A healthy lifestyle is presented under the form of a wellness wheel model. Usually, a wellness wheel template consists of eight main dimensions. Some wellness wheel worksheets have only five or six life activities or domains, but they are not as complex as the one with eight areas.
Wellness is a concept that became more and more popular in the last few years. People feel tired, overwhelmed, and they are desperate in their search for help.
The wellness wheel is not only about physical shape and body health. It also configures other important aspects of human life such as emotional, mental, and even spiritual. Each and every one of all the aspects included in the wellness wheel is interconnected with the others and they all are contributing to your life quality.
To discover all the areas of your life and create your customized wellness wheel is one thing, but to also apply it in order to make your life better and to create a perfect balance between all these elements is an entirely different one. Everyone knows that balance is hard to achieve, especially in today’s world in which all people seem to be running from work at home, and vice versa.
Nobody seems to find some time to stop and think about their meaning and their purpose. No one seems to enjoy the little things anymore, by being thankful and appreciative towards their existence.
A wellness coach can really help you find yourself again and reach the right path in order to live a healthy and happy life. However, if you do not want to see a coach or you don’t have that kind of money, you can also find plenty of information and online free programs on the Internet.
Health and wellness go hand in hand. Your well-being helps your body staying healthy, and being healthy and feeling good creates a better life for you. In other words, the absence of any kind of illness, including mental ones, translates into your growth and development. The most important thing but also the hardest, is to find a balance between all aspects of your life such as work, family, children, friends, etc. do not forget to also make some time for yourself.
You can spare some minutes or even a couple of hours each day to indulge in your favorite activities. For example, leave the kids with your significant other or with your parents, and go for a nice long walk. There are plenty of nice activities you can enjoy at the end of a hard day: reading your favorite book, going to the gym (yoga and Pilates can really help you), going to the spa from time to time (once a month would be ideal), and much more.
Through the wellness wheel, you can evaluate and improve yourself as a person, in all the roles that you play in your life: mother/father, husband/wife, sister/brother, professional expert, etc. This tool can help you see like a radiography of your own life. This way you will discover where your strengths and your weaknesses are, and which areas of your life you should focus on.
The main idea of this tool is that your life will function at its maximum potential only in the moment in which you manage to run all its aspects, at an optimal level. Furthermore, a wellness area that is not functioning properly can affect and impact the other aspects of your life. You have to keep in mind that all these areas are connected, and they do not function separately one from the other.
It is hard to keep balance when there are so many challenges and obstacles to overcome. However, these wellness areas will show you how healthy and beneficial your life is. This is not about perfection, but about a way to become more aware of your lifestyle and improve the quality of your life. A well-balanced wellness wheel is one which has a perfectly round shape. When you focus more on just some areas of your life, the wheel should have an irregular form.
The Main Eight Areas of the Wellness Wheel
Social Wellness
This dimension is our ability to create and maintain healthy relationships with the people around us. The most important ones are those close to us: our parents, our significant other, our children, our closest friends, etc. However, the kind of relationships that you can build in your social environment is important in your workplace, too.
If you find it hard to keep strong or nice relationships with people, try to improve your communication skills. Good connections help you create new opportunities, open doors and built a happier life.
Furthermore, you can improve this area of the wellness wheel by increasing the amount of trust you have in yourself. Self-esteem is very important in order for you to make connections with others. When you feel good about yourself others will see and they will be more opened and more willing to get to know you.
Occupational Wellness
This area is closely related to your social and communicational skills. If you enjoy your profession and you have a significant fulfillment when you think about your job, then means that this area of the wheel chart is taken care of.
If you feel like wasting your time and energy on something that you hate doing, do not settle down. Change that situation. Go find another job or learn new skills in order to become something that you have always wanted to be. You have the power to make decisions for yourself and nobody else can help you the way only you can.
By being happy with what you do and contributing to making the world a better place, you will also have an impact on the environment around you, which leads us to the next area of the wellness wheel.
