Wellbeing Personal Wisdom Box: self-care actions while social distancing

“The key to human development is building on who you already are.”

Tom Rath

In early March, changes that seemed dramatic and out of control began to resonate around the world. Stressful times with an air of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear began to sneak into our house through the news, friends and family’s phone calls, and social networks. The three factors that we so desire to ask for, such as health, money, and love, were presented in a state of attack, hopeless and unattainable within Covid19 statistics. If I have learned anything from myself in the last year, it is to recognize myself as a highly sensitive person. That means all the above external changes, declarations, and emotions might have a harsh impact on my peace of mind. Therefore, in my health and my emotional state, If I decided to make them my own. 

So, to adapt to changes in the external world and take care of my personal needs, I decided to make use of what was on my Well-being Wisdom Box. The wisdom box, as I call it, has my accrued knowledge and personal experience over time. The wisdom that lovingly takes care of me, my mind, body, spirit, and emotions. This box allows me to keep grounded. To focus on what is happening to me in my management zone. Instead of being trapped by the thoughts in my mind that are causing me to feel anxious and fearful, I’m able to move towards a state of proactivity, love, mindfulness, gratitude, and compassion. 

But, what’s inside my well-being wisdom box?

To answer these questions, I have to go back to a few years ago when I wondered about well-being literature. Back then, I read there are categories already identified by a few psychologists, and researchers. For example, Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, described positive emotions, engagement, meaning, relationships, and achievement as essentials to build strengths and well-being. Carol Ryff, a well-known Psychology professor identified the six dimensions of psychological well-being as self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy and positive relations with others.

After observation of myself and tracking my awareness by journaling, I came up with the categories that are an expression of what is important to me. The areas I know I can do something about, and have the ability to improve them. In these actions, I can be mindful while doing them and give purpose to my day.

Stimulate your mind

As the name implies, it is the category that covers my creativity, the expansion of my knowledge and skills, and retraining my brain to reclaimed attention. For example, activities performed by me regularly are:

Reading books Work Work on the vision for my career path. Lately, finishing my master’s thesis was my personal project Take an online course, Listen into podcasts, Watching documentaries, Enjoy hobbies that I did not practice for a while, such as painting and floral art Journaling Memorizing a new song Board games, jigsaw puzzles, building Lego blocks with my kids  Reduce distractions (for me a minimal amount of exposure to news and social media works best)

Nurture your body

This area encompasses healthy behaviors that I have learned and practiced during the years and some over a few months. They support my journey on proper nutrition, adequate exercise, understanding the needs and discomforts expressed by my body, and show self-love to where my mind and hearth reside. For example, 

Daily 14-hr fasting window A gratitude conversation with my body as I wake up Drink half a liter water just as I rise from bed Water and more water during the day No alcohol, no smoke Vegetables in every meal Eat animal protein as a condiment instead as a main meal and no more than one portion per day No cow protein (no dairy and meat) Rarely eat eggs and pork Fruits usually in the morning Plenty of seeds, nuts, beans, herbs, and spices  Avoid gluten as much as possible, minimal gluten-free cereals consumption An herbal tea before bed A no to any kind of sweeteners Daily exercise (Usually 45 min – 1hr, but if for some reason it’s not possible, then I do the amount of time is possible). My way to go exercises are running, kickboxing, body strengthening, biking, walks into the woods, or obstacle games outdoor with the whole family.  Expose to sunshine vitamin daily (or better said if the weather is kind enough :)) A body massage with essential oils as frequently as possible Dry brushing Finish a shower with cold water A restful sleep

Attend your emotions

In this area, I acknowledge my ability to feel and express any emotion without judging it. Achieve a sense of understanding and acceptance to whatever emotion arises and be able to communicate and share it if needed. Calming down by my own means. For example,

Openly cry if I feel sad, angry or frustrated (work in progress) Express my need of boundaries, such as to ask to have a moment for myself, or respect my home-Working schedule  Seek support when needed Be vocal when I felt aggravated, hurt, disappointed or failed without victimization Promote the expression of love, joy, and gratitude as laughs, hugs, kisses. compliments, dancing and playing  Pray and meditate Journaling Be mindful to the content I watch, hear or read Watch out for generalizations and aggressive thoughts or spoken words and redirect to a neutral/kinder state of mind Accept responsibility and forgive myself Sparkle awareness with coaching questions Avoid situations and people who make me feel uncomfortable or anxious Show empathy and compassion to others Clean and organize my home

Grow your spirit

This category enters my faith, my hope, and my commitment to the beliefs that give meaning and purpose to my existence. For example,

Meditate and pray regularly I am curious on the spiritual path then I read books, hear conferences, podcasts on spiritual topics Hear and follow my intuition Be mindful in my daily actions Express affirmations daily Work with crystals and intentions Acknowledge the magnificence of life and be open to the uncertainty that comes with it Trust that everything, even the most significant challenges have a purpose for personal growth Be grateful

Meaningful connections

This refers to my ability to live up to the expectations and demands of my roles as a human being: mother, wife, friend, professional, daughter, sister, a citizen of the world. Build a sense of belonging and engagement within my inner and outer circles. For example, 

Cultivate loving and respectful relationships  Contribute to the world by sharing my talents, skills, and ideas that add value Listen with authenticity and curiosity Communicate with honesty and mean well Avoid criticizing, judging, or comparing myself and others. Be attentive, stop, and redirect my thoughts and words.

Appreciate nature

Environmental awareness gives me harmony, pleasure, and appreciation of beauty. It promotes my emotional and physical health and makes me feel conscious of my impact. For example

Watering my plants and enjoying a day gardening,  Walking into the woods and hearing and observing the birds,  Walking barefoot renew my relationship with the earth Play with the sand in a playground with my kids or in a visit to the beach or a lagoon Petting or feeding an animal Love visiting waterfalls and creeks  I practice landscape photography Watching a sunset, the sky at night, the stars, the moon

Conscious finances

Successfully integrating a life commitment to building a comfortable and productive relationship with money and effectively managing my economic life. Lately, I’ve been working on:

Tracking and setting goals on earnings, savings, investment, expenses, and debt. Correspondingly spend financial resources with my ideals and awareness Have a clear priority list and make trade-offs Learning about my values and their impact on my relationship with money Ask myself where do I want to be? And choose a time frame Gratitude affirmations for what I have and the prosperity is continuously coming to my way Be persistent in finding additional sources of income Charity actions

Acknowledge meaning

This practice unifies all of the above. It is the reminder for me that every action I do to promote my well-being is meaningful. This wisdom box allows me to be creative and manage, conflicts between my personal needs and desires, and simultaneously my family, career, studies, and outer world. It shows me how to get rid of guilt and shower myself with compassion. Recognizing I am enough, and I am doing what is possible for me at the moment. The beginning of a new day gives me the opportunity to pause and repeat the formula which is working, reset, or refocus to improve. Focus on small daily promises are achievable victories. Watching out my short-term decisions provide recognition to short-term incentives that are consistent with my well-being objectives.

Coaching proposal to construct your own well-being personal wisdom box

Ask yourself and answer the below questions.

1. What are the components of my well-being that are part of my rituals and daily habits? 

2. How do they bring me comfort, a sense of peace, and helps me to be present and focus?

3. Who are my role models or mentors in each area, and what have I learned from them?

4. And a challenging question, Do I like what I do each day? What would I want to change?

Edith