The World Health Organization defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Wellness is achieved through an active pursuit of choices, activities, and lifestyle that leads to an overall healthy state of mind and body. This translates to a conscious choice of the foods we eat, exercise and activity, the environment we live in, and the way we interact with people. Our mindfulness and steadiness in doing so over the course of our life will determine the level of wellness we enjoy.
Here are some ways to make wellness a part of your everyday life:
Mental Wellness
Our mental wellness, to an extent, also determines and guides our physical wellness. Hence, strengthening our mind is key to enjoying holistic wellness. Practicing meditation and deep breathing regularly relaxes our brain, improves our response to stress and boosts our neurobiological health. When we enjoy mental wellness we are more mindful about ourselves, those around us as well as nature.
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is attained by exercising regularly and including some form of physical activity in our daily routine whether it’s walking, cycling, swimming, gardening or even a favourite sport. While exercise strengthens our body externally food does so internally. One of the holistic methods of consuming food is the sattvic diet prescribed by Ayurveda wherein we eat foods that are natural, fresh, juicy, tasty, nourishing and light with minimum preservatives and processing.
Emotional Wellness
Our emotional wellness is largely determined by how we view ourselves and how much we love ourselves. As a result it is important to accept oneself with flaws and all in our own uniqueness. Simultaneously, we can continue to improve ourselves through the other forms of wellness such as a healthy diet, active lifestyle, social interactions and communing with nature regularly. Most importantly, forgive yourself, accept yourself and love yourself.
Spiritual and Social Wellness
Most of us confuse spirituality with religion. However, religious practices and beliefs are separate from spirituality. Spirituality relates to an individual’s own sense of purpose, life and peace. Those who are more attuned with themselves and their goals in life also seek a higher purpose in life from their social interactions. This includes helping out at a community level and contributing meaningfully to society.
Environmental Wellness
Nature gives us abundantly and hence we must respect nature in how we use natural resources and also learn to preserve and recycle resources. Some already existing methods of environmental wellness include harvesting rainwater, recycling, composting, use of solar and wind energy and planting more trees. We can also reduce our carbon footprint by sourcing what we consume locally like food, raw materials, etc. and also by reducing our dependence on vehicles as much as possible.
To Conclude…
Wellness is the overall health of mind, body, and spirit. We cannot achieve it overnight or by lazily pursuing it whenever it suits our fancy. Practicing wellness in every aspect of our life will help us achieve our ultimate wellness goals. One of the ways to achieve wellness is to live in a community with similar goals.
Svamitva Terravana by Svamitva Group is a wellness-themed luxury gated community offering row houses, villas and plots constructed using ancient sustainable practices. The newly launched Terravana is an oasis of nature and wellness with a range of amenities aimed at helping you achieve and maintain mental, physical, emotional, social and environmental wellness by making it a part of your daily life.
