The road to living a happier life or Wellness, is not as difficult as lots of people think. Many think of wellness as health but it’s not so simple. Once you can understand the concept of all the 5 components of Wellness then you can be on your journey.

Basically, all humans want to be happy. Happiness or wellness depends on how you can adjust these 5 components of wellness into your life. These are Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional and Financial. Once you can make positive change in these parts of your life, then you can improve your wellness and happiness. It seems simple but it is not always easy.

There are lots of “gurus”, information and courses out there and it is easy to get confused and overwhelmed. In the end it is a personal decision to self-improvement that we must all make for ourselves. So, I will try to break down these concepts and show how you can start the journey. It is easier than you think!

Physical

When the word Wellness is mentioned this is what most people picture. Health and wellness of the physical body. This is an important part but it is just one segment. Many people put lots of pressure on themselves to get in shape, to lose weight or to get that perfect slim body. They seek perfection, then stress when results aren’t forthcoming or are taking too long. Now you are suffering emotionally and want to give up or not even try.

Give yourself a break! I learned that you cannot change a lifetime in just a few days, weeks or months. You just have to start and aim to be better than yesterday. Start slow but just start. Simple things like walking more. Use a step counter app in your phone. To begin with just try to walk a few more steps than the day before. As you move along your thinking will change and you will change. Even if the results are not visible, change is happening. Just take it slow. One day at a time.

Mental or Intellectual

“Use it or lose it” was a saying I’ve heard throughout my life. This is especially true when it comes to your brain. There are even scientific studies that show this. When we challenge ourselves or use our brain to learn new things it has a positive effect on our well being. An easy way to get started would be to cut down TV time and use the time to try or learn something new. Just read a book or articles or even a blog that gets you thinking. There are lots of sources online. Use the internet for good instead of evil hahaha. You don’t have to start by trying to learn Quantum Physics. Maybe just read a simple article like the one in the link in this paragraph. Again, just start. Baby steps.

Spiritual

I know that when I first heard about spirituality my defenses immediately started going up. I pictured gurus in robes chanting and living lives of deprivation and solitude. Not for me! But I kept an open mind and actually started reading blogs and articles about spirituality. Then all of a sudden I was reading books by the Dalai Lama! Amazing! I got caught up in what I was reading and soon tried practicing mindfulness meditation. I must say that I could not calm my brain for more than 2 minutes when I started. Like everything else, practice makes it better. At first, I barely meditated regularly or for any length of time but here I am 5 years later and I can meditate for up to 30 minutes every day. To different readers that might seem like a lot or a little bit. But everyone’s journey is different and personal and not for comparison. Once again, just start, even if it’s for 1 minute or less.

Emotional

This component is a little harder to explain but here is my view. This relates to how you as an individual process what’s happening in the world around you. Your brain is always trying to analyze, classify and make judgments about things, people and events around you. Good, Bad. Happy, Sad. Like, Dislike etc. Depending on how you see things is what emotions will arise within you Love, Fear, Joy, Anxiety etc. So basically, your happiness or lack thereof, depends on how you see the world. Luckily, you can control this by deciding how you want to see. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Start by pondering this.

Financial

They say that money can’t buy happiness but normally it’s the people with money that have these nice sayings. The reality is that money does make life easier and if you have enough it can make you happier. Not to be confused with greed which I’m not talking about here. We all have to “work” in order to make money to provide for our families and our basic needs. The trick is to make this “work” be something enjoyable, fulfilling and profitable. They say “if you like what you do for work you wouldn’t work a day in your life”. To me that is the aim in addressing this factor in life but first, you have to know what you want, what makes you happy. Think about it.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. I hope I’ve managed to get my explanations across to you clearly. Let me just say that I don’t have all the answers. I’ve tried many things. Some have worked and some have not. I am a work in progress. Everyone is different and on their own journey. All I can do is to share my experiences so you can draw your own conclusions and opinions. Then see for yourself how to improve your wellness and happiness in life. As well as those around you. Hope this was helpful and I will expand on different topics in more detail in future blogs. If you haven’t already, please start by taking your first steps towards wellness.