Wellness Series, Part 1: Building a Foundation for Health and Wellbeing

When it comes to our health and wellbeing, there can be a lot of noise and many fads to sift through. Most of us know some key principles, like the fact that sleep is really important and we should aim to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, or that eating a varied diet is essential for our gut and overall health, or that we should move more and sit less. But is knowing that really helping us prioritise our health, live healthier lives and be well? I am not sure it is…

When I worked with patients in the NHS to help them make lifestyle changes and build positive habits to achieve their health goals and improve their wellbeing, I took a ‘whole person’ approach. ‘Whole person’ (or ‘whole health’) is a holistic approach to wellness that recognises the interactions between different factors in an individual's life, such as physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. Rather than focusing solely on the absence of illness, whole health emphasises proactive strategies for promoting vitality, resilience, and fulfilment, in order to cultivate a lifestyle that supports optimal health and quality of life. It encompasses practices such as regular physical activity, good nutrition, adequate sleep, stress management, meaningful relationships, and alignment with personal values and goals.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to health and wellbeing - it is a subjective experience, determined by biopsychosocial factors, along with one’s values, goals and belief system. There are, however, some key areas to consider and focus on when trying to prioritise our health, and over the next few weeks I will be covering these in more detail as part of a 7 Pillars of Wellness framework that I developed back in 2022. The pillars are sleep, movement, nourishment, emotional agility, mindfulness, connection and purpose. This framework can be seen as an overall wellness strategy, and the way it applies to one’s life will very much depend on individual circumstances and choices (tactics, as it were). As next week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year’s theme is ‘Movement: Moving more for mental health’, I will start by looking at why movement is an essential pillar of wellness, and discuss ways in which we can make it a sustainable part of our lives. So if you’re curious to learn more about the important role that physical activity and movement play in our lives, make sure to check out next week’s post!