Waushara County Health News

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Dimensions of well-being

This past year has been difficult for all of us. So many of us have spent time worrying about our physical health and whether or not we were going to get sick. We have all wanted to stay as healthy as possible while also keeping those around us healthy. We have spent so much time worry about this, that we were most likely not spending enough time worrying about our mental health or overall health. Well, now that things are starting to settle down, it is time that we focus on our overall health and try to be as healthy that we can be.

 

Research has shown that there are “seven dimensions of wellbeing” that will help us lead a “fuller, more satisfying life”. These seven dimensions are physical, intellectual, environmental, vocational, social, emotional, and spiritual health.

We have spent the past year trying not to get sick, but how many times this past year were you worried about the food you were eating or the amount of exercise you were getting?

Physical wellbeing is all about forming daily healthy habits that can help prevent disease and add years to your life. This can be something as simple as eating a fruit and vegetable with every meal and also going for a walk every day. Your intellectual wellbeing can be maintained by allowing your brain to be active. Activities that will help keep your brain active can be things such as crosswords, Sudoku, and coloring books. Creativity and challenging thinking activities are great intellectual activities.

To improve environ-mental wellbeing, you could plant a tree, pick up trash on the side of the road, or try and walk more places instead of driving everywhere. Vocational wellbeing focuses on how you share your gifts and talents that you have with the world. This can be enhanced through volunteering or performing well at your job. This dimension is all about what you do well and what you do to make sure you do it well. Being social is a large dimension of wellbeing.

Connecting with those around us plays a huge role in our mental health. This is because when you nurture relationships, this turns into healthy support networks for your life. Emotional wellbeing has largely to do with your attitude towards life. Being positive with your emotions has a very positive impact on your life overall.

Something simple to try to improve your emotional wellbeing would be practicing gratitude. Write down five things that you’re grateful for every day. Spiritual wellbeing is a dimension of wellbeing that will look different for all people. Each individual has a set of core values and beliefs that help you shape the way you live your life. Being in touch with these values and beliefs will help create a sense of harmony in your life.

Working towards com-plete wellbeing will require effort, but if you want to live a fuller, more satisfying life that is what you have to do. After the year we have all had, everyone deserves some time to focus on themselves and work towards this state of wellbeing.

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