I don’t know about you but sometimes when I hear the word wellness I want to roll my eyes. It reminds me of ‘wellness gurus’ telling me I can ‘cure’ my chronic illnesses with positive thinking, green tea and kale.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you that. But it’s scary the amount of people who DM me on instagram claiming the above and calling themselves wellness warriors or gurus or experts.
The dictionary defines wellness as;
the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.
But what does that mean if you’re not in good health?
To me, wellness isn’t just been in a state of good health. It’s a state of mind and a way of living. It isn’t held solely to people who spend their life at yoga retreats eating kale (not that that is a bad thing).
The overall ‘aim’ of wellness is to achieve happiness and joy and be ‘well’. However there is more than just physical health which we can work on.
The different types of wellness
According to Dr. Bill Hettler wellness can be split into 6 different elements; physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and environmental.
That means that just because our physical health may not be brilliant we can still work towards wellness.
Find balance. Figure out what sparks joy in your life. And then find ways to include it in your daily life.
Physical Health
Physical wellbeing encompasses SO much and doesn’t just mean being ‘well’. It includes eating a balanced diet, exercising, getting enough sleep. It’s unique to every single person. Even if you have a chronic illness, you can still achieve your version of physical wellbeing.
Maybe it’s finding a gentle form of exercise such as swimming or yoga. How about making sure you’re getting enough fruit and veggies.
If you’re making any changes to your diet or exercise regime, it might be worth having a chat with your specialist nurse or doctor.
Social Wellbeing
How often do you socialise with people? Living with a chronic illness can be isolating. Maybe it’s because you can’t leave the house or because you feel like no one gets you.
However, humans are programmed to need social interaction.
I’m a huge introvert. But being an introvert doesn’t mean that you don’t need social interaction. It means that the type of social interaction is different. You can still crave time to yourself but you might find it easier being in small groups and one-on-one rather than a big mass of people.
But how can you find social wellbeing with a chronic illness? Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends. If leaving the house is too much for you, have a phone call or FaceTime. If you’re looking to make new friends who understand your illness, try and find a support group.
Emotional wellness
Emotional wellness is something I’m constantly working on. It’s important for us all to keep in check with our mental health and there are lots of ways to do so.
Having a chronic illness doesn’t mean that you have to be unhappy. Yes, it can be hard and there will be ups and downs. But remember, NO ONE is always happy. Life is about learning from the ups and downs and learning how to pick yourself up.
There are plenty of ways you can work on your emotional wellbeing. Meditation is a great way to find calm as is journalling. Something I’ve found really fulfilling recently is writing a gratitude list. I write three things I’m grateful for that day and three things I’ve achieved and it’s left me feeling much more grounded.
Intellectual wellbeing
Intellectual wellbeing isn’t something I’ve ever really thought about. However, after reading a bit about it I’ve realised that actually I do work on it and fill fulfilled when I do.
Reading books (especially non-fiction), watching Ted Talks, going to lectures and talks, debating and taking up new hobbies are all great ways to feed your intellectual wellbeing.
The best thing is you can do all of these in some capacity at home if you’re not feeling well enough to leave the house.
Environmental Wellness
There are two aspects to environmental wellness; being in nature and your environment (aka your house/room).
Having a relationship with nature has so many benefits, including positively impacting mental health and reducing stress level. However, chronic illness can limit your access to nature.
Some ways in which you can incorporate the environment into your life include;
- having house plants and bringing nature indoors
- opening your windows and doors and getting fresh air
- sitting in your garden
- use essential oils
Creating calm spaces in your house is a great way to improve your environment.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellbeing can mean different things to different people. It doesn’t have to mean religious spirituality. It’s something I’ve been looking into recently and for me, spiritual wellness includes yoga, mediation, quiet reflection and gratitude practice.
Finding something which keeps you grounded, allows for reflection and achieving calmness is key for me.
How do you achieve wellness? Leave your wellness tips and what wellness means to you in the comments below ?
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