Unfortunately, with so many distractions in the media, we live in a society where people are more focused on the outward appearance much to the detriment of the individual. We may hone one or two types of wellness skills, but we need more than that to exist. For example, a person may compete in monthly 5Ks, or have a consistent gym membership thus revealing a high sense of physical wellness; however, they may also socialise frequently, and drink heavily, and is disruptive at work, reflecting a low level of emotional and social wellness. The absence of total wellness, inhibits us in so many fatal ways and this is the primary reason to incorporate them in our lifestyles.
There are several dimensions of wellness namely: physical, intellectual (mental), emotional, spiritual, occupational, social, financial and environmental wellness. Exploring them will reveal how important they are in keeping a person balanced.
Most people are familiar with physical wellness. It involves physical activity to create endurance, flexibility, strength and fitness. We can achieve physical wellness through regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, sleeping and resting well. Avoiding tobacco, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption is important.
Equally familiar is financial wellness. This occurs when someone has control of their finances, meet their obligations on time, and exercises proper money management.
Mental wellness can be used interchangeably with intellectual wellness. Mental wellness involves putting one’s intelligence to its best possible use. It includes learning, problem-solving and creative pursuits as well as
reading, writing and other mentally-stimulating and challenging activities.
The way we feel, think and cope with life is called emotional wellness. It can affect our ability to cope with normal life stressors, relationships with others, job satisfaction and success as well as quality of life and happiness. For people dealing with emotional and mental disorders, emotional wellness can involve satisfactory management and treatment of depression, phobia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and neurosis to name but a few.
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