Prioritizing Holistic Wellness in 2022

With every new year comes optimism and hopes of what we would like to accomplish this year, but a buildup of challenging experiences or life altering events can often leave us feeling exhausted and unable to cope with the demands of life. These feelings may be accompanied by a variety of mental and physical health symptoms as well. If left unaddressed, it may be difficult for an individual to function well in their daily life. It may leave us feeling frazzled, physically drained, or even mentally and emotionally unstable.

When life brings you to this point, it may be time to focus on your wellness.

Holistic wellness is a necessary tool we need to endure the ups and downs or stress that life often brings. Not only does wellness impact our work, but it largely impacts our relationships and quality of life.

When we discuss holistic wellness, we must be aware of the different categories of wellness. There is physical wellness, mental wellness, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness, social wellness, and finally, sexual wellness. Understanding each category of wellness and identifying which categories you may need to pay more attention to is the key to attaining total wellness. 

So, let’s begin defining and understanding each category. 

Physical wellness

Physical wellness is typically the first category of wellness that we think of, when we think of health. A lot of times, men especially tend to prioritize physical wellness and neglect the other components of wellness. 

Physical wellness, by definition, is a state of health and well-being that allows us the ability to perform occupations, daily activities, exercise, and sports. This category of wellness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, physical exercise, and sufficient rest. 

Mental Wellness 

Mental wellness is another major category of wellness. Mental wellness is a state of health and well-being that gives us the ability to cope with the daily stressors of life. A few components of mental wellness include our outlook on life (negative or positive), mindsets, and thought patterns.

Emotional Wellness 

Moreover, there is emotional wellness. Emotional wellness is a state of health and well-being that gives us the ability to cope with our complex emotions in a healthy way. It is essentially our emotional agility to cope with life events and manage our own emotions as well as acknowledge the emotions of others. 

Social Wellness 

Social wellness is a state of health and well-being that allows us to build and maintain healthy relationships. Social wellness involves building healthy, nurturing, and supportive relationships as well as fostering a genuine connection with those around you.

Spiritual Wellness 

Spiritual wellness is our ability to engage in spiritual activities in a healthy way. It involves our outlook on God, a higher power, and other aspects of faith. Spiritual wellness gives us the ability to discard harmful ideologies and theologies. Spiritual wellness typically leads us to feeling empowered by our spiritual lives’ vs burdened by it.

Sexual Wellness 

Sexual wellness is our ability to have a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences. This also includes our ability to maintain and control our sexual desires and have a positive outlook on our own sexuality and sexual expressions.

Prioritizing these aspects of wellness is the first practical step toward total healing. It is important to recognize when to slow down. We are not designed to feel burned out and constantly tired all the time. Feeling good should be your mind and body’s norm. And if you consistently do not feel good, it may be time to check in with yourself. It may be your body and mind trying to tell you that something is “off” and in need of your attention. 

We must learn to listen to our minds and bodies by asking ourselves questions like: “How are you feeling today? How is your energy? How are you mentally? Have you drunk enough water today?” These little questions and new habits create an intentional path to holistic wellness. And they may seem like baby steps, but baby steps lead to big leaps. Wellness is self-care at its core, and happiness is often a product of holistic well-being. Our well-being (mentally, physically & spiritually) is the foundation of authentic and meaningful progress.

Check out this amazing Ted Talk by Chloe Hakim- Moore on Wellness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQLBiylsn8