this, maybe there is something that you feel that you could improve on. Hiring a life coach to help navigate the work life balance, relationships, and financial wellness is always an option! Hiring an integrative health practitioner to help with the physical and emotional wellness! Getting a gym membership and hiring a personal trainer to help with physical wellness! Each type of coach can help with different aspects of wellness depending on what you specifically need. We have to get away from the idea that self-care is a splurge and not a necessity. Self-care is necessary. I repeat, self-care is necessary! Hire the coach and book that appointment!