Physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Is it possible to master your wellness and incorporate the three core components for complete wellness? It sure is. And no you don’t need to become a full time vegan yoga master and move to Bali.
All these areas overlap in our life and it’s important to take care of all of them to achieve complete wellbeing. Physical wellbeing affects our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Our emotional wellbeing affects our physical and spiritual wellbeing and so forth. This is why when we don’t have balance in one area of our life it often feels like we are completely unbalanced in all areas of our lives.
In this article I share with you what each of the components are and 6 simple tips to help you develop the three core components needed to master your own wellness, naturally.
Physical Wellbeing
Physical wellbeing is taking care of our bodies through good nutrition and physical activity and both are critical to keeping your body balanced. Good nutrition and eating a well-balanced diet will ensure your body has all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to prevent illness. Being physically active is just as important and will ensure you have strong bones and muscles, reduce your chance of disease and also provide you with increased energy.
Emotional Wellbeing
Emotional wellbeing is an essential part of our health and happiness. It has an impact on our behaviour, our interaction, our health and our lives. Benefits of emotional wellbeing include better engagement, reduced mental illness, better social competence and greater problem solving ability. Many surveys measuring ‘happiness’ in people conclude that those with healthy social connections, a sense of purpose and interactions with ‘like-minded’ groups are the happiest. When we have emotional wellbeing we manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviour positively. Our emotional wellbeing can be affected by poor nutrition and lack of exercise, hence the overlap with our physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Spiritual Wellbeing
Spiritual wellbeing means different things to many people. It’s not about religion or religious beliefs, it’s more about finding inner balance and harmony with the outside world. It enables you to be mindful and provides you with meaning and purpose in your life experiences. Practicing spiritual wellbeing will help you build positive inner thoughts and resources.
6 Tips to Achieve Natural Wellness
1. Eat Healthy Foods
Slowly remove sugar, caffeine and saturated fat from your diet. Replace these with natural, organic fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes to boost your energy levels. Incorporate good quality lean protein into the mix and you will have all the nutrients and minerals your body needs to function at its best.
2. Move Your Body
Find a physical activity that you can incorporate easily into your life. From yoga to walking, bike riding, taking the stairs, running, or an exercise class it doesn’t matter, just get yourself moving on a daily basis. Spend 15-30 minutes per day being active and build up the intensity as your energy levels increase.
3. Know Your Stressors
Spend some time determining what triggers you to feel tense, and ensure you are equipped with tools and techniques to moderate your stress levels when they are triggered. A simple coping technique is to slow down and take a few minutes out in a quiet place. Focus on taking some slow deep breaths to activate your body’s relaxation response.
4. Explore Your Inner Self
Take the time to think about who you are. What is your purpose? What are your values? What is important to you? What motivates you? Knowing your inner self requires a high level of self awareness and introspection. It’s not something that is set in stone, in fact it constantly evolves as we do.
5. Practice Gratitude
Practice gratitude on a daily basis. You can do this by writing down 1-3 things you’re grateful for, and why, each day. There are a number of apps available that can provide prompts and the ability to record what you are grateful for. Being mindful of the good stuff, changes your thought process to promote more positive, and less critical thinking.
6. Be Mindful
When you are in the comfort of your home try some relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation and deep breathing. When practiced regularly, these activities will reduce your everyday stress and anxiety levels and help you remain calm under pressure.
I do encourage you to implement steps gradually so that rituals, patterns and habits stick for the long term. Yes sometimes you may find yourself reverting to old habits but don’t be disheartened. Change can be challenging but that’s where we grow and evolve. Keep going and be kind to yourself.