Environmental Wellness
We are all responsible for the quality of our environment. We should all try to live eco-friendly lives. Try to not waste so much water anymore. Don’t throw garbage on the streets and don’t pollute the land nor the waters.
After all, we are all living in this huge home called Earth. Think about your children. What kind of world will they live in? When you are doing something that harms nature and the environment think about all the generations to come. They also have the right to live in a good and safe environment and lead a happy life.
Don’t wait for the others to start acting on your behalf, and take initiatives. You can make a difference even if it is a small one, in your community. If everyone would make small changes in our communities, the world would be a much better place.
Emotional Wellness
One important wellness wheel activity is the emotional aspect of our lives. This aspect refers to our ability to overcome challenges and obstacles that life might throw at us. In order for you to cope with hard and difficult things in life, you should work on discovering yourself, your inner being.
You should understand yourself the best, listen to your body and your mind. “Hear” your emotions and act accordingly, but in a positive manner. Embrace them and also accept yourself the way you are. Yes, you can work on some aspects of your life, you can lose weight, you can learn new skills. Do the best you can in order to improve yourself. However, do not become obsessed with pushing your limits. It is good to step out of your comfort box, but everything that is in excess is bad for you.
The impact of your emotion on yourself is not created by those specific emotions but by the meaning and importance that you give to them.
Intellectual Wellness
Maintain a continuous learning process. Don’t ever stop learning new things, gaining new skills. Be open to new people and new ideas. Be humble and think that there are people out there who are smarter than you. This thinking will help you learn valuable lessons.
Read books, watch tutorials, participate in workshops. You could even find a mentor, especially if you are just starting your career.
Always work your brain. This way you will not only improve your life but you will also maintain your health. This is especially important when you get older. Exercising your brain keeps mental diseases away from you.
Physical Wellness
When it comes to physical wellness there are multiple things to consider: nutrition, exercising, etc. Therefore, both a healthy diet and regular training can help you improve your life quality. Being stronger and in good shape means staying healthy. When you avoid getting sick you can focus your energy on the main areas of your life, without wasting money and strength.
You must develop healthy habits in order to have a happy life. Quit smoking, drinking, and other bad habits. This way, you will stay healthy and you can be there for your family and children, for a longer period of time.
Spiritual Wellness
This area represents the core element of your inner being. It is about your values and all the things that are most important in your life. By following your moral and ethical values you can find peace and harmony.
Listen to your body and your emotional feelings. They can tell you when you stopped living after those values. For example, when you find yourself in a toxic relationship in which you are not happy and you feel obliged to make compromises, that means that you stopped listening to your inner self and lost the values that you cared about. Change the situation. Get out of that relationship. If some of your values are fidelity, stability, and trust, make a commitment only when the other person is also ready to settle down with you.
Don’t compromise when it comes to your job. If you want to be a writer, then become one. Do anything possible to become the best version of yourself. This way you will also discover your life’s purpose and its meaning.
Financial Wellness
The way you handle your money tells a lot about yourself. The more organized you are the better your life will be. You should manage your financial situation with care, making wise decisions. If you have a financial plan to save your money on a monthly basis, you will be able to accomplish more of your goals.
You can create your own wellness wheel model. All you have to do is to grab a pen and a paper and draw a circle. Then, split that circle into eight different areas, like a pizza pie. Those are the aspects of your life’s wellness. Name each and every one of those areas with the titles described above. Further, you need to create some statements for every area of the wellness wheel. If you cannot think of any, then you can find some example on the Internet.
Once you have gathered all the necessary statements, start answering them with either “false” or “true”. For example, you can create statements such as “I always eat healthily and I exercise at least three times per week”. If your answer to this statement is “false”, then you should focus more on this aspect of your life.
In the end, after you answered all the questions, you can begin drawing your wellness wheel. Customize it around your own life aspects.
All in all, a wellness wheel can help you evaluate and improve your life. It consists of all the main aspects of your life and it can show you the current level of your life’s quality. Remember, in order for you to have a happy life, you need to optimize each of these eight elements that have been described above.
