What is Well Being? - Well being is something which shows our physical condition, confidence and happiness. It can be termed as a general outlook towards life. Well being means to feel good and to take care of one-self even when one is under stress of the daily life routines.
It has to be understood that well being and healthy living has to go hand in hand. Healthy living does not confine to eating a balanced diet, doing exercise regularly and avoiding illness, but it also includes an individual’s mental, emotional as well as social aspects. The major aspects of healthy living can be explained well by World Health Organization.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Total Well Being
True Happiness is what every human being is searching for, from time immemorial. In search of pure happiness, we often take the help of mediums like people, places and materials. When this becomes our method of finding happiness, it becomes difficult for us to find true happiness, peace and security. The happiness or joy that we expect from such sources can never be possessed. It always tends to disappear. Finding true happiness is impossible when we go in search of the wrong people, places or things.
The single person we are most familiar and closest to is none other than our own self. If that self is filled with ego, we tend to face a lot of problems. If we fail to understand that we are under the trap of ego, then it may make matters worse. Ego can lead us to wrong places. Being egoistic unknowingly can make us do wrong things.
When we look for happiness in people, places and materials, we are not doing the right thing. Most of us pretend that we know better than others. We are so sure of ourselves that we tend to understand that even we can be wrong. We must first of all avoid feelings which make us feel at home, to make ourselves better. We should never turn away from reality and make ourselves believe the false facts. Instead, we must speak the truth to ourselves and accept the truth. Similar has to be our approach towards other people too.
‘Speaking the truth’ means to feed the mind with wholesome food for thought. It is similar to that of the food we eat for making our body healthy. The noble thoughts that we read, hear or think about have to be digested into our spiritual self as we digest the food for our physical self. This is the way get inspired. Along with inspiration, you need to perspire too. With the help of perspiration, we need to put things into practice.
All of us must understand that “WE ARE ALL BORN FREE”. We are made to be eternally free. We have to consider ourselves as shining lights. Our minds must be lit up with the eternal light which helps us to think and act free. The most important part is that we need to live free.
In order to live a free life, one must first live honestly and get outside from the hands of excuses. The ups and downs of the mind can always haunt a person. This should be avoided. We must act free of Ego, Anger, Self-Pity, Frustration, Fear and Self-doubt. If we want to be successful and be practical in life, we must get rid of these emotions and move on with a free spirit. For this purpose, we must make mind our friend, philosopher and guide. If we take our mind as our every-thing, we eventually become selfless and will have no fear of loss, gain or shame. We thus tend to make our minds saintly. Whenever we are in deep trouble, our mind acts as a controller of the situation and make us relax. The mind will be at peace and will be formed into the likeness of the soul which is our real self. This can be called Total Well Being.
Total well being means that we are physically, mentally and spiritually sane. This is the meaning of being complete or whole. Abusing our body with bad habits like alcohol consumption, smoking, taking in drugs, over-eating and sitting lazily without exercising can cause harm to our physical well-being. We tend to lose our mental well-being when we are unable to put things into practice. We tend to lose our spiritual well being when we hold onto our ego and stubbornness.
Wholeness is a state of total well-being. Wholeness can be described as a healthy integration of the body, mind and the spirit. Each human being is an integration of body, mind and soul. But for a human being, to be truly happy is to be in a state of wholeness or completeness. The happiness should fulfill the body, mind and spirit. If a person possesses only Physical well-being, then that is not at all enough. It should be a blend of the three. One must experience total well-being to be perfectly happy in this world. Total wellbeing comes when we live our life with total awareness.
We as human beings must take care of our body, mind and spirit. Caring for any one and neglecting the others is a sign of folly. It is an indication of an egoist. One who is very careful in taking care of his body and neglecting the improvement of his mind or fail to expand their consciousness will not be able to stay healthy or happy for very long. An intellect who does nothing to control his ego will fail to find everlasting peace of mind. If a person meditates and prays daily, studies about scriptures and seeks to understand the mysteries of birth, life, death and the life beyond, tends to ignore his health and neglects the advice of others, will find it difficult in future when his health issues burden him as well as others. Such people too never attain highest states of consciousness.
Peak performances need focus and fine tuning of the systems, be it physical, mental or intellectual. In order to reach the apex of consciousness, we need to bring together all the elements of physical, mental and spiritual health and blend it with our ego-consciousness to get the final essence. For that purpose, our devotion, commitment and resolve must be singular. Diversions act as distraction and can only split up our psyche and our distorted personality can act as a very bad distraction.
With a mind filled with wisdom may lead us to the path of Eternity and help us attain the state of Total Well being.
What does well being mean to you? Does it mean that a person is fit and healthy? I am sure you all have your own interpretation of what well being is, but I guess many of you place more importance to your physical health alone. But know that total well being is much more than your physical health.
Let me share with you what I believe what total well being is all about.
The body plays a vital role in well being of a human being. What would we be without a healthy body? This means that we need to care for our physical body, providing it with nutritious and healthy food. We need to serve it regularly. What I mean by saying this is that one must have regular check-ups. Consult your doctor or naturopath for this purpose. We are supposed to give service to the physical machine. We need to tune it right and listen to its signals very carefully. The body gives many signs to show if it is working properly or not. The body is of course an amazing machinery! By learning to connect with it, it will act as your most valuable tool you have ever got. All you have to need is to take control and not ignore the signs it tells you. Never ignore this wonderful machinery which is you as a whole. Preserve this machinery by preventing it from diseases and damages.
Not only the Body but also the mind plays a vital role in the total well being of a person. I am sure you have heard of “Healthy body” and “Healthy Mind”. Adopt a healthy positive outlook on life. Involve yourself in training and educate yourself to stimulate the mind. Interact and socialize with others and blend yourself with the society as a whole. All these together can help you to achieve well being in life. You need to reduce the stress levels in your life. In order to reduce your stress, get involved in relaxation techniques, Pilates, yoga and meditation. I also believe in creating a “clutter-free” life and if well organized, will help in reducing stress. This can help us to be more resilient to stress. “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” —Hippocrates
What you eat is very important. I am sure you have heard the saying-“You are what you eat”. By adopting a balanced and varied diet, you will look and feel better. This is vital for a person’s well being. We must need to make sure we eat a balanced diet, selecting a combination of food that meet our body’s nutrient needs. Maintain a healthy body weight, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, reduce fat and salt intake and generally not over-indulge. We also need to enjoy our food at the same time. Make eating a social experience… a time to talk to others and relax yourself.
Our environment plays as an important role in the well being of a person. I love living by the coast. And it has played a major role in the lives of my children too. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world. We must realize the fact that environment do play a vital role in our well being, especially for kids.
“The quality of a life is determined by its activities”- Aristotle
Physical activity plays a vital role in total well being. It needs to be part of everyone’s daily routine and it is particularly important for people of the younger generation. Exercise helps to build up stamina and strength and manage body weight.
Hey! You may even enjoy exercising! At least choose the type of exercise you enjoy. There are so many activities you can choose from. Walking, cycling, jogging and swimming are all ways of staying fit. Some people enjoy the added social benefits of team sports. Getting involved in community activities and cultural events can also be stimulating and rewarding, particularly in terms of our mental and emotional health.
So wellness is not just about avoiding illness and staying fit, it is about adopting a healthy attitude towards life. Thus you can improve the quality of your life!
Well being is all about making “smart choices”. It is all about remaining in control of your lifestyle and most of all about enjoying every moment of your life.
