Wellness, Spirituality and Mindfulness

Wellness is a widely used term and is greatly important in our contemporary world. Wellness is defined by Pfizer as ‘the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving'. This notion of not just getting by in life but excelling ties closely into your psychic self and spirituality. Spiritual wellness explores your relationships with yourself, a higher being, and with others, as well as your individual values and purpose. These key values, morals, actions, and relationships determine wellness and the extent to which you thrive over merely surviving.

Understanding wellness is essential to leading a healthy and fulfilled life. The World Health Organisation refers to health as not just relating to the physical health of our bodies but ‘as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being’. They go on to explain that making little changes and choices throughout your daily life, relating to key factors such as exercise, sleep, nutrition, relationships and mindfulness, are key to living a physically and mentally healthy life. The incremental daily changes will lead to important social relationships being developed; these relationships are essential for wellbeing. Interestingly, a 75-year study at Harvard University found that our relationships with others ultimately determine our health and happiness. The Grant study and Glueck study together analysed over 700 adults spanning 75 years. They found that fulfillment in life didn’t come from a high-flying career, money or even traveling. Instead, they found that true fulfillment in life came from the relationships and love you build with others.

Spiritual wellness differs from general wellness as spiritual wellness specifically refers to your life’s purpose as well as your morals, values and actions you take to achieve your purpose and to live a fulfilled life. The general term ‘wellness’ in addition includes physical aspects. Based on the premise that your purpose and the key to a fulfilled life is contingent on developing meaningful relationships with others, your daily changes and choices must work towards developing these relationships in order for you to live a spiritually-well life. Here are some great top tips for developing meaningful and loving relationships:

1. Make time for your loved ones and listen. Listening is key to relationship development, whether that be in your love life or with friends/colleagues. Really focus on listening when you are together as this will build a great connection.

2. Follow-up and keep in touch. Try to talk to your friends and those you are trying to build a relationship with each day, week, or month depending on the person and relationship. If you have just met someone and felt a connection, make sure to follow up with them, whether that’s with a message or an arrangement to meet again.

3. Keep positive. This one is simple, positive people attract positive relationships.

4. Make time for your relationships. Nowadays everyone is busy with work, families, etc but making time for your friends and loved ones shows that you care about your relationship. Whether that means simply going for lunch with your friend on a lunch break or booking a weekend away with your partner.

5. Build trust and honesty. Trust is essential for any healthy and positive relationship.

6. Find mutual interests. It could be sports, music, movies, fashion, career, or one of many things, but finding common interests is an excellent way to build a meaningful relationship.

7. Help your friends, colleagues, partners etc. For example, offer to help them prepare for a job interview or a work presentation, you could help them to move house or to make a meal. Jumping in and offering your help will show just how you feel about your relationship and build a strong connection.

8. Don’t be judgemental. Instead, you could ask them questions about their behaviour to better understand their actions. As a friend or partner, you are there to support them.

9. Be patient. Try not to come on too strong and rush the development of a relationship. Rather accept that truly meaningful relationships take time to build.

10. Respond promptly. Leaving your friend or partner's messages and not replying to them for a considerable about of time will hinder your relationship as they will feel you are uninterested. Reply to messages, calls, and invites as soon as you realistically can to show that you care.

Mindfulness is also named by the World Health Organisation as being essential for living a healthy and happy life. Mindfulness is the ability to truly comprehend what is happening inside and outside of ourselves at every moment. Mindfulness involves understanding how our thoughts affect our behaviour, emotions, and our bodies. Living in the moment and reconnecting with our bodies is essential to mindfulness, a common practice to promote mindfulness involves identifying our senses in the present moment. What can you see? What can you smell? What can you hear? What can you taste? What can you feel? Answering these five questions in any given moment will connect you to the present, promoting mindfulness as well as gratitude. Mindfulness aims to connect us to the present allowing us to renew our experience of things we have, until then, taken for granted.

Mindfulness also helps our wellbeing and overall health by allowing us to become aware of our thoughts and feelings as well as what evokes them. Therefore, enabling us to determine the root cause of both negative and positive thoughts, promoting the latter and diminishing the importance of the former to have a beneficial impact on our mental health.

Practicing both wellness exercises to build meaningful relationships as well as mindfulness exercises to help appreciate the present, will promote a healthy and happy lifestyle. These practises will help in all areas of life, whether that’s your love life, career, family etc. If you require guidance on mindfulness, spiritual wellness, or on your relationships with others call one of our gifted psychic advisors on 0207 553 5000 or click HERE.