Well-being

Self-evaluation is an important part of life. You can learn a lot about yourself. Replicate the things you’re happy with and make adjustments to improve the areas you’re not satisfied with. I encourage you to self-evaluate without placing judgment upon yourself. We get enough of that from society, and it’s not productive!

Let’s look at the first area – your physical health. Your physical health is a cornerstone of your overall well-being. When we are physically healthy, we can move around without discomfort, we have endurance and stamina, and we can participate in recreational activities that promote growth in other areas of our life. Physical activity changes our brain chemistry, and can improve mood. We can have a boost in self confidence, which helps in all areas of our life. Eating healthy is a huge part of your physical health as well. It can determine your energy level, your mood, and whether your long-term health is good or bad.

The next area is your spiritual health. I’m not just talking religion here! Working on your spiritual health doesn’t have to involve organized religion, so don’t let that deter you from focusing on this very important part of life! The Oxford dictionary says spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. So, let’s break that down. The human spirit or soul is that ‘inspiration’ you have within you. People have different beliefs where the inspiration comes from. Some say it comes from God, others say it comes from nature, or even themselves. It’s a part of all of us that has a lot to say, if we would just listen to it. Maybe some people still need to connect to their spirit/soul. My best advice is to quiet yourself and be still. If you can do that, you’ll be able grow spiritually and improve your overall well-being. You’ll likely learn a lot about yourself too! I could teach a whole class on spiritual growth. I’m sure I’ll be posting more about this area as I go.

The third area of your well-being is your psychological health. This area covers your mental health. This is impacted by choices we make in the other areas as well. Today, more than ever we are seeing the awareness of mental health improve. We should feel good it’s come this far, but we still have A LOT of work to do to remove the stigma that goes along with mental health and mental illnesses. I encourage everyone to evaluate your current psychological health. Evaluate how you express and manage your emotions. Work on being more self-aware, so you can practice positivity and not get sucked into the negativity of the world. Genuinely accepting and loving yourself is an important piece of the work we’re doing here.

The last area of your well-being is your social health. It’s so important that we all have connections with other people. Caring for others and having others care for us will improve our social health tremendously.  It’s also important to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Being an active and productive member in a community can promote personal and community growth. It’s a win, win. Having meaningful relationships is key to having healthy connections.

It’s important to note that these four areas are not neatly separated into their own container. They are interwoven and work together. If the machine is “well-oiled” and all the parts are working together, your overall well-being will be strong, positive, and healthy!