August is National Wellness Month (NWM). I want us to take the opportunity to look more deeply at our wellness journey: Past, present, and future. National Wellness Month is a great opportunity to take inventory of things we have done, things we are doing now, and things we can do to improve our health and well-being. When we take such inventory, we are able to come up with a plan of action to implement for longevity.
The Six Dimensions of Wellness, also called the Whole-Person Wellness Model, is a tool used to implement balance of the following six categories: Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual, Emotional, Social, and Occupational. The process of seeking answers can be detailed and complicated. I formulated a simple format of answering the following existential questions for each category below.
This existential exercise will help you visualize the results you want to experience in the present. As you ask each question, think and visualize what you can see yourself doing to fulfill your desire. It’s about what type of lifestyle you want and how you intend to live your life on a daily basis.
The Six Dimension of Wellness
- Physical: Lifestyle and health habits
- What can I do to maximize my well-being in spite of any health challenges in my life?
- Intellectual: Mental health and wellness
- What things can I do to continue improving my mental and intellectual well-being?
- Spiritual: Life purpose and meaning for living
- What way(s) do I want to experience my life purpose and live a more meaningful life? How do I want to expand my spiritual experience?
- Emotional: Healthy expression of feelings and attitude; Resilience ability
- What things can I implement to deal with the ups and downs in my life?
- Social: Healthy relationships and community experience
- What can I do to feel connected and experience feelings of belonging?
- Occupational: Work, hobbies, purposeful ways of occupying time
- What endeavors can I engage in to share and expand my abilities, talents, skills and interests?
As we pursue wellness in these dimensions, balance may seem daunting; but, we don’t stress about it. A good thing to do is use daily meditation and visualization being and doing in each dimension. Balance will come naturally. Just live your best life each day. This is how to take control of your health and well-being in the present, and have far-reaching and lasting effects for the future.
Nurturing yourself is not selfish; it’s essential to your survival and your well-being.
Rene Peterson Trudeau, Life Balance Coach and Speaker
Pink & Prime 