ALL companies do mid-year reviews to assess their current performance, so they can plan for the months to come. This lingering pandemic situation in the Philippines continuous to have various effects on each individual, family and community. One of the most difficult aspects to this is that the horizon remains unclear when conditions would stabilize.
I have heard from a few people that this time is a “forced reset” to the whole of humanity. Aside from forcibly slowing down our pace with all the lockdowns, I believe it also allowed us to see how emotionally resilient we are as a person. We all face the hard truth that nothing can really be in our full control except our own “personhood.” I thought it would be good that as July comes to an end, we take this opportunity to conduct our own self mid-year review. Let me share more information and some tools I have discovered about pursuing one’s “well-being.”
Susie Ellis, chairman of the Global Wellness Institute, writes in an article for the Huffington Post: “Wellness is an active process of increasing awareness and actively making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life…. Wellness is multidimensional, encompassing emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual wellness. One of the leading resources on global health, the World Health Organization defines wellness as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity…. Today, all dimensions of wellness are interrelated and crucial to a fulfilling life.”
Personally, and in succession, I constantly align and work on these four areas:
MY HEART. This involves one’s emotional state. I believe this is the most important aspect because it drives us to not sink, not just swim, but push ourselves toward a meaningful goal, regardless of the unknown future like what we are facing today. It is also the hardest because there is really no known formula customized for you. Art has helped me a lot to express my anxiety. When I feel that thud, I would just grab any coloring material, draw out something random; then I would express my feelings further by putting a title to the piece or composing a short poem to express both my fear and my hope. One example is the artwork featured here.
MY BODY. This involves one’s physical health. This is very challenging for me because I am not very conscious about this aspect of my life. I found the book of Tom Rath, Eat Move Sleep, very practical and more sustaining. It discusses simple decisions one can make to eat healthier, exercise regularly and sleep more. I like how he challenges us with a simple question that every time we eat or drink something, will it bring a net gain or a net loss to our body? In the aspect of exercise, it is encouraging to read that research has shown that 15 minutes of exercise daily can add up to three years to your life expectancy. I also liked knowing that exercising in the morning actually guarantees a 12-hour mood boost afterward.
It is good that this book focused also on sleep because most people prefer to work through the evenings. According to the author, losing 90 minutes of sleep at night reduces alertness during the day by almost one-third. It further states that lack of sleep has negative effects like increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and for us to catch a cold because sleep affects our immune system. I will try to follow the book’s advice to not snooze my alarm in the morning. Instead, it advises to set the alarm at the right time and get out of bed immediately. I will try to make a one-hour ritual and avoid any food intake or any digital activity one hour before going to sleep.
MY CRAFT. This involves my activities of output or productivity. This can be my work, financial goals, or even tasks at home. This pandemic has been a great disruption to our routines, as well as our regular output. This may make us question at times if we should even try to do anything. I am starting to read this book, Chatter, recommended by one of my daughter’s good friends from the University of the Philippines, Sandro Sia. The author is Ethan Kross, an award-winning psychologist. He guides us to harness the power of our inner voice to live a more productive life.
MY CIRCLE. This involves my relationships with my family, my support group of friends, and the community I live in. In the past, there would always be an occasion to see them. It would be good to make a list of “Your People,” who you would like to touch base with at a given period, then put these in your calendar.
It is a reality that our situation is not likely to normalize any time soon, but I believe if we carve out some time to do a self-review and plot intentional acts to focus on our well-being, it can only bring us the upside of a better and more empowered us.