Stop and smell the roses!

This is a busy time of year, between holiday gatherings, final exams and time off from school, overtime hours for busy workers, shopping, and travel. It is a lot to fit into the last month of an already challenging year! So during this time, it is important to take that time for yourself, to hit the pause button. Remember that during this season it is not supposed to be about stress but about sharing quality time with the people you care about.

Sounds good! But how do we accomplish this, with to-do lists that seem to be miles long? It is important to remember that one of the priorities right now is for you to enjoy yourself, and enjoy the season of giving and sharing. Look at your to-do list and add time for yourself. Be intentional about it, as much as you would for the other things on your list – even taking 10-20 minutes to rejuvenate will go a long way.

Focusing on your own Wellness

When we think about overall wellness, often people just think about physical well-being. There are actually multiple dimensions of wellness, with a general consensus in the field that there are 8 dimensions of wellness. For today, let’s look at each of those area briefly.

Intellectual Wellness: Ways to expand knowledge and skills.

Career Wellness: Ways to find satisfaction in your work.

Physical: Ways to take care of your physical health.

Social: Ways to stay connected with social supports.

Existential/Spiritual: Ways to expand your purpose and meaning.

Emotional: Ways to cope effectively.

Environmental: Surrounding yourself in a clean, pleasant and healthy environment.

Financial: Ways to feel satisfied with your finances both now and in planning for the future.

It is challenging to look at all these areas and consider how to improve your overall wellness, especially during this busy time of year. Instead, maybe pick one area to focus on for the rest of this month, something that will help you with creating some balance for yourself to help you maintain your energy enough to enjoy yourself and your loved ones.

Stay tuned! Over the next 8 weeks we will spend some time with tips for improving wellness in each of the 8 areas listed above. Meanwhile, remember to gift yourself with some balance, right now, and into the new year.