Three Tips for Improving Your Overall Wellness
It’s bound to happen every New Year—on social media and in families, workplaces, and other communities, people commit to “getting healthier.” It’s easy to assume this phrasing means making changes that improve physical well-being. Often, that’s exactly what is implied--how many times have you heard someone talk about “getting healthier” and then follow it up with “going to the gym” or “changing how I eat” in the same sentence? As you will see, the behaviors we make in the spirit of improving health are often part of a more active wellness process, in additional to whatever tangible benefits are received. Despite many using the terms interchangeably, “health” and “wellness” have slightly different, related definitions. Have you ever considered what wellness looks, sounds, and feels like in your life?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) constitution, “health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmary.” This definition is important because it diversifies well-being into areas besides physical health, a new concept when the WHO developed it. It has also received some criticism for being near-unattainable due to implying that health is a state of completion--something we achieve rather than a process that ebbs and flows throughout the lifespan. As anyone who has experienced life would probably tell you, things are rarely as cut-and-dry as this definition. Also, is it possible to lack in one of these areas and still experience a sense of wellness
The National Wellness Institute, as cited in this article, defines wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.” To paraphrase the three tenants this definition is based on, wellness is a conscious, holistic, affirming process. The choices we make to improve our wellness also help us reach our full potential. Put simply, health is a state. Wellness is what we do to enhance or move toward this state.
Another way to think about wellness is surviving versus thriving. “Health” tends to be focused on survival. Health asks, “Am I functioning?” On the other hand, “Wellness” focuses on the deeper layers such as “Am I fulfilled,” and “Am I working towards something?” For example, many people enter therapy at a time in their life where they have plateaued emotionally—it’s not the worst it’s ever been, but it’s certainly not the best. Their mental health may not be keeping them from work, school, or social events, but they may feel something is missing or know intuitively something is not quite right. This is a good example of a belief that many modalities of counseling operate from--people naturally want to move toward a state of positive well-being, even if they are unsure how to reach it. Wellness choices can be a vehicle to get us closer to that state.
The New Year is a time of reflection and intention-setting for many people, so you may be curious about exploring your own overall wellness. Here are a few resources to support you:
Take a Self-Assessment
Who doesn’t love a good quiz? One of my favorite tools to explore overall wellness is the Wellness Self-Assessment, which can be found here. You can also find a more interactive version here. Despite often being geared toward college students, the Self-Assessment can be easily applied to anyone at any stage of life. I was first introduced to the Wellness Self-Assessment as a college student (no surprise there) completing a leadership program. After taking the assessment for the first time, I realized that I scored very high in some areas and pretty abysmally in others. At the time, this explained why my life looked great on the outside and left me with something to be desired on the inside. I have since used this assessment as a teacher and as a clinician to help those I work with gain a broader perspective on their definition of wellness. Rather than being a diagnostic tool, the Wellness Self-Assessment is an honest evaluation of your life balance. Taking the Self-Assessment at intervals (every six months, for example) can be a helpful barometer for how your wellness choices are working for you.
Of course, the Wellness Self-Assessment is only one way to measure overall wellness, and others have come up with slightly different assessments and categories. Your therapist or coach may have their own favorite resource to share.
Reflective Journaling
Reflective journaling has a wealth of research supporting its effectiveness, from improving metacognition to reducing anxiety in some researched populations. Many counselors, social workers, and adjacent professions encourage clients to journal reflectively for various reasons throughout their experience of therapy. If reflective journaling is part of your self-care practice, considering the following questions about your own wellness could be helpful:
· Imagine a time in the future when one or multiple aspects of your overall wellness has improved. What happened to get you there? What are you doing differently?
· Alternatively, remember a time in the past where you felt a strong sense of overall wellness, even if it was brief. What contributed to that feeling?
· List the choices you make on a regular basis that support your overall wellness. How do you feel about the list you made?
Set an Intention
Remember earlier when we talked about wellness being an active process? Setting an intention can be a great way to stay mindful of that process and continually check how you’re progressing. Rather than a goal, which tends to have an endpoint, intentions can be a word or phrase you return to over and over again. While some people respond well to goal-setting, other people can find it intimidating or difficult when reaching that goal does not work out. An intention can ease some of the pressure related to attaining a goal, focusing instead on reaching a particular emotional state.
For example, a goal may sound like “I want to ride my bike three times a week.” An intention may sound like “I want to feel strong and balanced.” Riding a bike may be a way to feel strong and balanced, but what happens if you aren’t able to ride the bike? Or, alternatively, what if you decide biking isn’t for you? Some people might set a new goal, while others abandon the goal all together. An intention invites you to ask, “What would make me feel strong and balanced today?” One day, that might be riding a bike. On another day, it might be a mindful walk through the woods. An intention can offer a gentler, flexible space to improve your overall wellness.
If you read my blog about building your care team, you may remember that research continues to confirm the interconnectedness of physical and mental health. Imbalance in any one of these areas can have devastating effects on other parts of our lives. The good news is, interconnectedness works both ways. By taking intentional steps toward one aspect of overall health through choices that support wellness, people often find other areas of their life start to improve.
If you’ve reached the end of the article and determined you could use some support improving your wellness, help is available! Many of our clinicians are accepting appointments in the New Year or the very near future. You can meet our team or request an appointment for therapy or executive function coaching by following these links.
Happy New Year from the Therapy Collective!
By Carley Foster, LCPC
Photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash
Remember, this blog is not a substitute for a qualified professional who understands your unique needs. However, we may be able to connect you with a qualified professional if you would like to explore further.
