Have you ever gotten on your bicycle and realized immediately that the wheels were completely off-balanced?! It makes for a frustrating cruise for sure.
What if the “wheels” of your life are likewise making for a bumpy ride?
Consider your personal “wheel of well-being” and its various spokes:
Emotional Health
Mental Health
Physical Health
Environmental Health
Vocational Health
Financial Health
Some of these areas might feel very satisfying for you, while others need some tweaking (or perhaps a total overhaul!).
We all have the power to create a more-balanced life that will allow us to truly thrive. And it starts by asking ourselves key questions, answering them honestly for ourselves, and then developing a realistic plan of action. Even seemingly small steps can lead to big differences in our overall feelings of well-being.
For example: emotional health. This is often tied to ‘social fitness.’ Ask yourself: are you spending time with people who nourish your soul, make you laugh and/or feel calm/soothed/healthy, allow you to fully be your most authentic self? Are you spending enough time in trusted, nurturing relationships with the kind of people who bring out the best in you, and who you can likewise support? Are you engaged in community life and tapping into the sense of belonging that is readily available if you look for it? If not, in what ways can you improve your emotional well-being in any or all of these areas?
How about physical health? Are you consuming nutrient-dense foods every day, giving your body the energy it needs to do the things you love? Are you spending time out in nature? Are you moving enough throughout each day? Are you carving out time for some fun cardio and strength training? Do you FEEL well-rested and GOOD? If not, what small steps (pun intended!) can you take to optimize your physical well-being starting today? You don’t have to start training for a marathon! If you spend most of your time in front of a laptop, consider taking a 5-minute break each hour to go for a short walk. If you run but haven’t done much to build upper body strength, consider doing a few sets of bicep and tricep curls with free weights at home. Just find small ways to bridge the gaps - it usually doesn’t take much time to build in some new habits that can move the needle!
And how is your ‘vocational health’ these days? Do you feel a sense of purpose, meaning, and connection in your life? If not, what can you do to add that to the mix? Maybe it’s a good time to consider volunteering for a favorite charity, taking a class, or exploring a new career opportunity. What can you do to feel more fulfilled?
Those are just a few examples - but the bottom line is this: I believe that you deserve to thrive and life deserves to be loved.
You have everything you need to start balancing out that wheel of well-being. May you love yourself enough to do so.
Learn more about working with a well-being coach by visiting estuarycoaching.com or emailing me: marybeth@estuarycoaching.com.