The Foundation of Great Wellness
Wellness.
What does it mean and how do we move towards prioritising and improving our wellness?
The term “wellness” is thrown around quite casually these days and for most of us the real meaning of the term feels a bit vague.
Generally, we consider wellness to be about exercise and eating well but the truth is, that wellness is an all-encompassing approach to life. It’s holistic, meaning that we need to look at the whole picture of ourselves and our environment.
There are four pillars that create the foundation of a holistic wellness approach.
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Let’s explore them together.
Physical
What is physical wellness?
Hitting the gym? Doing circuits? Five yoga classes a week and running a 10k every weekend?
Far from it, but it is interesting that as a culture those are the natural things we think of when we think of physical wellness, however, it’s not the only aspect that deserves our attention. Our body needs more that movement alone to feel well.
We must consider all aspects of our physical existence. As well as physical exercise we need to consider the quality of sleep we get, how we fuel our body and how we take care of our physical body through hygiene and self-care.
When we nourish our body from the inside out our body performs better so we feel better, and when we feel better we handle stressful situations better, when we handle stressful situations better we sleep better and well, I think you are starting to get the picture….
Mental
Mental wellness can often become confused with emotional wellness but the two are distinctly different.
When our mental wellness is good, our mind is order and is serving our best interests. It’s important to note, however, that good mental wellness it is more than the absence of mental illness.
Mental wellness is a positive state of mental health and includes our ability to think clearly, allowing us to act and feel in ways that create a positive impact on our well-being.
We can think of our mental health as how our brain processes information. When are able to receive and understand information that’s presented to us and process it effectively. Subsequently we can respond to our thoughts in a way that supports our best interests.
Examples include, concentration, ability to remember things, analysing, problem-solving, categorising, re-ordering.
Emotional
Emotional wellness is crucial to our overall well-being. It’s the ability to navigate our feelings by identifying, assessing, and sharing our emotions with others.
Let’s keep it real though, it doesn’t mean we always need to feel happy or free from negative emotions all the time but improving our emotional wellness can help us to manage the ups and downs of daily life.
You could say that emotional wellness is the basis of fostering resilience, self-awareness, and overall contentment.
Inviting a sense of curiosity around our emotions helps to foster awareness and increase our emotional well-being, allowing us space to choose healthier ways to process and communicate our feelings.
Emotional wellness “focuses on being in tune with our emotions, vulnerability, and authenticity,” says licensed psychologist Juli Fraga, PsyD.
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness will look different to everyone, it’s personal to each individual. It is not necessarily about a specific religion or belief system but more about how each unique person establishes their own sense of being in the world.
We can think about this is terms of direction, meaning of life and perhaps our sense of purpose. What are we here to do? Who are we here to serve?
Questions like this help us to connect to a higher power or purpose and we can cultivate our ideas by dedicating time each day for reflection.
When our spiritual wellness is good, we are living with intention and our actions are aligned with our sense of being. We are living in line with our values and purpose. We have a sense of belonging.
They’re Connected
The four pillars of wellness are all encompassing and very much interconnected. When one pillar is out of balance it can easily have a knock-on effect in the other areas of our life.
Beginning to better understand ourselves and how each pillar shows up in our life is a good start to prioritising our wellness. In a world that can seem overwhelming and stressful, it’s easy to forget how beneficial it is to prioritise our wellness, yet this is one of the fundamental ways in which we can experience a more balanced and joyful existence. It’s feels good to be well from the inside out.
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Disclaimer: Always consult your own GP if you’re in any way concerned about your health. You should always promptly consult a doctor all matters relating to physical or mental health, particularly concerning any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.