Holistic approach to everyday living

Improving one’s quality of life and personality development has been everyone’s goal. Having a healthy life, without the threat of disease or any other illness, does not only prolong your life but also give you the confidence that could boost your mental health.

The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration listed eight dimensions of wellness—an interconnected way of everyday living where being physically fit could also lead to emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, spiritual and social or interpersonal fulfillment. Wellness does not only mean that you are free of illness but also a dynamic process where your personality grows

Having complete control of your personal life (physical) could create a domino effect where it could also give you peace of mind (emotional, intellectual, and spiritual), leading to a better understanding of your surroundings (environmental, occupational, and social), which in turn could boost your income or financial wellness.

Health and wellness are intertwined with the eight aspects serving as the web that keeps it glued together. Wellness does not only mean you are free from any sickness but also in general living with a balanced mind, body, and spirit that gives you a sense of fulfillment. Our bodies can function properly, be it at work or having some rest and recreation, if we are physically fit.

Physical wellness

Being also informed of health risks can prevent illness or diseases that could disrupt the way of your life. You will get worried if you’re sick that could lead to missing work and loss of income. You can control your physical and mental aspects with proper diet, watching what you eat and drink and regular exercise.

Making better choices in life can help you change and discard unhealthy habits that could jeopardize your personal wellbeing. A complete turnaround of your once unhealthy lifestyle is beneficial not only to you but to others as well.

Emotional wellness

Being emotionally mature is having the ability to face and handle life’s daily challenges and can develop positive concepts. Emotionally healthy people, who know how to control their emotions, have the self-confidence in getting back on their feet after a setback and they are also capable of building stronger relationships.

Dedication, determination, optimism, persistence, and trust are the other examples of positive qualities that an emotionally mature person can develop.

Self-doubt can ruin everything but you can turn things around by continuously thinking and saying positive compliments to yourself, and visualization that could help you get over the hump and boost your confidence so you won’t easily give up when you encounter rough patches on the road.

Spiritual wellness

Spiritual wellness is the ability to establish peace and harmony, as well as to develop beliefs that give meaning or purposes to our lives. The National Wellness Institute wrote, “it is better to live each day in a way that is consistent with our values and beliefs that to do otherwise and feel untrue to ourselves.” For some people, they find spiritual growth by being part of an organized religion but there are others who discover themselves and the purpose of their lives through other practices such as meditation, yoga, prayers, and affirmations, among many other mystical practices that support our connection to a higher power or belief system. Understanding the purpose of our lives and values allow us to develop deep appreciation of our family, friends, environment and everything else that surrounds us. It also helps attain the ability to integrate good moral values and beliefs on our daily actions and or decisions.

Ultimately, being spiritualy well not only allows us to develop appreciation of everything including ourselves, but it also enables us to withstand the hardships that may come upon us with great resilience.

Environmental wellness

It is your ability to being responsible, respectful, and living in harmony with the environment. Environmental awareness means knowing that the earth’s natural resources have its limits and exploiting it will have a significant impact in our lives.

Intellectual

Being open to new ideas, and recognizing the knowledge and experiences they shared also improves your personal relationship. Expressing your views lets you connect with others and create rapport in and outside your family. Finding ways to expand your skills can also create a support system that can help you in other important facets of life.

Interpersonal wellness

Is the ability to connect with other people in your home, workplace, community, or the world. It refers to one’s ability to develop and maintain relationships through good communication skills, compassion, as well as, respect for others including ourselves. Interpersonal wellness enables us to live in harmony with other people, while contributing to the welfare of our community and environment.

It is closely related to emotional, physical, and mental wellness. For example, a healthy relationship can have positive health benefits on our wellbeing. Similarly, an unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship can lead us to depression and other disorders.

It has significant impact on our wellbeing, whether personal or professional relationship. It helps us create a support system, which helps us go through the many challenges of our lives, and to share and bare witness on our joys and triumphs.

Occupational wellness

Occupational wellness is finding your chosen career and having the feeling of satisfaction in what you do. It also focuses on your ability to balance work and leisure time, handle work stress, and build rapport with your co-workers. Team-building seminars, out-of-town trips, or other forms of bonding exercises build harmonious relationships in the workplace. Happy workers are productive employees that could benefit the whole company by increase in sales and revenues and customer satisfaction.

Financial wellness

Doing what you love leads to financial stability where you learn how to manage your money for current and future use. Some companies offer financial management seminars to its employees that could help them with their retirement. Planning your finances and being able to determine your needs from your wants is considered to be among the steps of getting financially healthy. Providing food, shelter, and clothing to your family are the needs, while wants are things that you get if there’s extra after you had provided for the essentials.