How many times have you seen the word wellness? There are wellness centers, wellness toursim, wellness dog and cat food, and tons of wellness advice. According to the World Health Organization it is "...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
So what makes the wellness approach different than the traditional approach to good health? The answer is: You give as much attention to your mind, emotional and spiritual health as you would your physical health.
Take care of your physical needs
The most important aspect of caring for ourselves physically involves preventive maintenance. This in a nutshell involves maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, and good habits. Additionally, knowing how your body communicates is very important. The body is like a machine. But unlike your car, there is no oil light that comes on alerting you to put in more oil. Nevertheless, there are other indicators. According to Healthfiend.com there are 10 signs of good or bad health that are essential for general upkeep.
Take care of your emotional needs
How you feel about yourself will affect your overall outlook on life and it will affect others around you. Learning how to love others in a complete sense surprisingly will feed you emotionally. It involves forgiving yourself and others, letting go of resentment, not being judgmental and giving to others. Somehow when you release this aforementioned baggage, it allows you to breathe easier, be more positive and enjoy who you are. It encourages you to reach out more socially and appreciate the gems we find in others. And if you need to be the recipient of more love and you’re not getting it, get a pet. They make you feel great!
Take care of your spiritual needs
Like it or not, we all have a spiritual need. Your spirituality affects you physically, emotionally, mentally and socially but unfortunately is one that most often is neglected. Where we came from, what purpose we have in life, where we’re going and how we got here all have to do with our need to satisfy those questions. Finding the correct answers to those questions have the power to influence us in a wonderful way. And it cannot be satisfied by superficially claiming to belong to a specific religion. It involves an intense investigation inside and out that guides us, shapes us and helps define who we are.
So are you well? We all want to be. Since there is a special connection between the mind, body and emotions, all three would need to be addressed to be relatively healthy. The good news is that if our physical health is lacking, we have two other aspects to explore and renew. All is not lost. And the more we can master these other aspects, the easier it will be to manage the first.
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