Written by: Jennifer McClendon, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The word wellness is everywhere and in everything these days. But what does it mean? Is it just about our mental health?
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. Wellness is what we can achieve in all areas of our life to be our best selves. Margaret Swarbrick’s 8 Dimensions of Wellness is a framework we can use to concentrate our efforts:
Emotional
Spiritual
Intellectual
Physical
Environmental
Financial
Occupational
Social
Life gets busy sometimes and our wellness efforts can suffer. When this happens, shifts in our performance, mood, and sleep alert us that something is different and requires our attention. This isn’t a sign of failure but an opportunity to acknowledge our humanity and get back on track.
Positive benefits of regular wellness practices vary from positive self-image to better quality of life. Consider the following tips for managing your wellness practices:
Examine each area regularly
Identify areas needing improvement
Decide the result you want to achieve
Set specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic outcomes
Take action to achieve the desired result
Enlist the help of supportive others for accountability
Assess if your connections and employer value wellness over high-performance
Approach your wellness practices in a mindful manner to reduce self-criticism and avoidance
Optimizing wellness may be challenging for people experiencing mental health conditions (i.e., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress). Wellness-centered counseling and other forms of support provide a safe space for people to actualize their needs and develop their wellness plans.
Patience is a requirement. Remember you are a human being and not a piece of technology. Be sure to manage influences to accomplish everything right now. Our best selves are not built in one day!
Follow me on Instagram for more info!
Jennifer McClendon, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jennifer McClendon is a licensed professional counselor and licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor with over twenty years of experience in the mental health field. Early childhood and young adult experiences led her to counseling for personal growth and created an opportunity for her to become a counselor helping others recover from similar challenges. She specializes in care for substance use, trauma, anxiety, stress, depression, and co-occurring conditions.
