Well Being and what it means for us

What is Well-being?

The definition in the dictionary of Well Being is “the state of being comfortable, happy or healthy” so when we think about this for ourselves are we asking the questions -

‘Am I comfortable?’

‘Am I happy?’

Am I healthy?’

Thinking about our lives right now during this Pandemic - what can you do to sustain the sense of Well-being?

Can you maintain the feeling of being comfortable - think about one thing that makes you comfortable that you can put into action now - such as making your bed a sanctuary of comfort for instance - nice clean sheets and duvet covers or fluffy pillows - get some essential oils to aid in rest like Lavender or Sandlewood - hugely relaxing. Keep the room lit in gentle hues - maybe change the light bulbs for a softer tone. Is there anything else you can think of that makes you feel comfort?

How about creating the feeling of Happiness - think about your own times when you felt that happy feeling inside - if we are stuck in doors look around you and see what invokes a happy smile to your face - maybe it's time to sort through the photos you have and put them into an album or you could bake a lemon cake the smell will hit your nostrils and bring a smile or if you love nature go for a walk exploring your local area - see what you can find - buds of beauty popping up from the soil - make sure your rugged up and warm (my duvet style coat makes me very happy). Whatever it is or whatever it takes, make time for the Happy inside - the more we do it, the more we feel it (my mind wanders to Snoopy doing his happy dance and I smile).

Now to check in with ‘am I healthy?’ Even when we feel under the weather or out of sorts we can still work with using the two definitions above to create a better sense of health. Think about the worst of times - we as humans can still find it in ourselves to dig deep and find strength from somewhere. When sickness befalls us we head to that place of sanctuary, our beds or a bed of sorts - we look to our friends and family to help and when they do come on their chargers to aid us - it makes us feel a fraction better. The thing about health is we need to cherish it - look after ourselves - love ourselves - nurture ourselves always - so that when the going gets rough we can find the strength to transcend whatever befalls us (whether that is letting go and transcending this life or rising above our limitations to health). So think about this long and hard - how can we maintain our health whilst we have got it and what can we do to help ourselves? Do a check list of all the things that might not be serving you with the maintenance of health and make the adaptations to get on top of a healthy approach to your life. There are many offers now online to help with this - such as self help session of EFT - emotional freedom technique - a form of tapping for our health, we can use meditations - we can use oil blends and give ourselves a soothing massage (or if you have a willing partner to do that for you safely) - we can still be in touch with our healthcare providers - our GP’s or Chiropractors - we have plenty of offers of fitness - like yoga - or PE with Joe Wicks for instance - lots of healthy food options - even chefs teaching us how to cook! So many await us online and hopefully soon when it's safe to do so, we will be able to visit our healthcare providers such as aromatherapy massage, reflexology, jin shin jyutsu and reiki practitioners. That will be good for our health!

The 12 dimension of wellness

When you think of well-being, do you know that it is more than just looking after our physical and mental health it is taking care of the 12 dimensions of wellness. Check through this list and see if anything stands out to you or triggers some thoughts of whether you are integrating mind, body and spirit and being mindful of your own well-being.

Self responsibility and Love
Breathing
Sensing
Eating
Moving
Feeling
Thinking
Playing and working
Communicating
Intimacy
Finding meaning
Transcending

We know that well-being isn’t just the absence of illness or dis-ease - the complexity of a person is a combination of many things as you can see from the list above. This is a combination of physical, emotional, mental and social health factors. It's all strongly linked to life satisfaction and happiness. We can use connection to other people and animals, we can be physically active in whatever way that is practical to your circumstances, we can learn new skills and keep our brains healthy and active, we can give to others in service or devotion, we can live mindfully paying attention to the present moment - (mindfulness - not living in the past or the future). It's the ability to manage stress and anxiety.

We have windows of opportunity and these times have shown use we can either open those windows - keep moving onwards or we can stay shut inside - your soul, your life, your mind and your body is crying out for an open window - we may not see what the future holds but if we live in the now and make the most of it whilst we can - treasure this time - cherish your loved ones and friends and reach out to give service in some small or big way. We need to help ourselves and each other through this for our own well-being and sanity.