How to achieve well-being?

True wellbeing comes with balance, constant growth and acceptance. Feelings of well-being are fundamental to our overall health, enabling us to successfully overcome difficulties, and achieve our life’s objectives.

There is no sole determinant of individual well-being, but in general terms, well-being means that you feel healthy, good about yourself, your situation, your choices, and that you enjoy what you do. Further, people with high sense of well-being function well in the world by having positive relationships and a sense of control in their lives. From the point of view of “fulfillment” rather than “happiness,” well-being also means having a sense of meaning and purpose.

In general terms we can recognize 5 main aspects of well-being. Here are some effective and tested ways that can help you improve each one of them:

1. Emotional Well-Being: Accept your emotions.  According to clinical psychologist Ryan Howes “Some would argue that most of our physical, mental and relational problems come from our inability to adequately experience emotions,”  “We deny, bury, project, rationalize, medicate, drink away, smother in comfort food, sleep off, sweat out, suck (it) up and sweep under the rug our sadness, anger and fear.” Therefore, emotional well-being is the ability to accept, feel and process your emotions by constructively channeling  anger,  fear, concerns, and frustrations in a positive way.
   How can you become more effective in these emotional abilities?
   
2. Mental/Intellectual Well-Being: Be creative in learning new concepts; expanding knowledge, skills, trying new hobbies; opening your mind to new ideas and experiences that can benefit your personal and professional life. Hobbies help us keep the work and daily life’s pressure off  of our shoulders. Also, finding new hobbies is great for strengthening our brain and for boosting our mood.
   How can you stay mentally stimulated?
3. Physical Well-Being:  According to science, creating good habits of  balanced nutrition, proper hydration, regular exercise, breathing techniques, and healthy sleeping habits (7-9 hours) are essential for our well-being.
   What aspects do you need to improve to care for your physical well-being?
4. Spiritual Well-Being:  Cultivating inner peace is an integral part of our well-being. There are many ways to stay connected to our inner self and our own understanding of a Loving Higher Power. Some of the most powerful ways to feed our spiritual life are: gratitude journaling, practicing meditation, praying and contemplation, or  being in contact with nature are
   What daily discipline helps you stay connected with your inner self? ?  
5. Social Well-Being:  Having supportive relationships add value to our and other people’s lives. This is one of the strongest predictors of well-being. Isolation and lack of communication are the two biggest reasons for depression, mental and physical illnesses. No matter how busy your family and work life is, try to dedicate  time to stay in contact with family, friends, and socialize.
   What action steps can you take to feel more connected with others. 

   Above all it is essential to make the worthwhile effort to maintain a positive outlook. Staying happy and laughing more is essential for our well-being. Don’t take life too seriously. Those who  smile more and try to keep themselves happy experience better quality of life than those who remain serious or worried all the time. According to a study, children laugh 200 times a day while adults laugh barely 15 times a day. 
   What can you do to laugh on the daily basis? Make it a point to laugh and enjoy more!

At the end of each day, reflect on:

“What have I done today that has given me a sense of  well-being?” and   “What can I do differently tomorrow?”

There are many keys to well-being that are outside of our control, but these five are well within our range of abilities, no matter what our situation in life is.  So go ahead and ease your way into each of them through small steps until your find a healthy sense of fulfillment and wellness.

Wishing you all the well-being that you so much deserve,

Much Love,

Veronica