One common challenge in promoting wellness is each individual's perception of what "wellness" is. If you polled the average person on the street and asked them what comes to mind when they hear the term wellness, I'm assuming an overwhelming number of the responses would be physical health. I'd guess the most common action points would be "exercising" and "losing weight". Many individuals do not consider the other dimensions that contribute to the overall "wellness" of an individual.
There are many variances to how many dimensions complete an individual's total wellness. You've probably learned I enjoy simplicity, so I usually get on board with the following six dimensions:
Let's stay within the physical realm. Many people often set goals to improve their physical health - diets, exercise programs, etc. Many spin their wheels, some make gains to be lost in the near future, and a few are able to change their habits for the long haul.
I'd argue many, whether they recognize it or not, are "comfortable" in the realm of chronic dieting and chronic weight loss efforts because it's a distraction from dealing with the other dimensions of their wellness, particularly emotional wellness. What I mean by this is many of the behavior loops that create their struggles with eating well stem from poor coping mechanisms with stress and emotional health. It's easier to constantly be trying new eating plans and diets than it is to address your emotional needs in a meaningful way. It's more "comfortable". This isn't always the case; I only say this because I think it's worth it to people to explore their overall wellness a bit more.
I can say I sabotaged my financial health (which would fall under occupational) and my physical health while battling unaddressed emotional/social/spiritual health needs. Many people invest all their time into their career at the expense of their social health and physical health. Some sabotage their career and physical health because their social game gets too much attention. There can be many examples - but true wellness happens when people do their best to get balanced in these six dimensions.
I've written earlier about keystone habits. When you change one important habit and the momentum can lead to making progress towards other habits. 7 months ago I started this journey to improve my financial wellness. Since then, my diet is better than it's been in a long time. My weight is the lowest it's been since college. My cholesterol and blood pressure are all time lows. I'm working towards running goals. My intellectual and spiritual wellness are growing together. My emotional wellness is buoyed by the positive momentum. And all of this effort is moving towards opening up avenues in occupational and social wellness improvement.
I only share this to potentially motivate others (and other people making progress motivates me in return!). A great start is simply doing an inventory of your personal wellness. I'll send an open invitation to be a part of your process if you'd like. Email, message, grab a cup of coffee with me. I can be a sounding board to help you organize your thoughts. I fully believe we all contain our own answers, we just need to unearth them. Sometimes you just need a facilitator.
We're all in this together.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
There are many variances to how many dimensions complete an individual's total wellness. You've probably learned I enjoy simplicity, so I usually get on board with the following six dimensions:
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| Found at https://grad.msu.edu/dimensions-wellness |
I'd argue many, whether they recognize it or not, are "comfortable" in the realm of chronic dieting and chronic weight loss efforts because it's a distraction from dealing with the other dimensions of their wellness, particularly emotional wellness. What I mean by this is many of the behavior loops that create their struggles with eating well stem from poor coping mechanisms with stress and emotional health. It's easier to constantly be trying new eating plans and diets than it is to address your emotional needs in a meaningful way. It's more "comfortable". This isn't always the case; I only say this because I think it's worth it to people to explore their overall wellness a bit more.
I can say I sabotaged my financial health (which would fall under occupational) and my physical health while battling unaddressed emotional/social/spiritual health needs. Many people invest all their time into their career at the expense of their social health and physical health. Some sabotage their career and physical health because their social game gets too much attention. There can be many examples - but true wellness happens when people do their best to get balanced in these six dimensions.
I've written earlier about keystone habits. When you change one important habit and the momentum can lead to making progress towards other habits. 7 months ago I started this journey to improve my financial wellness. Since then, my diet is better than it's been in a long time. My weight is the lowest it's been since college. My cholesterol and blood pressure are all time lows. I'm working towards running goals. My intellectual and spiritual wellness are growing together. My emotional wellness is buoyed by the positive momentum. And all of this effort is moving towards opening up avenues in occupational and social wellness improvement.
I only share this to potentially motivate others (and other people making progress motivates me in return!). A great start is simply doing an inventory of your personal wellness. I'll send an open invitation to be a part of your process if you'd like. Email, message, grab a cup of coffee with me. I can be a sounding board to help you organize your thoughts. I fully believe we all contain our own answers, we just need to unearth them. Sometimes you just need a facilitator.
We're all in this together.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
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