Employee Health & Wellness: It really is your choice

by Charles Ringling, M.Ed., CEAP

“If I had known I was going to live so long I would have taken better care of myself.”

                                                                     -Leon Eldred

When you think of health and wellness, what first comes to mind? And are your answers different when you’re at work?

Our understanding of wellness means has evolved over the past decades. Personal health is no longer considered simply the absence of disease. One definition calls wellness the integration of all personal dimensions (physical, intellectual, emotional, psychological, and social). This definition also includes additional elements: prevention of health problems, protection from health threats and promotion of the health of self and others.

How would you define and achieve health and wellness? Stop for a moment to consider your response, then compare your thoughts with the following:

Physical Wellness: Eat right and exercise regularly. These two recommendations do more to guarantee a long healthy life than anything else, including genetics.

Intellectual Wellness: Seek new experiences, be creative in your thought processes and allow your mind to be stimulated. Take time to do this every day. Time is a limited resource that we get only once.

Social Wellness: Define and pursue things that interest you. Whenever possible, try to connect with others who nurture your interests. Reach out to people who are supportive. Volunteer your time or join an organization whose mission you believe in.

Inner Wellness: To some degree, how you define this will be unique to who you are. However, everyone can reduce stress and enjoy life more by following the steps below to identify the inner skills you’d like to develop. Once you’ve identified them, practice using them until good coping skills become an everyday habit.

For each of the statements below, complete the sentence:

Stress Management--People who feel in control of their lives are to manage their stresses better.

• I feel in control of these parts of my life: ___________________________________.
• Two people I know who seem in control of their lives are ______________________.
• Two things they do, which I can try, are____________________________________.
• Other things I could do to gain control over my one life are ____________________.                                                    

Commitment--When you are committed to your own life, stresses are easier to manage.

• I am committed to and enjoy these parts of my life:___________________________.
• Two people I know who seem to enjoy their lives are_________________________.
• Two things they do that I could try are _____________________________________.
• Other things I could do to help make my life more meaningful are _______________.

Risk-- Risks can include practically everything from traveling overseas to getting married. When you are willing to take risks, life becomes more satisfying.

• Two new things I’d like to try are ______________________________________.
• Things that would help me try them are _________________________________.
• I agree to try this one new thing this month: ______________________________.
• I agree to try these two new things this year:______________________________.

You can prevent many problems by taking a proactive attitude, changing your behaviors and learning new skills. Some of the things you do can help prevent the major causes of death (cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury). It is important to make healthy choices not only about physical things like diet and exercise but also about what you think, what you feel and what you do.

Be well.  

Selected Health & Wellness Websites:

http://familydoctor.org/

http://www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/SearchContext.asp?topic=933&super=112&Branch=5

http://preventdisease.com/worksite_wellness/worksite_wellness.html

http://www.wellnessjunction.com/members/0112news.htm

http://www.welcoa.org/presskit/index.php

http://healthproject.stanford.edu/koop/work.html