We all are looking for ways to feel great and live the best life possible. Sometimes health and well-being becomes too complicated, and feels like too much extra work. The wellness movement of the 21st century is shaped by 8 distinct pillars or dimensions of wellness. The pillars of wellness build the foundation of optimal holistic health and well-being.
Read below on how to take on one pillar at a time, and bring the actions into your life. Each pillar will help you shape your life into a healthier, and happier existence. Share tips with your employees to see how a holistic approach to wellness can help transform your workforce.
What Are the 8 Pillars?
Physical
Our physical health goes beyond nutrition and exercise. While these two things are important, physical health also includes sleep, immunity, preventing injuries, and managing chronic health conditions.
Here are 3 actionable steps you can take to start improving your physical health today:
- Sleep: Go to bed 30 minutes earlier so you can wake up feeling more refreshed and ready to take on your day.
- Nutrition: Add a serving of fruits or vegetables to one of your meals this week.
- Exercise: Make a commitment to exercise for 15 minutes, 3 days this week whether it’s going for a walk, lifting weights, or doing yoga.
- Prevention: Make an appointment with your primary care provider to get in for your annual wellness visit.
Social
We all want to be loved and develop meaningful connections with people. Having these meaningful relationships is incredibly important for our health and well-being. Studies actually show that having healthy relationships improves longevity.
Here are 3 ways you can start improving your social wellness:
- Make connections: Joining a club, volunteering, taking a new class, or walking your dog are great ways to meet people who have similar interests as you.
- Foster current relationships: Call that friend you’ve been meaning to reach out to. Make it a priority to spend time with the people you care about each week. It is easy to let life get in the way of making time for our relationships, but doing so will make you and your loved ones so much happier.
- Self-care: You can’t pour from an empty glass. Make sure you are taking care of yourself, so you are able to be there for the people in your life.
Emotional
Life likes to throw curve balls at us, and these curve balls usually bring big emotions. Whether it is a big life change or a small hiccup in your daily plans, how you handle the emotions that come up is really important for your overall wellness. Having a high emotional intelligence also benefits the workplace by improving interpersonal skills, reducing impulsive decisions, and increasing empathy.
Here are some ways you can start improving your emotional intelligence:
- Start a daily journaling practice: This is a great way to reflect on things and work through your thoughts and strong emotions.
- Try to observe your emotions before reacting: If you feel angry, try to sit with that emotion for a minute before lashing out, so you can keep your cool at the office!
- Talk to a friend: When you are experiencing strong emotions, it can be helpful to talk to someone whether it be a friend, family member, colleague, or professional.
Vocational
Liking your job or finding something you enjoy that you can do everyday at work has proven benefits such as:
- Immunity: You have a lower chance of getting sick and developing chronic diseases like heart disease.
- Mental Health: Enjoying your job can help reduce burnout, stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Sleep: Job satisfaction can help you sleep better so you can wake up feeling rested and ready to take on your work day.
- Happiness: Being happy with your job can have a positive effect on your relationships at home.
- Motivation: When you like your job, it is easier to work hard, stay motivated and be productive.
To improve your vocational wellness, never settle! Always keep working towards what you want in a career. If that is not in the cards for you immediately, you can work on this pillar by forming connections with your coworkers, doing things you enjoy, and setting goals.
Financial
A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 65% of people are worried about their finances. Financial stress can have negative effects on your immune system, mood, decision making abilities, and quality of sleep.
Want to stress less by saving money and improving your financial wellness? Try these tips:
- Create and update your budget
- Prioritize paying off debt
- Start using a spending tracker
- Plan for major purchases
If you want to help set your employees up for financial success, schedule one of our financial webinars! Email us to learn more!
Spiritual
Your sense of purpose, life meaning, morals, and beliefs encompass your spiritual wellness. Research shows that people who have a strong sense of purpose in their life have a lower risk of mortality.
Finding your purpose in life is an ongoing journey. Here are some things you can start practicing to help you connect with yourself on a deeper level:
- Dedicate time everyday to be present with yourself and do things you enjoy.
- Meditate by sitting with your thoughts in silence, going on a walk, or being mindful of your surroundings.
- Write down your top three values and reflect on them often. Decide whether your actions align with your values.
- Keep a daily journal where you can write about your day, worries, or gratitude lists.
Intellectual
It is important to never stop learning. Continually engaging your mind and expanding your knowledge is an important aspect of wellness that many people do not think about.
There are many ways to improve your intellectual wellness; many of which will benefit the other 8 pillars of wellness:
- Take a class that interests you at a local community college.
- Start a daily reading practice or join a book club.
- Practice self-reflection through journaling or meditation
- Play brain games like cross-word puzzles or sudoku. These are great replacements for mindless scrolling on social media!
- Go to museums and other events that will expand your cultural awareness.
Environmental
Our environment supports our personal health and the community, so we must also support our environment. When we make a conscious effort to make changes to benefit the environment, we are creating a safer and sustainable place to live. Here are some tips that you can do to start improving the health of the environment:
- Keep your environment clear: Reduce waste, recycle, and avoid littering.
- Adopt a plant-based lifestyle: Eating this kind of diet will not only benefit the environment, but your health as well!
- Bike or walk instead of driving: This will also improve your physical health!
- Start using reusable bags, cups, containers, and utensils.
- Save water by turning off the water when brushing your teeth or scrubbing the dishes.
It can be challenging to focus on all 8 pillars at once. That’s why setting SMART goals that focus on 1-2 pillars at a time is a great way to start. If your employees are struggling to make and maintain changes to their health, B.Komplete can help. Any change that takes away from one of the other pillars is going to be hard to maintain. We can help your employees improve their health by taking a holistic approach to wellness. Work with B.Komplete and you’ll see how the Pillars of Wellness can transform your workforce! Email us to learn more!
