Are you ready to map your path to advancing your own wellness? Living a life that is full of wellness takes learning, intentional planning, and implementation. Wellness is not only for the new year’s resolutions. It is a 365 days of the year commitment. Let’s take a look at where to begin.
Learning.
If you are new to the concept of the multiple dimensions of wellness, it would be wise to explore and gain an understanding of the various dimensions. You can read and explore the various dimension of physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, emotional, occupational, and environmental.
- Physical – nutrition, sleep, exercise, health status
- Intellectual – reading, learning, exploring the world
- Social – connecting with loved ones, friends, engaging in the community
- Spiritual – finding meaning and purpose in living, connecting to forces of nature or higher being
- Emotional – awareness of feelings, sharing feelings with others, understanding others emotions
- Occupational – performing tasks that provide work identity, utilize skills, serve others
- Environmental – well being in the environment, your response to planetary health
Action Step: How would you rate yourself in each of the categories? What are my priorities in wellness right now? What needs most attention? Where might you want to expand in the wellness dimension to balance out your experiences or try new things?
Intentional Planning.
After learning and gathering information, it is important to organize and create a plan for how you might start your new wellness journey. You would want to consider if you need any additional tools or resources to take action like a map to start walking trails in a near by forest preserve. In this phase, you will want to map out the resources to help you be successful in starting your new wellness plan. When I first started tracking my sleep goals, I was able to utilize a FitBit fitness tracker to set sleep goals and monitor my progress. This tracker also has a reminder to let me know it is time to go to bed.
Action Step: What are the tools or resources I need to start my wellness journey? What days and times will I take wellness actions? How will I sustain my actions? Who could be my accountability partner? Implementation.
Implementation.
Once you have all the resources, it is time to implement your plans. I do not recommend taking on every single dimension when you start your new journey. However, you can stack some of the dimensions together if they seem reasonable. For example, if you are working on the emotional and social dimension, meeting a friend for coffee to talk over issues during the week would meet both of the dimension in the wellness model. Starting small allows for you to celebrate small wins each time you accomplish one of your goals.
Action Step: Taking the first step is the hardest part of the journey. Once you take the first step, how will you maintain your actions? What are ways you can stack your dimensions ? How do you integrate these wellness actions into your schedule as a priority?
For several years, I have provided a program on Navigating the R.I.D.E. of Change. The acronym is related to one of my favorite activities – riding my bicycle. I use this acronym to plot out when I want to make change. You can use it, too.
First, I have to:
- R – Risk. Take the risk to try something new
- I – Innovate. Figure out this new way to challenge my own life.
- D – Decide. Sometimes the decision is the hardest part.
- E – Endure. Once the decision is made, I have to endure my goals.
As you map your path to wellness, I encourage you to Keep Riding!!.