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Category: Holistic Health & Wellness

7D Wellness

The key to being healthy in the holistic sense is realizing that your physical body is just one fraction of seven dimensions that comprise your whole being. Discover how to nurture each interconnected area of wellness and maintain balance among them for the betterment of your entire self.

Emotional Wellness is our willingness to be aware and accept a wide range of feelings in ourselves and others. We can properly care for our emotional health in a number of ways, including gaining perspective in tough situations. In most cases, the challenges we are faced with are not ‘life-or-death’ circumstances. Once we realize that, coping in those situations should become much less stressful.

Environmental Wellness is our willingness to actively participate in and contribute to efforts to protect and renew the environment. The best way to maintain wellness in this area is simply to find ways to connect with nature on a daily basis, which gives us a break from the hustle of everyday life and helps us feel connected to something bigger than ourselves.

Intellectual Wellness is our willingness to engage in self-directed behaviours like the pursuit of continuous learning, self development and creative hobbies. Ways to keep our intellectual selves stimulated include attending sporting events, movies and live concerts.

Occupational Wellness is the personal satisfaction and enrichment we experience from our jobs. A high level of work engagement has been linked to positive emotions and higher job performance. We can increase our work engagement by focusing on the things we like about our careers, rather than concentrating on the negative.

Physical Wellness is our willingness to pursue an active lifestyle and treat our bodies with care. Frequent exercise, ample rest, healthy eating habits and regular doctor visits all help to improve the quality of our lives.

Social Wellness is our willingness to actively participate in and contribute to the common welfare of our communities. Research indicates that people who have more meaningful social relationships are healthier, happier, and even live longer, so eat dinner with your family more often, hang out with your friends frequently and volunteer some of your free time now and then.

Spiritual Wellness is our willingness to seek meaning and purpose in human existence, to question everything, and to appreciate the things which cannot be readily explained or understood. Ignite your spirituality by implementing deep, slow breathing or meditating for as little as five minutes per day (free meditation guidance apps and online videos are easy to find).

If one of these dimensions is out of whack, it can easily throw one of the other six areas off balance. Be vigilant in your commitment to fostering your 7D wellness and, chances are, your odds of living a long, happy life will multiply.

Article sources: Wellness definitions courtesy of the University of Guelph Wellness Education Centre; tips for maintaining health in the seven dimensions of wellness courtesy of Alive magazine

~Write-or-die girl

Heightening creativity at home with geomancy

Melonie Arscott

Last Tuesday, I was forced to work from home because maintenance men were entering my suite (I always assume their fingers get stickier when no one is watching).

With a bad case of brain paralysis, I reached out to Melonie Arscott,  geomancer, feng shui specialist, and intuitive life coach, at Melo Spaces, to get some tips on pimping my home office to heighten my creative mojo.

“The physical elements of our environments and how we subconsciously process them can strongly influence our states of mind, including our productivity and creativity,” she told me. “If you make tiny adjustments to your office, you’ll set yourself up for fluid inspiration generation.”

Ummm…yes, please. I’ll have some of that!

I took detailed notes, as she spoke.

  • Nix EMFs: “First and foremost, cut down on high levels of EMFs; they make you tired and your brain foggy,” she advised. The easiest way to do this is by introducing plants—which reduce air pollution and noise— and flowers—which bring about chi—into a space.
  • Auditory arousal: “There is nothing more soothing than the sound of flowing water,” she said and suggested placing a mini water fountain in my office. She also recommended fast-paced classical music—Baroque period, for example—as it stimulates brainwave activity.
  • Colour psychology: “Colour ignites the mind and revives the spirit,” according to Melonie. Yellow and orange work the best to get the creative juices flowing. Small hints of colour, like on a mouse pad or vase, are sufficient to trigger fresh ideas.
  • Guiding light: “Expose your office to as much natural light as possible. The sun is nature’s antidepressant,” she joked. But if natural light isn’t available, she recommends opting for full-spectrum lighting.
  • Crystal light: “Hanging a spherical multifaceted crystal by a window so it can reflect sunlight light will bring more yang (active energy) into a dark room and promote motivation,” she added. Even if you don’t have a window, you can hang it somewhere where your room lighting will bounce off of it.
  • Scent stories:Essential oils can also awaken your inner innovator,” she concluded. “Peppermint oil is great for headaches when dabbed on the temples, and simply breathing it in relieves fatigue, but keep it away from your eyes.” Additionally, orange oil decreases anxiety and elevates mood levels, while cinnamon oil reduces frustration. These particular oils should not be applied to the body, though—best to invest in an aromatherapy diffuser.

For best results, Melonie recommends having a customized consultation and environmental report prepared. She is currently rebalancing the energy on her website (that is, it is under construction) but feel free to reach out to her for more info at support@melospaces.com.

Items listed in this post, like crystals, essential oils, and aromatherapy diffusers, can be found at crystal, new age, and health food stores.

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