Keeping Our Well-Being In Check
Exhausted. That’s the word that came to mind as I sat to write this blog post. It’s been a little over a month since we’ve been ordered to either quarantine or practice social distancing.
When the shut down first happened I was energized - doing all the things I normally wouldn’t have time to do, I was very productive. I also had a more optimistic and positive outlook. I deeply believed through cooperation and discipline we would identify a solution and develop a level headed plan of action since “we’re all in this together.” The last couple days have been disappointing, disheartening and just sad - Here are a few things we have witnessed the past few weeks 1)protests against the stay at home order 2)hatred towards health care professionals sacrificing their lives for the greater good 3)colleagues in my profession caring more about lining their pockets than the health and safety of their fellow citizens 4)destruction of many small businesses(slowly watching as they lose all they have worked for) 5) For some having to deal with the loss of a relative or friend from the virus. The never ending barrage of inconsistent news information creates moments of optimism and despair.
It’s been tiring. But every dark cloud has a silver lining. This entire process has driven me inward toward my true self. The roller coaster of emotions created a need for release which led me to journaling more. When I needed a pick me up I made playlists and had all out jam sessions, I read more and listened to books that were positive and uplifting and began incorporating effective ways to cope with stress. This period also gave rise to the wellness section of this blog - which I have been meaning to add but never seemed to find time to introduce.
Wellness is more than being free of illness. It’s being in total balance with your outer and inner world. This matters because everything we do and every emotion we feel relates to our well-being. In turn, our well-being directly affects our actions and emotions. Therefore, it is important for us to achieve optimal wellness in order to alleviate stress, reduce the risk of illness and ensure positive interactions.
Here Are The Eight Dimensions of Wellness:
Emotional - Understanding our feelings and coping with stress.
Financial - The process of learning how to successfully manage finances, as money (or lack thereof) plays a critical role in anxiety, stress and the ability for us to care for ourselves.
Environmental - Inspires a lifestyle that is respectful to our surroundings and promotes interaction with nature on a personal level.
Intellectual - Involves open mindedness and the continuation to expand our knowledge. It encourages active participation in scholastic, cultural and community activities.
Physical - Maintaining a healthy body through eating well, resting and exercise.
Occupational - Is about enjoying occupational endeavors and encourages satisfaction and enrichment in one’s life through work.
Spiritual - Allows us to develop values that help us seek meaning and purpose.
Social - Encourages networking with peers and cultivating relationships (both intimate and platonic).
It’s no wonder most of us are out of balance, the inability to work either by quarantining or the loss of a job can affect our occupational, intellectual and even social wellness. The suspension of work creates a change in our financial wellness which causes stress and in turn affects our emotional wellness. The addition of lives being lost can also have us question our beliefs and negatively impact our spiritual wellness.
By now we have seen a myriad of guides, tips and how-to’s for getting through this quarantine period. While our occupational wellness might be off kilter there are still several ways we can maintain some semblance of balance. When I published the blog posts titled Guide to Social Distancing & Quarantine ,Coping with Stress and Balancing Productivity and Self Care, I made sure to tout practical ways to keep our health and well-being in check - such as keeping a routine, taking online courses, journaling and exercising. These all feed different aspects or dimensions of our well being that shouldn’t be ignored.
I truly hope all of you, my readers, are doing well during these tough times. Stay encouraged and find solace in knowing that we really are in this together - although it may look different for us all. We will all come out on the other side, and in some ways better than before. For words of love or encouragement,feel free to reach out below in the comments, on IG or via email.
