Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

In the field of Wellness Coaching you will find that practitioners use a variety of Wellness Wheels to help their clients conceptualize how wellness fits into their life. I like to use the 7 Dimensions of Wellness Wheel when working with my clients. The dimensions are: physical (body), emotional (feelings), occupational (career, skill development, volunteering), intellectual (mind), environmental (air, water, food, safety, recycling), social (family, friends, relationships), and spiritual (values, purpose, intuition, vitality). The amount of time we spend in each will vary over a life time. Some dimensions may carry no meaning at this time in your life and gain significance as you get older.

The Dimensions of Wellness Wheel can be used as a tool to help an individual think about how much time and energy is currently being put into each dimension. Think of the dimensions described above as being spokes of a wheel or slices of a pie. Which piece is the largest? Which is the smallest? Is this how you want your time and energy to be distributed? If you answered, "No", it is time to sit down and slice the pie in a way that will bring you balance. If you are spending too much time in the "occupational" dimension and your "social" dimension is going down the drain you need to come up with some strategies for change.

Let's get to work and look at the 7 Dimensions of Wellness Wheel, your new life balance tool, and write down your action plan. When you write something down your brain encodes the information at a deeper level. By writing your thoughts and using your eyes, which takes a picture, you reinforces your plan. Draw a circle on a sheet of paper. Review the list of Seven Dimensions of Wellness. Now write next to each dimension what percent of your time and energy is currently dedicated to this area of your life. Using these values cut the circle into sections based on your findings. Thus, if the "occupation" dimension is taking 60 percent of your time and energy draw out a piece that represents 60 percent of the pie and label this area "occupation". Continue with each dimension until your task is complete. Your next step will be to draw another circle which will represent how you would like your energy and time distributed in the future. I like to have individuals look at time in three month blocks. So if you start now, in November 2009, by February 2010 you should have taken steps to balance the dimensions out. Think about the dimensions a second time and give each a percentage which represents how you would like to be spending your time three months from now. Compare the results and list which areas do not match and will need to change. Also, list if the change is an increase or decrease in time and effort. Now prioritize your dimensions that need attention and begin to draft some strategies which will get you to your goal.

Strategies which result in change are ones that are: realistic, meaningful, motivational, measurable if possible and ideally produce the greatest amount of progress in the least amount of time. If you decide that you are spending too much time on the "occupational" dimension of wellness and you know your "social" dimension of wellness is in need of some serious attention think about what you can do at work to reduce the amount of time or energy it is taking from the rest of the day. Do you need to focus on improving your time management skills or learning to prioritize your work so your boss is not asking for you to turn in a project that if you don't have complete you can not leave for the day? Do you need to have a heart-to-heart with your supervisor and explain that the heavy work load is having a negative effect on your family life and you need to leave work by a certain time each day? Do you need to take work home and complete it once the family has gone to sleep? Think about and list as many strategies as you can. Elicit help from others if you feel it will be useful. Look through the list and select the two or three which seem most realistic, meaningful, motivational, measurable, and efficient. Put your brainstorming list in a place you can come back to if you need additional ideas. Now get to work on outlining strategies for each dimension that needs some tender loving care.

This exercise may take several days to complete. The time you put in to bringing balance back to your life is well worth the benefit of reaching your goal. This is an excellent exercise to come back to when you are working to regain control and balance in your life. It is also an excellent exercise to conduct once or twice a year to maintain order in your life and honor your commitment to wellness.

Take care and be healthy,

Kimberley