As many of you may know, I commute from Sarasota to Estero two to three times a week. This 180-mile round trip journey is normally a smooth and relaxing drive. Why? Simply because my car is well maintained.
All of the aspects of your wellness are connected and impact each other to create a well-rounded lifestyle. Similarly to a car, all the wheels on the wheel of wellness need to be working properly to get you to your desired destination. If one wheel is flat, it can affect the entire journey.
The wheel of wellness includes eight mutually interdependent dimensions of heath: intellectual, spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, social, environmental and occupational.
Intellectual Wellness Intellectual wellness encourages expanding your knowledge to learn new things, evolving and having an open mind for the betterment of yourself and others. Maintaining an optimal level of intellectual wellness does not only give you the ability to develop your creativity and growth mindset but also strengthens your concentration, memory and critical thinking skills.
Spiritual Wellness Spiritual wellness consists of personal beliefs and values that provide a sense of meaning and purpose in life, establishing inner harmony and peace.
Emotional Wellness Emotional wellness involves your ability to know yourself, process emotions in a healthy way and feel positive about your life. This includes awareness of your strengths while recognizing individual areas for improvement.
Physical Wellness Physical wellness consists of healthy habits towards nutrition, sleep, exercise, regular check-ups, stress reduction and avoiding destructive habits that don’t support our overall physical health. Maintaining an optimal level of physical health allows you to nurture the other dimensions of wellness.
Financial Wellness Financial wellness consists of finding an equilibrium among the psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of your relationship with finance. This includes learning to live within your means, making informed financial decisions and setting short and long-term goals.
Social Wellness Social wellness consists of having positive, healthy and enriching relationships with friends, family and colleagues. Maintaining social wellness increasing your sense of belonging, self-esteem and assertive skills.
Environmental Wellness Environmental wellness is the awareness that our personal choices can affect the environment of our homes and community. This includes actively taking on the responsibility to support the sustainability of our planet as a whole.
Occupational Wellness Occupational wellness consists of the ability to make a positive contribution to our society whether through a career in the business world or at home. Maintaining an optimal level of occupational wellness allows you to develop unique skills and talents that are both personally and professionally rewarding.
If any dimensions of your wellness wheel aren’t functioning properly, I encourage you to take a look and see if any one of them are in need a ‘tune-up.’ You might be surprised at the affect it will have on you.