How To Embrace Wellness Without Sacrificing Your Well-Being
Wellness is trending right now. The concept of being ‘well’ has crept into every aspect of our lives: mental, physical, and financial. Daily, we are confronted with opportunities and advertisements about how to increase our wellness. There are wellness apps, blogs, and conferences, not to mention the dozens of books written about it. Wellness is a coveted state of being.
Achieving wellness in the myriad aspects of our lives is supposed to be enjoyable, empowering, and even Zen-like. So, what do you do when the quest for wellness makes you feel overwhelmed and stressed and not at all Zen-like?
How do we embrace wellness in a way that actually improves it?
Begin by giving yourself credit for the parts of your life that are already ‘well.’ Once you’ve done so, consider one of the areas below you would like to strengthen and then select an aspect of that area to address. Choose an area you feel passionately about strengthening and one you can work on without upending your daily schedule. Sustainable change tends to be slow and steady.
Mental Wellness
Everywhere we look, we are confronted with news of mental health crises. Mental wellness is a mosaic made up of our intellectual, spiritual, emotional and social health. Of all aspects of wellness, it is certainly the most enigmatic and perhaps the most elusive to achieve due to its many variables and nuances.
For many, the journey to mental wellness begins with acknowledging a need for improving mental health. Sometimes we can identify and address what we would like to strengthen. Often, we need the support of others: therapists, counselors, doctors, friends or family. If mental wellness is the area you choose to strengthen, seek the support of others and congratulate yourself for taking the first step.
Physical Wellness
Physical health is the fitness and performance of your body. As straightforward as this is, physical wellness is actually a spectrum. Bodies are complicated and individual. Strengthening wellness in this area involves four key components;
1. Annual exams at a doctor’s office
2. Daily movement
3. Quality Sleep
4. Healthy diet
Luckily, small physical changes can net big results over time. Replace an after-dinner snack with a cup of tea. Go to bed an hour earlier. Take a walk every day (double dip and go with a friend to improve your mental wellness!). Schedule yearly wellness exams.
Financial Wellness
While financial health may not seem related to mental and physical wellness, it can significantly impact both areas. Your financial wellness is determined by a predictable and consistent income and your debt. Unstable income and/or having a high debt to income ratio leads to stress, which in turn compromises your mental and physical wellness. The reality is, barring unusual circumstances, financial health is related to your spending choices.
Much like other aspects of your overall wellness, financial wellness can be improved one step at a time. The initial step to financial wellness is always evaluating your expenses. While this may feel intimidating, keep in mind you can’t make any effective changes without knowing where your money is going. Once you understand your expenses, consider these suggestions for improving your financial wellness.
Wellness is an overarching concept that encompasses the mental, physical and financial aspects of your life as a whole. Seeking wellness should be empowering and rejuvenating. Try to pursue wellness incrementally and choose changes based on your desired outcome. It is possible to improve your overall wellbeing AND enjoy the journey!
Call To Action
Do you think my tips were helpful in re-directing your focus and goals? Please share the article and shout out to me on Twitter!
You can also check out my firm LexION Capital for more tips on how to grow your wealth and become financially secure.
Elle Kaplan is the founder and CEO of LexION Capital, a fiduciary wealth management firm in New York City, serving high-net-worth individuals. She is also the chief investment officer and founder of LexION Alpha.
