If you don’t make time to care for your wellness, your mind, body and soul will force you to make time for your illness. World Wellbeing Week (27 June – 1 July) is a reminder for everyone, regardless of age, background, or station in life, of the importance of wellbeing to our lives and livelihoods. We’ve put together a few tips to help you improve some of these wellbeing areas and the free Alison courses you can enrol in to help get you there.
The pursuit of wholeness and one’s “wellbeing” has over the last few years, become vital to our lives. We’ve learned how it contributes to our capacity to take on everyday tasks, be joyful, and adapt to the ebb and flow of life. Wellbeing is the art of developing comprehensive, holistic, and healthy habits that result in better physical and mental health. Our wellbeing is made up of different components like financial, physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Each one plays in informing who we are.
Financial
“A person either disciplines his finances or his finances disciplines him.” With economic downturns, threats of recessions, rising food, fuel costs and inflation, financial stability and economic welfare has never been more important. This refers to the state where an individual can meet all their current financial obligations, have confidence in their financial future and be able to enjoy life in the present.
Tips to become financially sound:
- Don’t spend money before you have it
- Live beneath your means
- Draw up a budget and stick to it
- Plan for your retirement
- Know how much you have coming in and how much is going out
- Decrease your debt
- Be cautious with credit
- Save
Money has one language: save me today; and it will save you tomorrow.
Physical
Your physical health is more the absence of disease in the body. Instead, it speaks to the overall lifestyle choices that include diet, sleep, exercise to ensure your body performs at its most optimum level and you can get through the day without fatigue and physical stress. You’re never too young, or old, to invest in and look after your body. Small everyday changes can get you on your way.
Tips to improve your physical health:
- 10 000 steps, 30 minutes of physical activity or exercise – get your body moving
- Hydrate. Drink lots of water
- Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night
- Adopt a healthy diet, limit alcohol intake
These boost your energy levels, improve your sleep, reduces lethargy, and gives you that extra spring in your step. You wake up feeling good and have a sense that you have everything you need to conquer the day ahead.
Mental
Our mental health affects everything we do (and don’t do), how we think, live, and feel. And state of wellbeing enables us to cope better with the daily challenges of life and helps us thrive in relationships, at work, home, play and make healthy choices. Mental wellbeing is something you can work on everything else we may face.
Tips to improve your state of mind:
- Practice mindfulness. Be aware of your thought patterns and think about what you think about. Positive thinking can influence your feelings
- Learn a new skill or take up a new course.
- Make time for leisure and relaxation
- Develop a nutritious and healthy diet and lifestyle
- Sleep
- Connect with friends and family
- Reduce time spent on social media
- Get help
Emotional
We experience a wide range of emotions – sadness, happiness, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, joy. Sometimes all in a day. This is perfectly normal and says nothing else except that we are human. Our emotional health and wellness refer to one’s ability to handle their emotions, to have the self-awareness, understanding and the acceptance of your varying emotions. It’s influenced by a number of factors like stress, physical wellbeing, environmental factors and relationships. By cultivating our emotional wellbeing, we become equipped to face hardships, find happiness and thrive.
Tips to improve your emotional health:
- Build a strong support system
- Seek to create a balanced lifestyle
- Manage stress
- Be kind to yourself
- Talk about your feelings and ask for help
Together, these four aspects contribute to a stronger and healthier version of yourself. Your wellness matters. It affects who we are, what we do, and is crucial for you to enjoy a high quality of life. When you invest in improving each of these areas, life becomes more than just surviving, but thriving and knowing you have what it takes to overcome every challenge and still enjoy it.
