8 Pillars of Wellness and How to Factor into Goal Setting
The 8 Pillars of Wellness consist of the following — physical, social, emotional, occupational, financial, spiritual, intellectual, and environmental. These 8 categories help define the generalized concept of living a well-rounded life. Generating balance between each of these areas through intentional planning can be essential towards maintaining a holistic, purposeful, fulfilled life. How do we integrate this concept within the structure of our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning?
The Santa Clara University School of Law defines their 8 Pillars of Wellness as the following (with some adjustments to apply towards daily life):
Physical
Regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and sufficient sleep are necessary to help combat the stress of life. Self-care should be promoted despite the time pressures of career and extra-curricular activities. Taking care of one’s physical health has a direct impact on resiliency and overall general well-being.
Social
A feeling of community and connection is important to building a network of mutual reliance and combatting the stresses of daily life. Fostering a diverse social environment that is collaborative and helpful despite the competitive nature of life is essential.
Emotional
Being aware of one’s feelings, coping effectively with the stresses of daily living, developing persistence and flexibility, and practicing self-care strategies to achieve a sense of mental balance is a key component of overall wellness.
Occupational
Identifying work opportunities in settings that promote contentment and enrich one’s personal and professional life. Support building the skills needed to excel in career paths and cultivate engaging occupational pursuits.
Financial
Learning how to manage day-to-day spending, live on a budget, explore investment opportunities, and develop a financial plan will allow one to establish a strong financial backbone.
Spiritual
Cultivating spirituality and the investigation of one’s internal self and personal mission, in order to fully develop each dimension of one’s humanity.
Intellectual
Research opportunities for ongoing intellectual engagement. Intend to expand creatively and explore challenging and innovative concepts.
Environment
Our surroundings can have a significant impact on our overall mood and level of stress. Create and improve spaces for one to discover what type of environment promotes one’s personal wellness. This can apply to home, community, nature, and other areas where environment plays a role.
Integrating 8 Pillars of Wellness into Goal Setting
What is the most effective way of introducing these pillars into daily planning? Implementing a combination of goals which consolidate each of these pillars appears to be an acceptable solution. If one pillar is missing from goal creation, then reevaluating how time is allocated and attempting to reconsider goals in order to ensure each pillar is addressed becomes paramount. This does not mean that 8 goals must now be created and fulfilled each day, but rather the goals being instituted for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly checkpoints should in some way incorporate all pillars holistically.
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