Title: |
What Does Wellness Mean? | ||
Author: |
Betty Franklin, RN | Section: |
General Wellness |
Submitted: |
November 2006 | Expertise base on: |
Experience |
Wellness means more than just physical health. It means balance in a number of areas of your life. One is well when there is peace of mind with themselves, their family and their finances. One is well when they have time to pursue what matters most in their life and when they can lend a hand to others.
In my business, RN Resource Development I promote health through the "Six F's of Wellness" - Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finance and Fun. I encourage everyone to take responsibility for their own health.
Different aspects of life can undermine a person's health or enhance it. Certain physical factors or psychological strains like an unhappy relationship can increase susceptibility to illness. A person can increase their resilience and improve their level of wellness by identifying these factors and then making the changes in their life. This can be done in a variety of ways... diet and exercise or through finding betters ways to handle stress or difficult emotions.
Balancing the "Six F's of Wellness" and understanding how they can affect one's health are important in helping people work towards the creation of a better life.
FAITH
Our belief system governs our lifestyle and choices - it is the foundation from which we form our opinions and make decisions. It is like a mental grid through which all outside information must pass. Many people inherit their convictions or beliefs from their parents and simply absorb those ideas without really investigating them. A contradiction between our beliefs and our way of life creates uneasiness and dissatisfaction that can affect our emotional and ultimately physical well-being.
FAMILY
Today's families are often complicated, involving parents, stepchildren, ex-spouses, extended families, long distances and unresolved issues. Whether family is nuclear or fragmented, feelings can be provoked as different situations of life arise. We can go through feelings of guilt, anger, frustration, and of being overwhelmed, which if unaddressed can show up in stress-related illnesses including heart disease, breathing disorders, gastrointestinal problems to name a fee.
Those who have family members and/or partners with whom to share problems with are less likely to get sick and if they do become ill, they are able to handle the illness better.
FRIENDS
Within every human being lies the need for fellowship and community, the need for affection and the need to be part of a group. Not just any group, but a group of like-minded people; people who have similar values, or values that we admire.
As with family, those who have healthy relationships with others are less likely to get sick and recover better if they do become ill.
FITNESS
Our bodies have been created to live in harmony, integrity and balance. There are different types of fitness to keep our lives in balance. Physical fitness is extremely important, but so are nutritional, mental, emotional, environmental and spiritual fitness.
FINANCE
Money can mean security, love, power and/or freedom. For many, money is a terrifying subject to talk about; many of us never master it. We do not know how much money is enough, how to get it, keep it, make it grow, keep it safe, have fun with it or how to give it away.
As health and fitness govern our physical lives, money and finances affect our economic lives as well as our health. 90% of people grow up doing what their parents did financially. If you believed you had to work hard for money, it became your orientation towards money. If you were encouraged to go to school, get good grades and get a good job with a good company for the rest of your life that is what you did. Financial concerns bring stress and pressure, which in turn can affect your health.
FUN
A sense of humour, the ability to express yourself and share your feelings, empathize with others, and tolerance of their opinions indicate a strong sense of self-worth and high self-esteem. Negative attitudes and stress can lead to hypertension, elevated heart rate, headaches and hormonal imbalances to name a few.
Humour not only keeps people living longer, but also lets you have a lot more fun while you're living. Laughter is like internal jogging, it enhances respirations and circulation, oxygenates the blood and suppresses the stress-related hormones in the brain and activates the immune system. It is a powerful antidote for stress.
Our choices, our attitudes and living within our value system all affect the fun component of our lives.
Considering the "Six F's of Wellness" as one endeavours to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle provides a unique and holistic approach to staying well.
