Reflections On My Own Level Of Wellness

Physical wellbeing - I would give myself a 10.  I am in excellent shape, eat well and exercise regularly.

Spiritual well-being - I would rate myself at 10.  I have a relationship with God, loving relationships with family and friends and understand my calling or life's purpose.  I also try to stay in tuned with the universe by understanding the inter-relatedness of all things. These things allow me to maintain optimal spiritual health.

Psychological well-being - Another 10 for me.  I am obviously confident about having mental health but keeping things in perspective and not allowing stress to control my life makes this possible.

A physical goal that I have for myself is to improve my cardiovascular conditioning and I can move towards that goal through a daily routine of mental and physical exercise.

My spiritual goal is to perform a comtemplative practice daily. This can be achieved by setting aside time each day for the practice and committing myself to doing the exercises.

My psychological goal is to strengthen my tolerance for stress. This can be implemented through contemplative practices on a daily basis (specifically the subtle mind practice).

Getting My Mental Workout

Mental exercises, such as travel, neurobics, reading, games and being in stimulating environments, help the brain to adapt and reprogram itself. Mental workouts have been shown to stimulate brain cells into fostering new connections.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7373026.stm  These connections make you smarter through the improvements in your memory.  In addition, mentla workouts have been shown to increase our "cognitive reserve" or our ability to withstand neurological damage from aging.  http://www.everydayhealth.com/longevity/mental-fitness/brain-exercises-for-memory.aspx  This can decrease our likelihood of suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dimentia as we age.

I'm a big believer in exercising my mind. I have been enjoying the various mental workout applications available for my Iphone since this enables me to get in a quick mental workout anytime I have a few free minutes of time or to take a mental stretch between reading or working.  I also get plenty of mental workouts from my reading, neurobic exercises and experiencing the world on a daily basis.

The Connection Between Spiritual Wellness, Mental Wellness and Physical Wellness

The definition of holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social, should be taken into account and seen as a whole.  Wellness or health cannot be completely seperated into categories such as spiritual, mental and physical because they are interrelated and inextricably linked. 

When one is effected, there is no way that the others aren't effected as well.  If your spiritual wellness is poor, it impacts your mental and physical wellbeing and visa versa.  One example would be the psychological stress brought on by my mother's passing that caused me to develop physiological symptoms of headaches and lack of appetite.