What Is Wellness?
Wellness is the process of being self-aware and making choices that positively impact your life. The act of practicing wellness is more than trying to prevent illness, it’s a conscious decision to practice self-growth. Basically, wellness is being healthy physically, mentally, and socially.
One of the primary health issues is depression. Unfortunately, as a result, depression leads to stress, poor nutrition, insomnia, obesity, and heart disease. Your mental health directly impacts your physical health, which is why total wellness is important.
How Should You Approach A Wellness Lifestyle?
It’s one thing to want to live a healthy lifestyle, but it’s another thing to know how to go about it. Well, if you need some tips on how to get started, there are some accountability steps you need to follow:
Balance
Balance is vital in keeping your life in control. If you give too much attention to one area of your life and lack another area, it can lead to imbalance. You can become unhappy when you don’t have a handle on your life or if you feel burned out. That’s why it’s important to give equal time and energy to every aspect of your life.
Holism
You have to be aware of your entire well-being, not just one aspect of your life. Your health is a result of how well you take care of yourself. If you abuse food, it results in weight gain and possible diseases. Likewise, if you don’t practice self-care, it can lead to a breakdown in mental health. Therefore, it’s important to take care of your entire well-being.
Self- Responsibility
A person who takes responsibility for their actions and create boundaries for the people around them. You are someone who can’t take ownership of your flaws or are unaware of your shortcomings, you’re not doing yourself justice. Someone who practices wellness is truthful about the things they need to change, and they work hard to correct it.
Positive And Proactive
Your outlook on life and the world around you plays a big part in how you respond to situations. If you have a negative outlook, you can’t be the best version of yourself. The moment you begin to adopt the “glass half full” mentality, the more positive you will be.
How To Reduce Stress
Reducing stress plays a vital role in ensuring that you feel good emotionally and mentally. If your anxiety is always high and your mood fluctuates, there’s no way you can be the best version of yourself. Here are some practical ways to reduce stress:
Burn Candles
Burning candles is a nice way to set a calm ambiance and reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. It reduces the feeling of chaos and sets the mood for meditation and relaxation. Plus, methods like aromatherapy offer improved sleep and reduced anxiety. Scents such as rose, lavender, vetiver, neroli, sandalwood, and bergamot are good options.
Minimize Caffeine Intake
Most people love a cup of warm coffee and most folks feel a sense of calm when they drink it, However, caffeine is a stimulant, which can increase anxiety—tea, chocolate, and energy drinks can cause the same side effects well. Everyone is different and have various thresholds for the amount of caffeine their system can handle. With that said, if you consume caffeinated drinks in moderation, it should be fine.
Start A Journal
Sometimes you just need someone to talk to and explaining your feelings to others isn’t always easy. However, putting your feelings on paper can be a source of relief and also give you a different perspective on your situation. Sometimes reading your problems helps you come up with solutions that you may not have thought of. Another option is to practice gratitude. If you write down what you’re grateful for, it’ll help you see that your problems aren’t as big as you think they are.
Laugh
As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Instead of feeling down, go out with some friends or coworkers to let your hair down. Laughing reduces stress and it has a positive impact on your mood and immune system. If you don’t live near family or friends, pop in a funny movie or comedy show. You’re guaranteed to feel better.
Avoid Procrastination
This tip might be hard to do, but it could help you in the long run. When you’re behind on life, it leads to feelings of stress and anxiety. Make a habit of prioritizing the things you need to do so that you’re not scrambling to do them on a time crunch. Not only will your life become more organized, but you’ll feel more accomplished.
Final Thoughts On The Wellness Wheel Template
The wellness wheel template is a great resource to follow, but it takes work to be healthy mentally and physically. However, as long as you have the will to make a change in your life, you can turn things around. The important thing to remember is that there are many aspects to your life and each one is essential. If you learn to give attention to all areas of your life, you’re on your way to true wellness.
