In 2020, more people report feeling stress than ever before. That is because of several factors. The pandemic is still running rampant, while we’ve seen a contentious presidential election and much societal upheaval.
It’s hard to stay well these days, however you choose to define wellness. However, you must do it. If you feel unbalanced, you need to take steps to alleviate that sensation.
The National Wellness Institute says there are six wellness dimensions. If you’re doing fine in all of them, that’s when you experience fulfillment and happiness.
If you’re unhappy right now, you can probably pinpoint one of these wellness dimensions as the problem. Once you determine which one isn’t balanced, you can attempt to fix it.
Let’s look at what these six dimensions are and what each one means to the average individual.
Physical Wellness
Once you accept that wellness includes many dimensions, physical wellness is the first one about which you will probably think. Physical wellness includes:
- Strength
- Endurance
- Flexibility
If you are physically fit, you’re not experiencing any pain, or very little. You can get through your daily routine without any trouble. You give your body an order, and it responds.
To stay physically well, you must eat a healthy diet. That includes lean meats, fish, and other good protein sources. You’ll want to ingest plenty of fruits and vegetables for vitamins and fiber.
You should imbibe lots of water and consume alcohol sparingly. Avoid tobacco products and recreational drugs. Exercise often.
If you’re in excellent physical shape, you can tackle the various challenges your life presents. If you’re not in such good physical condition, you’ll struggle.
Social Wellness
Social wellness involves:
- Having friends you like and seeing them often
- Getting along well with your family
In 2020, many individuals are not feeling socially well. That’s because they can’t see their friends and family members anywhere near as much as they would like.
With the lingering Covid-19 threat, maybe you can’t get together for Thanksgiving and the other year-end holidays. That’s tough for you. You may feel isolated and lonely.
You should stay in touch with friends and family however you can. Talk to them on the phone or FaceTime with them. You can start a family text chain, so you know what the people you love are doing, and vice versa.
If you communicate with your family and friends a lot this year, even if you can’t see them in person, it will do you some good. Eventually, you’ll be able to see them again, but for now, it helps to know you’re not alone, and everyone is going through this challenging situation together.
Intellectual Wellness
Intellectual wellness means you’re among people who challenge your intellect, or you’re taking part in activities that challenge it. If you don’t feel intellectual stimulation, you can read more. Reading is a great way to keep your mind limber.
You can watch informative TV programs or read instructional magazine articles. You can do a physically-distanced book club. You and some of your friends or relatives read a book, and then you use FaceTime or similar technology to discuss its merits and deficiencies.
You shouldn’t spend all day playing video games or watching TV. If you do, you are not challenging your intellect.
Spiritual Wellness
Everyone believes in different things. You have people who believe in various religious tenets, or you have others who have no religion at all.
Either way is okay, as long as you feel spiritual fulfillment. If you believe in a particular deity or deities and want to worship him, her, it, or them, that’s great. If you have atheistic or agnostic beliefs, that’s okay too.
The point is that you need to find spiritual fulfillment. If that means attending a socially-distanced church service, you can do that, or if you just want to meditate to find your spiritual center, you have that option.
Spiritual wellness will mean something different for everyone.
Emotional Wellness
If you’re emotionally well, you probably have people in your life who love you and care about you. You feel the same way about them. Perhaps you have pets you love and who love you back.
People are experiencing a lot of angst in 2020. Maybe you’re not emotionally well because you know someone who Covid-19 has killed. Perhaps you’re not sure what your future holds, and that worries you.
You can stay emotionally well by talking to your family and friends about what you’re experiencing. You should not bottle it up inside. You might also talk to a therapist or go on antidepressant medication.
Occupational Wellness
Occupational wellness is the final wellness aspect. If you have a job that makes you happy and pays you appropriately, you have great occupational wellness.
Some people have lost their jobs this year, so you might not feel fulfilled in this area. If you don’t have occupational wellness, you might not have enough money either.
If you’re in this position, you’ll need to job hunt. Update your resume, and start looking on places like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster. If you take a proactive job-hunting approach, you will hopefully find something and get back on track soon.
If you’re doing well in all of these six life areas, you should have a good life. It’s when you don’t do well in any one of them, or more than one, that you can’t move forward happily and healthily.
If you feel sadness or a fulfillment lack, first, determine which wellness area has gone off course. Once you can answer that, you’ll know where to focus.
One thing you should know and understand is that many people do not feel well this year. Whichever life area you feel isn’t working for you, many others are going through it too.
It seems inevitable that things will turn around, though. Maintaining a glass-half-full philosophy is not always easy, but if you can do it, perhaps 2021 will bring a fortune reversal.
