It’s the end of the year and you know what that means - shopping! Like many of us, I am being bombarded by sales and deals and urgent discount codes, oh my. It’s a great distraction, and admittedly some great deals, but I ask myself what is the real price we all pay to play this game. Keeping up with the Jones’ can encourage overworking, overspending to the point of getting into debt, and neglecting other vital areas of our lives. It’s an easy trap to fall into with major consequences.
Humans are complex. We exhibit our complexity through the interconnected domains of wellness including physical, mental, social, occupational, spiritual, and financial. A problem in one domain will leak into the others. For example, one of the risk factors for developing chronic low back pain is anxiety and depression.1 Chronic pain is extremely complicated involving biomechanics, psychosocial, and psychological aspects of one’s life. That being said, as PTs managing patients with chronic pain, the entire person must be assessed holistically and referred to the appropriate provider as needed (i.e., psychologist, primary care provider, support group, life coach, financial advisor). When a problem arises in one domain, we cannot ignore all other areas of our life!
The 6 domains of wellness I am referring to are:
Physical. This domain includes exercise and movement, but also sunlight and fresh air, safety and shelter. The physical domain includes how folks navigate their environment, especially with different abilities and mobility challenges or limitations.
Mental. Mental and emotional health is the foundation to all other domains. Stress level, past trauma, sleep quantity and quality all contribute to mental health. Access to a mental health professional, social support, and stress management techniques all help support this domain.
Social. Social isolation and loneliness have been found to be risks for poor health and even early death. Do you have a support system? Who can you call in an emergency? Family, friends, neighbors and community are vital to your quality and quantity of your life.2 All families look different but having people or a person to confide in and rely on is imperative. If you don’t have that yet, its ok but I’d encourage effort to work towards building community. A great strategy I have found is to get involved with activities you enjoy, like a local gym for example. Be friendly, and keep showing up. Put yourself out there and be vulnerable. Before you know it, strangers become acquaintances then friends.
Occupational. According to Andrew Naber (psychologist and data scientist), we spend about 90,000 hours at work over our lifetime.3 Different professions come with different health risks and benefits. For example, a firefighter will have very different health risks than an attorney, although both come with their own unique challenges. How does your work affect the other areas of your life? Do you look at your work as your purpose or a paycheck? Job satisfaction has also been correlated with back pain, or lack thereof.
Spiritual. There is evidence supporting religious services attendance regularly as a predictor of good health.4 Although you don’t necessarily have to attend a service to practice spirituality, it can be very personal. Spirituality can present as mindfulness, forgiveness, gratitude, and/or a knowing that there’s something greater than yourself.
Financial. The relationship of socioeconomic status and health is well established. For example, if you are unable to afford healthcare, housing in a safe neighborhood, and fresh food, your health will suffer. The weight of debt can keep you up at night, interrupting your sleep and impacting mental health.
How do you rate your holistic wellbeing for yourself or others? Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program created a great, quick tool to get an objective measurement of general wellbeing.5 The “secure flourishing” measure has 12 questions which assesses 6 domains including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability. For each question, rate yourself from 0 (not satisfied at all) to 10 (completely satisfied/happy).
1. Overall, how satisfied are you with life as a whole these days?
2. In general, how happy or unhappy do you usually feel?
3. In general, how would you rate your physical health?
4. How would you rate your overall mental health?
5. Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
6. I understand my purpose in life.
7. I always act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations.
8. I am always able to give up some happiness now for greater happiness later.
9. I am content with my friendships and relationships.
10. My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.
11. How often do you worry about being able to meet normal monthly living expenses?
12. How often do you worry about safety, food, or housing?
How did you stack up? There isn’t a specific number to achieve here (although a perfect score would be 120), but the higher the better. This may give you a better understanding of where your overall wellness lies and where to balance your energy. For example, if you work 60 hours per week and your financial realm is in order but rarely spend quality time with people you love, your mental and physical health may suffer. This is also when you see that low back pain creeps in! Or if work gets in the way of exercise or doing your home PT program, it’s time to re-balance your wellness domains. It’s not easy to cut back in one domain to give to another, but well worth the effort.
Every individual is unique with how much time and resources are allocated to each domain. Therefore, it’s important to avoid comparison to your neighbor, The Jones’ Family. As we head to the finish line of 2023, take an inventory of your own life or reach out for help. Where could more resources be allocated in your life?
Wishing you all a balanced and peaceful remaining 2023.
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