The 3rd annual World Wellbeing Week has started. 21st – 30th June 2021 is World Wellbeing Week, was established to promote overall awareness. Instead of 7 days to focus it's going to span over 10 days. Wellbeing / Wellness are words that have taken over the media & online world. But what does it mean? What notice should we take? How should we go about being kind to ourselves and improve our overall wellbeing? We hear all the time, eat & sleep well, exercise and maintain our mental health but it’s truly a little bit more complex than just exercise, eat n’ sleep well and our mental health – shocking right? The Oxford Dictionary defines well-being [noun] as general health and happiness, Emotional/physical/psychological well-being. To have a sense of well-being.
What is Wellbeing?
Areas of wellbeing: Physical. Emotional or psychological. Social. Intellectual. Economic. Spiritual.
In order to be well, you must have an understanding of what it means and have a sense of your own mental and physical state. WHO defines health as “complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing – and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” This suggest that being in good health goes even further than being ‘unwell’. It is more about being healthy in each of the incorporated aspects beyond the foundation.
Wellbeing varies from person to person, whether it being healthy, comfortable, happy, when linked to a specific aspect of wellbeing, such as social, physical or even economic, it may not be the same for me as it is for you. There’s a long debate on what it means to be happy & the quick answer is, it’s not clear what wellbeing is. But we can take the time to become aware of how we are feeling, physically and emotionally and take the steps to be more than just ‘not unwell’.
What are the 5 pillars of wellbeing?
Physical
‘Healthy body, healthy mind’ it’s true that taking care of our physical body has its physical benefits but it can also impact other areas of our health & wellbeing. Making sure we give our body the right foods, an active lifestyle where possible and also getting enough rest, is already setting yourself up for both physical & psychological wellbeing. Physical is way more than just eating well & exercising. Simple things like getting enough sunlight can be a boost.
Emotional or Psychological
This can be more complicated as sometimes we are impacted by situations out of our control. We need to remind ourselves that we cannot be 100% well all the time, allow ourselves to be kind to our own situation & tell ourselves sometimes it’s not okay to be okay. – and that is … well okay. We can check in on our mental state daily – how are you feeling? Are you snapping at people? Are you taking time out for yourself? Do you need to address anything to make yourself feel better? We can meditate, do breathing exercises or do physical exercise to work through any negative feelings we may be experiencing to find calm.
Social
After the last year – socialising has become little to none for many. Which hasn’t been good for their wellness. Social wellness is the quality of the relationships we hold & how we interact with others around us. As human we thrive off connections with others, our brains come alive, this is where we can develop our self-confidence or self-esteem. It offers us mental stimulation through conversation – you’ll find you won’t talk to every friend/family member the same or about the same topics, we learn so much from our social interaction. This is where we kind find solace when we need support during tough times but also share our good times.
Intellectual
Gaining and maintaining our intellectual skills & knowledge helps us to grow. I, for one, am an avid learner. I feel, as though learning never stops, things continue to be researched, developed & discovered that we can’t possibly learn everything about a subject & that is super fascinating to me. This isn’t limited at academic activities, taking up a new hobby, development skills. When we open our minds to new experiences & ideas, we are setting ourselves new challenges and it can be fun, exercising our mind – just think how good you feel when you complete a new task that you’ve never done before.
Economic
This for many varies. It can also be one of the biggest stressors in life for many. I feel the last year due to Covid-19 has been so unpredictable, unstable & heart-breaking in more ways than one. Personal finances are one of the biggest influences causing people to feel under pressure, stressed and leading to a lot of wellness concerns. It’s not possible to push the economic wellness into existence but what we can do is find positive financial practices, so in a way that you feel in control.
Spiritual
Personally, one of my biggest ones. This refers to your personal values, beliefs & your own life purpose. Oh, it’s a big one but in an exciting way. The moral compass you live by, the belief that things will be okay and work out in the end, it’s what motivates you through your life towards the goals you’ve set out to achieve. No matter what your beliefs are, having a very clear sense of what you think is wrong and right & holding yourself to a standard that can allow yourself to have inner peace rather than being loaded with personal conflicts – this can lessen the likelihood of what is inducing the mental &/ or physical stress leading to health-related problems.
How I Am Participating in World Wellbeing Week
Looking at each wellbeing aspect, I could benefit from continuously striving towards happiness in each area. I’ve been noticing how I’m not able to sleep so well as of late and I think even getting that in order is important. Each day I’m going to focus on one aspect and share with you, what I’ve done, how I felt before – during & afterwards. Of course, all these things can be done within one day, picking a couple and doing them every day but for the purpose here, I think sharing one a day is beneficial. Now it can be a difficult thing to pinpoint but it can be interpreted and implemented however you choose, remember what works for one, may not work for another. Take the time to think about what helps you to relax, makes you happy and what you can do to improve your over all wellbeing.
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