I woke up feeling drained, stressed and overwhelmed. These were all the symptoms of inadequate sleep, caffeine and a lack of overall well-being.
Over the years, my interpretation of well-being concluded to how well I was able to take care of my mental health. During my late teenage years, the struggles I faced with anxiety and depression made me prioritize my well-being from a young age, but the way I navigated through my well-being journey had changed overtime. I understood that wellbeing requires a holistic approach. My well-being was revolved over the inputs that I was feeding myself both physically and mentally.
Well-being can be divided into several categories that are all interrelated, and when each area is given equal importance it leads a unified purpose of prioritizing well-being. Well-being is derived from three units that interdependent on each other, these include mental, physical and emotional well-being, and different practices can lead to positive impacts on all these elements. The more effort that is put into each key areas, will lead to life that overall life that feels more peaceful and fulfilling. The key areas include
Physical Well being
When my mental health was taking a toll on me, I always remembered my General patrician emphasizing on how I should practice the habit of going the gym. Going to the gym for me meant solely the changes it would do to my physical appearance, but through consistent efforts of pushing myself to the gym on a weekly basis, I discovered the changes it was doing to my mood. The strength I was feeling physically translated to the resilience and strength I was building up mentally. Other aspects of physical wellbeing include the nutrition and food choices I made. I understood that the dopamine I was receiving from junk food was short term, and a healthy well rounded diet lead to long term benefits of improved physical and mental health. Something that I still struggle with, but want to prioritize is getting adequate amount of sleep during the correct ‘golden hours’ which are from the time duration of 10pm to 2am. Many of us are aware that 6-8 hrs are the sufficient amount of sleep we require but what many of us are not aware is that time period between 10 to 2am are the crucial hours required to recharge and rejuvenate.
Emotional and Mental Well-being
Over the years, I visited different therapist and through therapy I learnt the benefits of being able to understand my emotions, release and express, and gain more emotional awareness to make meaning to understand why I was feeling how I was feeling. Also known as a technique as “Name and Tame”. Just like this technique, the years of exposure I gained through therapy made me discover different mental health tools that I was able to learn, practice and equip myself to achieve my overall life goals.
Social Well-being
I used to make a list of things that genuinely made me happy. One of the top parts of my lists included spending time with family and friends. I always enjoyed making connections, enjoying the laughter and happiness that surrounded it. It always made me feel full.
Spiritual Well-being
The key answer to my overall wellbeing concluded with what tops my list in life which means the priority I put into my faith and practices, to Connect with God and gain a strong spiritual base that flourishes into the beauty of life. My five daily prayers, and the reliance I have felt towards God were the key answers to what completed my wellbeing.
Being well is a constant process of striking a balance across many facets of life rather than a static condition. One may build a level of wellbeing that enhances their life by including behaviors that improve their physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. Keep in mind that you may significantly enhance your general sense of wellbeing by taking tiny, regular actions. Take one step on your road to wholeness and start where you are, using what you have and doing what you can.
Citations:
Prioritizing Mental Wellness: Fostering Resilience in a demanding world (no date) EliteX A Global Business Media Marketing Solution Platform. Available at: https://theelitex.com/prioritizing-mental-wellness-fostering-resilience-in-a-demanding-world/ (Accessed: March 2024).
Leave a Reply