The dawning of a New Year always brings with it new hopes and possibilities for personal growth and improvement, fun and fulfillment, and perhaps the chance to experience new things. This makes the current moment the perfect time for all of those infamous resolutions during The New Year, whether it’s focusing on your health and fitness, maybe getting a handle on that Amazon spending of yours, or perhaps taking that special vacation you’ve been thinking about for so long.
And indeed, it’s possible to implement positive changes any time, but if self-improvement and lifestyle change are at the forefront of your mind right now, then what follows is some medically and scientifically proven guidance for achieving total wellness in your life. Eating more fruits and vegetables can only help but to achieve greater happiness and feeling better means you need to pursue wellness in a more holistic way. Utilizing available senior living programs while focusing on the different dimensions of wellness can support your mission to achieve your new year’s goals.
The Six Dimensions of Wellness for Senior Living
There is a host of different perspectives about wellness. However, The National Wellness Institute has given us the Six Dimensional Model, having worked alongside leading experts from the lifestyle and health disciplines. Regardless of the different definitions about wellness, there is a clear understanding of the following:
- Wellness is a self-directed, conscious, and ever-evolving process of individuals striving to reach their full potential. (And the process is not restricted or affected by age)
- Wellness is holistic and multi-dimensional, surrounding lifestyle factors, spiritual well-being, mental, and the environment
In other words, it is great to set New Years’ resolutions, but you need to really make the most meaningful difference in your life. Think about taking big steps in 2021 from each of the below perspectives, which are more likely to result in more comprehensive well-being when taken together. This is why these Six Dimensions of Wellness have been carefully incorporated into the senior lifestyle programs offered by Discovery Senior Living communities nationwide.
Emotional Wellness
Emotional and mental health can be a delicate subject, and as we discussed here recently, depression and other mental health diagnoses are consistently unrecognized and untreated among today’s seniors.
Hence, always try to be upfront and honest about mental health, and understand about the common catalysts for depression in seniors, factors like loss of friends and loved ones, and declining physical abilities. And what is most critical is for you to promise to seek help in a timely manner, all in the name of maintaining emotional and holistic wellness.
Intellectual Wellness
Life is largely intended to be a journey of discovery, one filled with continuing opportunities for learning and intellectual growth. And that makes it impossible to overstate the value of regular (i.e. daily) intellectual stimulation.
It’s certainly possible to do it on your own, whether it’s reading the paper to stay up with current events, reading works of fiction, or studying non-fictional topics of your choosing. But communities as well are working hard to empower the pursuit of intellectual wellness, whether through our Discovery University lecture series, various clubs or discussion groups, and even day trips and excursions to explore museums, arts and culture in and around your local area.
Occupational Wellness
The Occupational dimension recognizes the sense of self-fulfillment that individuals feel after completing a task. Sure, many seniors have retired from the workforce. However, we are currently aware of how senior employment offers plenty of benefits other than just a paycheck after having discovered how seniors contribute towards the workforce.
So with that, if you have craved enrichment and interaction, and have even a part-time desire to get out there in the workforce, where you can meet new and interesting people, share common interests, and reap the wellness-related benefits, then don’t be denied or discouraged. Particularly in this day and age, opportunity still knocks for seniors in the workforce.
Physical Wellness
There’s really no denying the power of physical well-being. In fact, looking and feeling good physically often goes a long way towards influencing our own perceptions about overall wellness. No surprise, then, that daily exercise and healthy eating play a major role, and should always be focal points of any self-improvement efforts.
And fortunately, the launch of new, health-club-quality, senior-specific fitness solutions—particularly our FitCampSM wellness program—are making it even easier for seniors at the community level to pursue physical wellness, and to actually have more fun doing it.
Social Wellness
While holistic wellness is self-directed, the Social dimension addresses interactions with our environment and throughout the community, all of which are integral for the feeling of importance and belonging.
So in 2021 and beyond, think about becoming more involved and interconnected with the people and environment around you. Cultivate new and nurture existing relationships, and make choices that contribute to the welfare of others as well as yourself. It’s like food for the soul, and a powerful catalyst for living well.
Spiritual Wellness
For many, religious faith is synonymous with spiritual wellness. And we’re certainly not here to discourage faith and devotion. However, for those who don’t really identify with any religion can still choose to pursue spiritual fulfillment and wellness.
It needs to begin with living a virtuous life which is consistent with our own value system. Knowing that life is a journey of uncovering its meaning and there is no path that comes without bumps or challenges. And particularly in today’s fiercely divided society, being more tolerant of the beliefs of others, even if they happen to differ from our own.
Senior Living at Veranda Club
Looking to improve your wellness in 2021? Contact Veranda Club today at 561.898.9139 to learn about available rooms and living options.
