N.E.W.S.T.A.R.T., the 8 Pillars for ultimate health

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BY AYESHA HOSSAIN

The word “wellness” is often related to physical wellness, but in reality there’s so much more to it. Wellness consists of 8 dimensions and if one or more of these are unsteady people often experience disappointment, dissatisfaction, stress, dejection and find it hard to lead a healthy and peaceful life both professionally and personally. Attention must be given to all the pillars as neglect of any over time will unfavourably impact the others, and eventually affect one’s  health, well-being and quality of life. Well, they don’t necessarily have to be perfectly balanced since we have to be true to our real self and perfection is a myth. We can work hard to achieve our mode of harmony in the most authentic way. We do have our own sense of alignment when it comes to making choices, prioritizing certain things and focusing on our goals, including our own views of what it means to live life fully. Now, let’s dive into the 8 Dimensions of Wellness.

Physical Wellness

It is the key component of our overall wellness. Basically, it’s the foundation of wellness. We won’t be able to enjoy life if we are physically ill and this is why it is regarded as the most important element of our life. It is so much more than keeping our body in shape. It’s more about functioning well overall so that one is able to perform daily duties with vitality and endurance and also being able to think clearly, reduce the level of stress, improve our sleep patterns which can have a positive impact on our self-esteem.It is all about caring for your body to stay healthy now and in the future.

  • Get plenty of rest so that your mind and soul is in a better place

  • Go for small walks

  • Stay hydrated

  • Manage stress in healthy ways

  • Have regular medical check-ups

Emotional Wellness

Emotional Wellness is more of being aware of our own feelings, emotions, reactions to certain situations and our coping mechanisms.
Many people often find it hard to deal with negative emotions and they tend to hide it from others. To achieve emotional wellness, we should embrace all of our emotions and express them so that we feel free. Always try to understand and respect your own feelings and others as well.Try to remain positive and feel enthusiastic about our life. Some ways you can do this include:

  • Let go of all the negative feelings

  • Release your emotions 

  • Meditate or practice yoga to relieve your stress level

  • Breathwork

  • Keep track of your thoughts and feelings

Intellectual Wellness

Intellectual Wellness is about growing intellectually, having the curiosity to learn about new things and being open to new ideas. Some activities you may want to try out to improve your intellectual wellness include the following:

  • Responding positively to intellectual challenges 

  • Exploring your creativity, find activities that challenge you 

  • Engaging in activities like these will not only strengthen your mind but expand  your knowledge and skills while discovering new talent so that you can share your gifts with others

Social Wellness

It determines the quality of your relationships, community interaction and your ability to connect with others in a meaningful way. The quality of your relationships affects your mental, physical and emotional well-being.

Ways through which you can improve your social wellness have been given below:

  • Try to maintain healthy relationships, enjoy with others, developing friendships 

  • Start caring about others so that others can do the same for you as well

  • Contribute to your community

  • Be brave, walk out of your comfort zone

  • Leave toxic relationships

  • Be a listener 

Spiritual Wellness

It’s all about having alignment with your own core values, beliefs and finding a meaningful 

purpose in what you do. 

  • Showing up for yourself

  • Morning daily gratitude

  • Meditating

  • Spending time with our lovely nature

  • Taking out some time for family, friends 

  • Empowering yourself by counting all of your blessings

Environmental Wellness

Are we making our surroundings a better place to live in? This is what environmental wellness is. We should make our personal surroundings an enjoyable and pleasant place so that we can live in harmony. Being familiar with your own environment is crucial since it affects our overall well-being. Let us all take care of our environment on a global, personal and professional level.

Financial Wellness

Financial Wellness is our ability to manage our expenses on a daily basis, having a solid financial plan for the future and staying on track to meet these goals and being financially independent so that we have the capacity to absorb a “financial shock” in the future. This will allow us to have a piece of mind and financial freedom to make and take wise decisions in the future. Some things that you can do improve your financial wellness are:

  • Keep an eye on your finances

  • Create a budget

  • Start creating an emergency fund so that you can use it in need

  • Do a budget review either monthly, quarterly or yearly

Occupational Wellness

Are you satisfied with your career? Are you using your unique set of skills in your job?

Occupational Wellness is about finding a purpose of fulfilment in what you do. Some things that you can try out are given as follows:

  • Enrolling in courses that you find interesting

  • Finding true purpose and meaning outside of your career

  • Setting long-term goals 

  • Having a side hustle gig

  • Having your own business that serves your purpose

Wellness is truly a dynamic, ever-changing, fluctuating process. It is purely a lifestyle, a well customized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the very best version of yourself that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow. The past is history so live in the present and enjoy your future. Don’t worry about getting it perfect; just keep on moving forward, and become the best kind of person that you can be.