HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACH LINDA HOWARD SHARES THE IMPORTANCE AND
BENEFITS OF BEING ATTENTIVE TO YOUR ENTIRE BEING—SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY. AS
AN ADVOCATE OF THE ‘WELLNESS WHEEL, SHE HIGHLY RECOMMENDS ITS USE IN
ASSESSING YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS CAPACITY. TAKE A LOOK AND SEE HOW WELL
YOU MEASURE UP!
Spiritual Health and Wellness
Be intentional and consistent about “commanding your day.” With shorter and cooler days ahead, maximizing those precious rays should be at the top of your list. Engage in spirit building and soul reviving through morning prayer & meditation. Take time to focus on good things—like what God says about you instead of what external situations and circumstances are attempting to dictate. This is a marvelous way to set the trajectory for your day. According to individuals who ascribe to this, when you dedicate time within your day’s first hour, you begin to maximize the propensity of what you desire to manifest in your life. Truly, the things you spend the most time with spiritually and in your mind, are the very things you will possess.
Emotional Health and Wellness
Increase your JQ (Joy Quotient) – life is too precious to drown in sorrows! Monitor your emotions, particularly joy. Are you living life out of a joy shortage or a joy surplus? To answer the question, I believe that one must first clearly identify the source of their definition and standard for joy. One thing is sure, authentic, external joy should come from a deep, internal place within us, and not from a superficial, external source. Once you identify what joy means to you, pray and ask God to show you ways to increase in true joy. Also, spend time with people and do things that complement the joy in you. Remember, this is an inside/out endeavor; laugh, be happy, and have fun on purpose!
Mental (Intellectual), Health and Wellness
Engage in Mental Aerobics. Just as we choose to engage in physical fitness to achieve strength and endurance, choosing to be present for optimal and sustainable mental health and wellness is equally important. Decide to stay conscious of any strong, intense, or negative reactions to what people say and/or do towards you. While I’m by no means condoning you being mistreated, I do understand that we cannot control how people treat us or how and when negative circumstances show up in our lives. We can, however, control how we respond to them. Therefore, monitoring our “emotional reactions” versus “spiritual responses” is critical. If and when you find that you have a higher propensity for negative [emotional] reactions to negative triggers, shift and see it as an opportunity to address something that lies deeper in YOU (your subconscious), which needs to be addressed. Be intentional and consistent about asking yourself, “What is my strong, intense reaction to this occurrence (trigger), attempting to tell me about myself?” Take courage and ask, “Are there unresolved negative thoughts, meanings, emotions, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors residing deep in my subconscious mind that I applied to myself as the result of some PRIOR negative thing that happened, and needs to be addressed?” Ask yourself and make a list of how you feel when this [the present situation] happens, and how you felt when the former infraction happened. Be patient with yourself and visualize —see yourself letting go of all of the toxic thoughts, meanings, emotions, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors. Don’t forget to replace it with positive affirmations, preferably from the Word of God. And know, going forward, that you are who God says, and who you believe that you are. External situations and circumstances no longer have the power to trigger you and cause you to “blow a fuse.” You are as cool as a cucumber.
Physical Health and Wellness
Out with the old, in with the new (De-clutter, Cleanse, and Detox)! It’s Fall, and the sun still shines bright, presenting us with ample opportunities to soak up all of that nourishing and fortifying vitamin D. By staying active and productive, your adrenaline and other “feel-good” hormone levels will remain high. Also be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to de-clutter your life—from the inside, out. You will experience results like mental clarity, more restful sleep, increased energy levels, and so much more. Before the days become shorter, clear out the clutter on the inside, and see how much more you will accomplish. Don’t forget to make clear and concise plans to continue, and repeat regularly – even in the winter months. Preparation is paramount. Your body will love you for it.
Social Health and Wellness
Get Unplugged: 1,000 friends?…Really? If the majority of those social media “friends’” posts have not been beneficial to you, added value to your life, encouraged, inspired, motivated, or empowered you, you may need to unplug. Stop wasting your valuable time, and move forward (and higher) in your life. Dedicate a couple of minutes of that social media surfing time to research and discover synergistic people and pages. That will empower you to take the next step in taking ownership and possession of your own inspirations. In this season of your life, your “tribe,” “squad,” or “village” should look more like where you want to go, not where you’ve been. Surround yourself with people (virtual and otherwise) that push you to do better.
Environmental Health and Wellness
Get involved. Volunteer to serve a cause greater than YOU. Tap into charities, your community, or civic organizations to lend a helping hand. For example, volunteering in an organization that is committed to outdoor beautification projects of some sort might just encourage you to change your surroundings. You might be inspired to add a fresh new coat of paint to the room in which you spend the most time at home. You may also be inspired to give your “green thumb” another try. Ultimately, you will feel better because 1) you supported a good cause, and 2) you simultaneously got some physical sweat equity. Perhaps helping others will motivate you to purge or organize your own home or apartment.
Financial Health and Wellness
Identify the Money Traps: So, what is it? Starbucks? Target? QVC? Amazon? Fast food restaurants? What are your Winter Coping Mechanisms—those ordinary habits that prevent you from achieving success and sustainable prosperity? Sometimes we don’t identify the triggers that result in us doing things that get us into a rut or financial ruin. After we’ve done them for a while, it becomes a habit. And, we do those things all the time because they seem small and insignificant. Still, when we calculate the annual spending, we could have taken a nice vacation or enrolled in a class that would anchor us in a new career or hobby to enjoy. Make a declaration that this is the last summer that you have to resort to a Staycation. Take a look at your spending habits and especially those things that trigger that spending.
Think about another way to respond to what you have identified as the “spending trigger.” Identify the ones that can be severed, replaced, or drastically reduced. Locate a spending or budgeting app like “Digit,” or better yet, find out if your bank has an online Budgeting or Project Savings option. Activate it, and then envision yourself engaging in the activity that you desire in your near future. See yourself reclined in your beach chair on that white sandy beach, wearing sunglasses (and sunscreen—of course) and sipping on that tropical drink. Stay focused, you’re almost there.
To learn more be sure to visit: vibranthealthandwellnesscoach.com
link2usmag.com 