We all have our own ways of staying well and we all have different areas of wellness that we find important. Although there are many more types of wellness, here are a few types of wellness that I choose to focus on in my life. I’ve included a standard definition for each but please note that there are varying definitions, and these may or may not pertain to you:
- Physical wellness – one’s ability to maintain a healthy quality of life without fatigue or physical stress
- Mental wellness – one’s ability to process information
- Emotional wellness – one’s ability to express feelings
To me, these genres of wellness are important and here are a few ways that I practice them in my life, along with a few things that I think I could improve on to make my wellness a bit more rounded.
Physical wellness: Some of my more practiced daily habits that enhance my ability to stay active and not feel fatigue or sickness are drinking water, getting sleep, and eating appropriately. Now, some days are better than other and weekends can be easy to “cheat” on, but for the most part, I do a good job at getting 7-8 hours of sleep, eating smaller healthy portions throughout the day and drinking out of my water bottle from morning to night. Actually, I will even wake up and chug a water bottle in the middle of the night sometimes! Knowing what it feels like to neglect these habits, I know that my physical wellness benefits from these activities. However, I will admit that I could benefit from more physical movement. I do go on occasional walks, mostly with a human or dog companion, but my habitual exercise could improve.
Mental wellness: This type of wellness is interesting because the definition above makes you think you need to be “learning”. Although schooling would be one way to improve your ability to process information, there are other daily activities that can help with this. The mental wellness activities I mostly partake in are work and games. For me, going to work every day is a great way to process information. Information in and information out with my daily work activities is a great way to keep my mind moving. After work, I’ll often find a group of people to play some sort of games: board games, strategy games, card games, etc. This has always been a fun way to keep thinking. Plus, if you’re competitive like me you’re always processing the best and new ways to win. One thing I would like to start doing more of is leisurely reading. Reading is a great way to keep up with mental health and I believe I could benefit from even just a few pages a day.
Emotional wellness: Emotional wellness is interesting to me because I feel like we all struggle with it. To me, this is the difference between what we let others see vs what we are feeling inside. Our expression of our feelings is important, but it can feel vulnerable. One way I practice emotional wellness is to think before I act/speak. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m not being true to myself, but I do think it’s important to express yourself in an appropriate way. If you’re frustrated or angry, count back from 10 and collect your thoughts before letting your mixed-up thoughts explode. If there is something on your mind that is bothering you, say it out loud. Let yourself hear it first and then go talk to someone if that is what you need. Expressing feelings is hard for some, but we can all benefit from finding a way to do it that works for us. Sometimes for me, this is simply having a cup of coffee and expressing my feelings with myself in quiet, first and foremost ????
