Well, Warrior, welcome to the wrap up of my Dimensions of Wellness Series. Every time I mention this model (and why I like it), I describe its intersecting nature. Throughout the series, I have tried to connect each Dimensions with others that often interact (i.e. how nutrition might affect Mental Health or how social support systems can affect Emotional wellbeing). Today, I’d like to take this a step further and talk about the practices that I think (can) have the biggest impact on whole person wellness.
Dimensions of Wellness
Hopefully you’ve been following along but if you are new to the idea of Dimensions of Wellness, I’ve got a full blog post that goes into some detail. Here are also quick links to the posts on each of the individual Dimensions:
Occupational and Vocational Health
Social and Interpersonal Health
Mental and Intellectual Health
Defining the Intersections
I could draw a crazy Venn diagram of the Dimensions and then spend pages trying to describe exactly how each Dimensions interacts. But I couldn’t do it justice. Truthfully, the Dimensions also interact differently for each of us depending upon our genetics and circumstances. And if that wasn’t enough, the Dimensions may interact differently during different seasons of life.
For instance, a trans Black individual living in the southern US is going to have very different lived experiences and needs than I do. No shame, blame, or hate here, these are just facts. I’ve also made no secret about my struggle with anxiety. I am trained as an exercise physiologist and strongly believe in the power of movement, but there have been times during my life that I have had to put aside gym based workouts because my Mental Health needs have been greater.
All this being said, the lovely researchers with the Blue Zones projects (remember, that is where we started this wild wellness journey?) have done the work for me. So, I am going to borrow their prodigious work for this discussion. During their extensive interviews with some of the longest-lived populations around the world, they identified nine factors that they all seem to have in common. And darn it, they fall into a couple of big categories that pretty perfectly describe some of the most important intersections of the Dimensions of Wellness.
Connection
The longest lived people in the world forge meaningful connections. Three of the Power 9 belong to this category: Belong, Loved Ones First, and Right Tribe. Belong is how the research team describes the support that faith provides. Belonging to a faith community (and it doesn’t seem to matter which one or which specific practices are utilized) confers a longevity bump. Long lived individuals put a priority on their loved ones, caring for elders and children and invest in a tribe of supportive friends.
We can learn a lot here. In an increasingly more (technologically) connected world, many of us report feeling more disconnected than ever before. Seeing others in person with whom we feel an affinity for, for whom we care about, and with whom we enjoy spending time can have a myriad of effects on Mental, Emotional, Social, and Environmental Health. To say nothing of knowing there is a safety net (Financial Health) should we need something.
Forging connections with others and relying on them when we need is not a sign of weakness or something cause shame. These connections are part of what makes us distinctly human and a huge part of whole person wellness. So, what can you do to improve your sense of connection? I could list tons of things like reconnecting with old friends and giving your kids focused attention each day. But what we do here will look different for each of us, the situation we are in, and how much time we have. The important message is to start to build relationships that create a safe place for you and a sense of community.
Outlook
Another theme on MMW is mindset, which is just a synonym for outlook. In the Power 9 group, Purpose and Downshifting fall in this group. I’ve talked about Purpose with respect to the Dimensions before (see Occupational and Vocational Health). But the sense of purpose in life is what makes everything else worth doing. Most of us won’t be lucky enough to have our main source of income come from our purpose but engaging in that purpose is what makes a job bearable some days. Knowing that something is driving you or that you have a passion project can be extremely powerful for Mental, Emotional, Social, Environmental and Vocational Health.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum is Downshifting. Do we ever need time to just chill and most of us either don’t have it or don’t take it. Newton’s First Law of Motion: an object in motion remains in motion, on a steady course, until acted upon by an additional force. Sometimes slowing down requires more force than we can generate. But slowing down is key for Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health.
So, what tools might we use here? Gratitude and meditation are two of my favorites. Meditation has the double benefit of creating connections for those of us who aren’t particularly religious. Vision boards or goal setting worksheets can be useful to create focus on a goal or purpose. Sometimes slowing down means a nap or engaging in a hobby.
Eat Wisely
The most focus on Blue Zones and the longevity research from the media falls here. And, as I’ve stated before, it is easy to see why. These are things that can be easily translated into our lives (or at least we like to think so). Because so much has been written, I don’t want to belabor this here. Plus, I’m not a nutritionist/dietician.
Under this heading is Wine at Five, Plant Slant, and the 80% Rule. Research is mixed on alcohol consumption and longevity, but what most of it does agree on is that moderate intake doesn’t do harm. Plant Slant refers to eating more plant based foods. And the 80% Rule means that you stop eating at 80% full. Regardless of your needs or personal preferences, I think these are good general rules for food. No labels are placed on anything and the focus instead, is on listening to your body.
Move Naturally
If you are counting, you should realize that this one got its own category in the Power 9. Yup, everything else is grouped, but natural movement is important enough that it warrants its own spot. It is important to note that natural movement describes daily activities outside of exercise. Things like walking or biking for transportation, gardening, cooking from scratch, and engaging in movement based social activities.
Essentially, the longest lived people don’t spend hours in the gym lifting weights or running hundreds of miles. They find places during their day, every day, where movement seems to be a natural fit. And then they do it. Now, many of the Blue Zones are located in places where these things are encouraged or need to be part of life. Which requires those of us who don’t live with those circumstances to adapt.
The other important thing that I note about natural movement is that these are activities that are typically done outside. Again, that can be challenging depending on things like weather and safety. But there is something magical about moving your body outside. One of my overarching purposes with this blog is to demonstrate how exercise and movement has benefits far beyond managing weight and body size, and in fact far beyond just the Physical Health Dimension. Daily movement can positively affect Mental, Emotional, Social, and Environmental Health. In many of the Dimensions of Wellness articles, I mentioned regular movement as beneficial. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do it. Consistently.
As when I discuss self care, the summary here is that we don’t have to do it all for optimal wellness. We should focus on the areas that need work and what is important and do those things regularly. Of course, with such a long wrap up post, it may still seem overwhelming, so I put together a Dimensions of Wellness Worksheet for you. This one is almost so simple as to be silly, but that’s the beauty of it. Pick a few simple, easy to implement things for each category and do them consistently. It is linked below and you can also find it in the Wellness Toolbox.
Until next time, be well friends!