When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, most of us tend to focus solely on one dimension of well-being: physical. However, there are six other domains of well-being that can help us achieve true health and happiness, according to Emily Eisenberger, Community Relations Director at Maple Ridge Senior Living in Ashland, OR.

“When we say the word ‘wellness’ we tend to think of physical health and performance,” she says. “Of course, this is what everyone wants to achieve – feeling physically healthy and being able to do all the things we want to do without pain or difficulty. But true wellness is actually an integration of everything that makes us human, including mental, emotional, and spiritual health.”

In order to truly become well – and to achieve your New Year’s resolutions – it’s important to look at wellness holistically and use every aspect to balance your life.

“When you’re feeling fully engaged, cared for and optimized, it’s a lot easier to achieve your goals,” says Emily. “For example, if you’re exercising every day but not eating well, it’s hard to achieve physical wellness. And that’s just the surface. By looking at yourself and all the domains of wellness, you’ll be on a good track to the very best you in 2021.”

The Physical Domain

We all know the importance of physical wellness. Our doctors all tell us that we need to eat a healthy diet, get enough exercise, and don’t abuse alcohol or drugs. That’s just for starters. Physical health also means getting enough rest (and enough sleep), as well as getting regular medical checkups so you can stay on top of your health (and make sure to halt any issues before they turn into big problems). Physical wellness also means things like flossing regularly, wearing a safety belt or other protective equipment, and learning to recognize the signs of illness. In other words, physical wellness means developing healthy habits so you can be your best physical you possible.

The Emotional Domain

Our emotions are what make us human, and our emotional wellness is a huge part of our well-being. Being emotionally stable and in control of our feelings allow us to express ourselves adequately and truly enjoy the world – and the people – around us. Emotional wellness means being able to love others (and accept their love in return). It also means being able to healthily manage all emotions – even negative ones – and being okay with them. Emotional wellness means being able to share your feelings, provide support, be more optimistic, and be more self-accepting.

The Intellectual Domain

Did you know that keeping your mind sharp and active is a great way to remain healthy – and to age well? That’s due to the intellectual domain of wellness, which encourages stimulating, creative mental exercises. Someone who remains up-to-date, constantly learning and expanding their knowledge remains curious to the world around them – which keeps them feeling and acting young. Learning a foreign language, playing an instrument, reading, or taking a course are all great ways to keep your intellectual domain in shape.

The Social Domain

Our social domain is made up of those we love and care about – our community, our friends, our co-workers, and of course, our family. Keeping our social domain healthy means cultivating healthy relationships, staying involved in the lives of our families and friends, and having meaningful conversations and interactions with others. Staying socially involved helps keep your mind sharp, improves physical wellness and emotional wellness, and contributes significantly to all other dimensions of health and wellness.

The Spiritual Domain

A healthy spiritual domain allows you to follow a guiding set of values or principles that give direction to your life. It means seeking for meaning and purpose in your life and to appreciate the beauty of the world and the universe at large. Meditation, being present, seeing opportunities, and adopting acceptance are all signs of a healthy spiritual domain.

The Environmental Domain

When you recognize how your daily habits affect your community and the world around you, and you adjust your behavior to provide the best impact possible, you’re building a healthy environmental domain of wellness. While recycling, saving water, and reducing your waste are all good efforts, another step in developing your environmental wellness is building up your relationship with nature and your community. Doing things like volunteering and spending time in the great outdoors are other ways to build up this domain.

The Occupational Domain

There’s a reason why many older, retired adults end up going back to work or otherwise finding purpose in helping others. This is due to the occupational domain of wellness, which involves using your skills, gifts, and talents in order to enrich your life, help others, and find meaning in your everyday life. Keep your occupational domain healthy by exploring various career options, choosing pastimes and work that suit your interests, skills and personality as well as learning new skills. Consider taking a coding class, or mentoring younger adults, in order to keep your occupational wellness healthy throughout your retirement years.

Guided by Goodness, Loyalty, Faith, and Fun.

Maple Ridge Senior Living is a place of vibrancy and life – promoting meaning and joy in the lives of residents, families, and our team members. Elders inspire us, motivate us, guide, and direct us. As we work to create an empowering, caring, growing culture for elders, we are also creating our own future. After all, we are all elders-in-waiting!

Offering independent living, assisted living, and short-term stays, Maple Ridge Senior Living is nestled at the convergence of the Cascade and the Siskiyou Mountain Ranges in Southern Oregon. Our spacious and bright building boasts beautiful valley views surrounded by nature and wildlife while still conveniently close to the center of town. Walk or take a short ride to Lithia Park, the Shakespeare Festival Theatres, or Ashland’s downtown plaza for shopping, art galleries, dining, and entertainment.

We invite you to schedule a tour and learn more about the services, amenities, care, and lifestyle available at Maple Ridge Senior Living.

Please call us at 541-238-2070 to schedule your personal tour today.