Wellness Beyond Nutrition: The 6 Areas Of Your Life To Focus On For Holistic Wellness
As a holisitc nutritionist and wellness coach, my goal is to help you achieve holistic wellness on your own terms.
What is Holistic Wellness?
The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as "an active process trough which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence".
By definition, it is multidimensional and holistic in nature and involves 6 interconnected areas, including:
1- Physical Wellness
Nourishing and caring for your physical body through nutrition, movement, health care and personal hygiene
2- Mental Wellness
Processing life's challenges and experiences and coping with stressful situations
3- Social Wellness
Developing and nurturing healthy relationships that bring harmony and joy into your life
4- Emotional Wellness
Acceptance and awareness of a wide array of feelings in yourself and in others, positive self-expression and self-esteem
5- Spiritual Wellness
Finding meaning and purpose in life, regardless of your religious beliefs
6- Occupational Wellness
Finding fulfillment in your life through your work, whether you work outside the home or not (I'm looking at you stay at home mama's).
How To Achieve Holistic Wellness
True lasting wellness happens at the intersection of all 6 areas and each of us has a sweet spot all our own for where, when and how that happens.
Here are some things to consider on your journey:
At any given moment, you have to make a choice, prioritize and decide how to distribute your time, resources and energy between the various areas of your life.
Sometimes the choice to prioritize your wellness will feel impossible or difficult due to life’s circumstances, but it’s often in those times that you need it most.
Taking care of and showing up for others requires that you show up for yourself first, both to set an example and to ensure that you are able to show up when you are needed most. As a mama and natural nurturer, I know first hand just how difficult this can be, but with time, and practice, I assure you it get’s easier and more habit forming.
When you make a deliberate choice to focus on one, two or even three areas of your wellness at any give time, the others will inevitably feel off kilter and that’s both normal and acceptable.
Don't let this fool you into thinking that balance means giving equal attention to all 6 areas of wellness simultaneously. That's a trap and will only result in you spreading yourself too thin, feeling frustrated and accomplishing little to nothing.
Finding Your Sweet Spot
The two most important things to remember is that an imbalance in one area of your life is likely to spill over into the other areas, if you let it and you have more control than you realize.
Your emotions and feelings have the power to influence your thoughts and beliefs which in turn influence your attitude about something.
Rather than getting down and out about some areas of your life being out of balance, find comfort in knowing that you are focusing your energy on what needs most attention in the present moment and accept that other areas of your life might feel off kilter. Accepting what is will change the way you feel, and ultimate bring you peace and a sense of balance.
Your Periodic Holistic Wellness Self - Check In
Grab your journal, and let’s do a short but very important exercise.
Ask yourself:
Where do I need to find more balance in my life?
What tools and resources do I have that will allow me to do this?
What are my priorities?
How much time do I have to dedicate to this?
What is a realistic plan of action that challenges me but won’t overwhelm me?
