Top 5 Things that will help with your Wellness and Self-Care
What are the key characteristics of Wellness?
• High self-esteem and a positive outlook.
• A foundational philosophy and a sense of purpose.
• A strong sense of personal responsibility.
• A good sense of humor and plenty of fun in life.
• A concern for others and respect for the environment.
• A conscious commitment to personal excellence.
• A sense of balance and integrated lifestyle.
• Freedom from addictive behaviors of a negative or health inhibiting nature.
• Highly conditioned and physically fit.
• A capacity to manage life demands and communicate effectively.
Mental: Ways to identify Internal Stressors.
• Lifestyle choices: caffeine, not enough sleep, overload schedule.
• Negative self-talk: pessimistic thinking, self-criticism, over-analyzing.
• Mind traps: unrealistic expectations, taking things personally, all-or- nothing, exaggerating, rigid thinking.
• Stressful personality traits: Type A, perfectionist, workaholic, people pleaser.
Physical: Things to know about Physical Wellness
• The World Health Organization (WHO, 2011), for example, recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming.
• Regular physical activity helps reduce several cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
• Physical exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins.
Emotional: Things to know about Emotional Wellness
• Identify and work on healing areas of your life that are painful.
• Learn to protect yourself from others emotional pain.
• Schedule time to simply relax and enjoy yourself.
• Learn that that strong emotion can be tolerated and need not be avoided.
• Treat yourself to laughter.
Personal Wellness Management Strategies
• Proper nutrition to energize yourself.
• Exercise to strengthen and sustain.
• Rest for renewal and rejuvenation.
• Self- Awareness makes us wiser.
• Treat life skills as tools for living saner.
• Establish social connections for mutual support.
• Participate in random acts of kindness.
Words of Encouragement
Perseverance isn’t just a word stated or described, but a commitment to a purpose greater than your desire to give up.
Corey Hicks, Ph.D.
References
Carver, C. S. (2003). Self-awareness. Handbook of self and identity, 179-196.
George, J. M., & Brief, A. P. (1992). Feeling good-doing good: a conceptual analysis of the mood at work-organizational spontaneity relationship. Psychological bulletin, 112(2), 310.
Hicks, C. (2018). Vision of Inspiration, 69-70.
Warburton, D. E. R., Nicol, C. W., & Breslin, S. S. D. (2006, March 14). Health benefits of physical activity: The evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174, 801–809. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/
Berchtold, N., & Cotman, C. (2002). Exercise: A behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends in Neurosciences, 25, 295–302.
