Are We Living? Well?

Well, let's not figure that out. We’ll only delve into a few quickies that’ll help us live a healthy life holistically if we are not already!

Health Types

What is health? Being physically fit? Not feeling unwell? Having a balanced diet? Being mentally sound? Being happy? Or..

Well, it's not a case of OR but AND. Being healthy is a combination of all the above and much more.

Wellness - a single word with a whole lot of meaning and an overall approach for us. Here stands wellness with its various (eight to be precise) dimensions - ALL IMPORTANT, NONE IGNORABLE…

Emotional Wellness

An honest way to define our humanness! As humans, we feel things & we must… and as humans, we must “appropriately” express those feelings.

Life is weirdly busy these days - we might not feel the content that comes from doing a lot of work, yet we are always occupied - distracted, and pulled in different directions. Hence, we may need to break our routine into tiny sub-routines to make time for ourselves & stay on a healthy path.

We must possess the health to accept all our feelings, take time to process, and come out strong. Emotional wellness gives us the ability to stay positive, connected, and contented. It instills a sense of self- acceptance, love, and respect; only then we’ll be able to accept, love, and respect others. As Charity Beings With Home, Feelings Begin With Self!

• Stay connected with people who give you healthy vibes - family, friends, co-workers, anyone!
• Never hesitate to seek help or support the ones in need.
• Accept yourself, forgive your mistakes, gain a learning experience from them, move forward.
• Take out time to do things that make you feel happy and alive.
• Listen to and understand your thoughts & feelings.
• Take breaks between work, relax & rest often, get a good sleep.
• Understand if you are stressed & start managing your stress. Consult or talk to someone if experiencing excess anxiety or depression.

Physical Wellness

Keeping oneself physically fit & healthy constitutes physical wellness. Staying so might need us to include various measures in our lifestyle. 

• Exercising & keeping your body active in any way you deem fit is very much required.
• Don’t ignore if you notice any anomaly with any part of your body.
• Take adequate time to rest.
• Consume a balanced diet. Drink an adequate amount of water & other liquids.
• Don’t neglect safety measures wherever necessary; for instance, use helmets, seat belts, etc., while on the road.
• Stop (or at least limit) the consumption of harmful substances, like tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc.
• Take care of your personal hygiene, like bathing, brushing your teeth regularly, keeping your nails clean & trimmed, etc.
• Use protective gears while out in the sun, specifically during scorching summers.
• Avoid intake of frequent medications, rather depend on natural sources to keep yourself healthy & fit. Also, avoid unprescribed, irregular, and incomplete consumption of medicines at all costs as they do more harm than good.

Intellectual Wellness

Maintaining an active mind, an inspired and well-aware brain keeps us mentally & intellectually healthy. 

• Learn & grow - stay knowledgeable.
• Participate in creative activities or mind games.
• Be aware of the current happenings around - stay updated.
• Don’t limit your mental growth with your increasing age. Any age is apt for learning.
• Take some new courses, learn a new language, practice a new dish…
• Read a lot.
• Appreciate the works of others.
• Connect with people who challenge you intellectually.

Spiritual Wellness

The spiritual zone forms the foundation of our existence, & let’s not mix it with religion. The two are entirely different; here, we are only talking about spiritual healthiness. Our spiritual zone is a set of values and principles that we stand on, that guide us & give direction to our lives. For us to experience our true spiritual self, we must spend some time with ourselves (remember being alone doesn’t always mean being lonely, it would here mean being in our own little happy & safe space). It is our spiritual being that gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Our spiritual health enables us to be at peace and in sync with what's inside and outside us.

• Find a peaceful place & spend some time with yourself.
• Observe and appreciate the nature around you.
• Practice meditation.
• Be mentally present in whatever you do.
• Follow your intuition (it's a balance of what your heart feels & brain thinks - again, based on your guiding principles).
• Feel the freedom in how you live, and don’t hamper the freedom of people associated with you (be it in whatever capacity).
• Embrace change, accept challenges - life doesn’t exist without these!

Social Wellness

“Man is a social animal,” we’ve been hearing this for ages. Well, because it's true - we all live in some social settings, and hence it's essential to remain socially healthy as well. This wellness also helps us develop good communication skills and build strong relationships.

• Have & maintain a good network of people - stay connected with them.
• Get involved with them - express your thoughts, and more importantly, listen to theirs.
• Walk out of unhealthy associations.
• Have respect for others and yourself.
• Maintain a balanced social life.
• Contribute to the community or society and experience a sense of belongingness.
• Share your knowledge, ideas, and talents with others. In the process, learn from them as well.

Occupational Wellness

More than 50% of a person’s day revolves around their job. Hence, it is significant to get a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and growth from one’s work, thus contributing to occupational wellness. Work must bring commitment, dedication, happiness, and responsibility - all naturally!

• Make good use of your skills, talents, knowledge, and gifts.
• Try getting into an occupation that matches your interests, a work you love doing. That might save you from the stress that follows a demanding job.
• Try ensuring a healthy work environment & being surrounded by like-minded people.
• Don’t become rigid with your career options, and keep exploring. It doesn’t mean changing your job every six months for the sake of it. Be stable yet flexible!
• Maintain an apt work-life balance.
• Create a vision for the life-to-be.
• Never stop learning & be open to change.
• Communicate with colleagues.
• Learn from mistakes (and let me tell you, you’ll make many whiles at work 😛) and keep going.
• Make your own place irrespective of your gender, financial or familial background, religion, or any such societal barriers. Additionally, don’t judge anyone in your workplace based on these parameters.

Environmental Wellness

The most available things, the most used stuff, and the most beneficial state that help in our survival are often the most ignored by us. And this statement stands the most correct for our dear environment - our nature, the Earth, and the natural things around us, that make our existence possible & pleasant. Therefore, it is very much required to stay environmentally healthy by respecting our environment & maintaining a healthy environment around us. An unhealthy environment has an impact on our moods and overall wellbeing.

• Ensure your lifestyle doesn’t harm the environment, but rather nurtures it well.
• Stop wastage of any kind, be it water, electricity, or any other resources.
• Keep your surroundings clean.
• Minimize the use of harmful substances.
• Spend time with nature.
• Recycle and reuse as much as possible.
• Try using eco-friendly products as much as possible.
• Raise your awareness about the environment (what harms it and what nurtures it).
• Ensure your day-to-day activities do not contribute to any kind of pollution.
• Be aware of climate change, its causes, and its impacts on living beings.

Financial Wellness

Ever run out of finances? How much stress can that type of situation cause? Enormous! Therefore, we need to be financially healthy (not selfish) as well. We need to be financially literate.

• Be in charge of your finances and spend responsibly.
• Maintain a budget.
• Take help in financial matters from experts if required.
• Pay your bills and debts on time.
• Invest and save money wisely.

We are complete human beings; we need to be healthy completely!