Wellness Dimensions

On the principle, be the change you wanna see in the world, I’m writing this article as I’ve just finished my evening yoga routine :)

Of course, we’ve all heard by now of this fancy word called wellness, but do we actually know what it means? 

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

This is the definition I adhere to as well, since the one from the cambridge dictionary seemed way too simplistic: the state of being healthy, especially when it is something that you actively try to achieve. Sorry, Cambridge not this time!

I simply adore the emphasis on the active pursuit of activities, meaning we’re responsible for our own wellness, hence we can’t blame our parents, nor society, nor anyone else for that matter, if we’re not achieving it. Well, we could, but it wouldn’t be fair.

In my opinion, wellness should be our primordial aim because if we’re not living in a state of wellness, we’re living in its opposite, which is distress. 

Obviously in this case, when I’m talking about wellness, I’m not referring to spas and endless vacations (altho I have nothing against them, on the contrary!)I'm thinking more of a sustainable wellness on a daily basis. Yep, now, that’s where it gets tricky! 

Why? Because:

• we’re all tired after a long day, and who wants to go for a jog? 

• We’re not in the mood to read a few pages that might sparkle our mind, when it’s way easier to seamlessly keep scrolling?

• Who wants to cook anything, when everything is one click away?

• Who wants to meditate in silence, when there’s still so much to do?

• Who wants to take it slow, when everything moves at the speed of light?

• Who wants to keep being creative, when they have no audience?

• Who wants to have deep uncomfortable conversations, when they could just pretend that there’s no issue ?

• Who wants to change, when they’ve been like that all their life?

And I want you to stop here, and add your own excuses! I’m serious, tho! Do not continue reading this article unless you’ve stopped for at least one minute in order to see what’s missing in this moment, what is your heart whispering from beyond your conscious thoughts? Just sit in utter silence for one minute, try out a few deep breaths if you’re feeling courageous and see how that feels. Spoiler alert: it’s not as easy as one might think.

I guess that what I’m trying to say is that Wellness is about more than just physical health. 

According to my research, most models of wellness include at least six dimensions (and sometimes up to 9 or 12):

• Physical: Nourishing a healthy body through exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc.

• Mental: Engaging the world through learning, problem-solving, creativity, etc.

• Emotional: Being aware of, accepting and expressing our feelings, and understanding the feelings of others.

• Spiritual: Searching for meaning and higher purpose in human existence.

• Social: Connecting and engaging with others and our communities in meaningful ways.

• Environmental: Fostering positive interrelationships between planetary health and human actions, choices and wellbeing.

Here are my own personal dimensions and their frequency: 

• Meditation - daily ( I highly recommend the “Headspace” app - it’s totally worth it, it literally changed my life);

• Sports & mindful eating  -  daily or quite often (jogging, cycling, pilates, abs routine, etc)

• Theater - everything related to it, not only acting - not that much lately :(

• Dancing - even silly dancing alone around the house counts - quite a lot;

• Singing - despite not having confidence in your own voice -  a few times a week;

• Writing - as much as possible - all day, all night;

• Long baths - several times a week;

• Sleeping - I swear I love sleeping more than you know what… (wink wink) as the quote goes “Of course I am good in bed, I could sit there all day long!”:))

• Massages - yes please, as often as possible!

• Therapy & going to church - a few times a month;

• Recycling my trash - daily;

• Spending time with my loved ones - non stop serendipity <3

So, what are your wellness dimensions? How about their frequencies?