If any of the categories listed below describe what you may be experiencing with your overall wellness, a change in your eating habits, lifestyle choices, priorities, and physical activity can greatly reduce and even eliminate one or more issues.
Social Wellness: When a person feels secure, confident, and grounded they tend to communicate well in social situations. They usually embrace new social settings with ease and don’t feel self-conscious about how they look or speak. They view socializing as an opportunity to learn, grow, network, and create relationships.
Conversely, a person who avoids social settings may be experiencing fear of the unknown or rejection. They tend to get overwhelmed by conflicting messages and the intentions and actions of others. They may end up isolating as a result.
Emotional Wellness: Emotions are a vital part of the human experience and can shape the way a person reacts to situations, both positive and negative in life. Emotions affect relationships of all kinds, especially the internal relationship with oneself. Balancing our emotions and taking time to work through the feelings associated with them is an important part of overall wellness, especially as it relates to stress and a poor self-image.
People with unbalanced emotions are more likely to suffer with anxiety, depression, and communication issues. They often feel like they are on a rollercoaster of emotional turmoil due to a variety of reasons such as trauma, mental and personality disorders, and internal struggles. Relationships with others often suffer as a result due to overreactive behavior and poor communication.
Intellectual Wellness: Cognitive function is an integral part our ability to live meaningful and productive lives. A curious mind leads to more fulfilling experiences. There are so many incredible things to learn about such as art, music, culture, history, etc. for the intrinsic value of the information, which can enhance different facets of one’s life. Furthermore, reading and using one’s imagination stimulates the mind which results in intellectual wellness.
Thinking and reasoning is an everyday, all day, functioning process of the brain. Issues such as brain trauma, disabilities, disease, addictions, etc. can impact cognitive abilities such as memory recall and the ability to formulate cohesive sentences. These conditions aren’t hopeless and can improve with certain protocols, both Allopathic and Holistic, as well as stimulating activities.
Environmental Wellness: The environment of an individual can directly affect his/her health in a variety of ways. People who are able to procure a stable, healthy, and happy environment feel a sense of accomplishment and are usually grounded and secure. They enjoy their surroundings whether at home, work, during an activity, or in nature.
Many people experience negative environmental factors such as a detrimental physical living space, difficult people, food insecurity, stress, toxins, etc. These circumstances can be mitigated with learning coping mechanisms and strategies, financial/job assistance, and certain lifestyle changes.
Physical Wellness: Physical wellness is often the most visible of the categories. People who feel that their body is their temple usually eat a nutritionally balanced diet and do some, if not several, forms of movement/exercise. They reap the rewards of their commitment to themselves through strength, balance, agility, flexibility, appearance, and an overall sense of accomplishment. They tend to have fewer health issues and don’t require medication for conditions that often result from a poor diet.
“You are what you eat,” is an accurate statement as people who chose a healthy diet typically enjoy better health than those who eat processed foods lacking in nutrition. Most chronic diseases that result from a poor diet have a direct negative impact on the functioning of one or more bodily systems, such as the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the digestive system. Obesity often leads to chronic diseases and the extra body weight is a burden on all systems. Physical wellness is achievable through a desire to change one or several aspects of one’s lifestyle. It is a choice to experience physical wellness when it comes to diet and exercise and the rewards are definitely worth the sacrifice and commitment.
Occupational Wellness: Discovering one’s life purpose is an integral part of self-actualization (self-fulfillment). When a person feels satisfaction and joy in a chosen job, career, or organization they are experiencing internal occupational wellness. Co-workers can have both positive and negative affects on an individual as well. If the overall environment is productive and pro-active, the participants may experience a community/family oriented external occupational wellness.
When emotional, intellectual, and physical wellness decline, occupational wellness may also decline. A person with certain ailments may be or feel unable to carry out tasks at work, or they may face discrimination if their workplace is unwilling to adapt to their needs. People with chronic ailments are more likely to be at risk of unemployment, especially if they are undergoing treatment.
Spiritual Wellness: Spirituality is about understanding and connecting with your inner self, aligning your actions with your values, and finding harmony with others and the world around you. This can be achieved through various practices such as religious activities, connecting with nature, or engaging in creative pursuits. Spiritual beliefs can help people get through difficult situations, appreciate humble gestures, and pursue meaningful endeavors and relationships.
A lack of spirituality can be the result of trauma, disease, negative situations, losing a loved one, or a myriad of other reasons. A person living with a chronic ailment may question their religion or spirituality. They often feel as though they have done something karmically to deserve the condition and feel tremendous guilt and regret which contributes to a negative mindset. This cycle of negativity disrupts the healing process and can perpetuate the chronic symptoms. Practices like yoga, meditation, tai-chi, reiki, sound healing, chakra balancing, and many others can enhance a person’s spiritual connection to source and may help counteract the chronic symptoms.