What comes to mind when you think about being healthy as you age? Many of us immediately picture physical health—strong bodies, sharp minds, and an active lifestyle.
The International Council of Active Aging has identified seven dimensions of wellness that work together to provide the highest quality of life for humans. When seniors take a 7D approach to their wellness, they can enhance their quality of life, maintain independence, and experience greater happiness. Let’s dive into the seven dimensions of wellness and why they matter.
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS: Cultivating Joy & Connection
The key to emotional wellness is experiencing and expressing the full range of your feelings in a healthy way. Some seniors find it challenging to express emotions, but talking about your feelings in a safe environment can reduce your stress, improve your relationships and help you cope with the challenges life throws at you as you age.
Practice: Take a look at this feelings wheel and put words to how you’ve felt in the past 24 hours.
ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS: Embracing Nature & Sustainability
We often take our surroundings for granted until there is smoke in the air or we find ourselves in a windowless room. The global environment and micro-environments in our homes impact our physical and mental health. Seniors thrive when their homes are safe, comfortable, connected to nature and sustainable.
Practice: Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature. Visit a local park where you can sit for a moment and use all your senses to experience the natural world around you.
INTELLECTUAL WELLNESS: Lifelong Learning & Mental Fitness
Your brain is one of the most complex pieces of equipment that exists. Keeping it in working condition is in our best interest. If seniors want to keep their brains alert and sharp, they must seek opportunities to learn, practice critical thinking, explore creative expressions and challenge their memories. Staying curious and mentally active helps enhance cognitive function and memory.
Practice:: Learn about how music lights up your brain by watching this video
PHYSICAL WELLNESS: Staying Strong & Active
The physical dimension of wellness covers everything from sleep, nutrition, pain management, alcohol consumption, mobility, coordination balance and more. Each piece works together to impact our quality of life. Seniors often struggle as their biological age advances, but taking responsibility for our self-care is empowering and has benefits your mind and soul as well as your body.
Practice: The quality of our sleep directly impacts the quality of our lives. Read this article and identify one change you can make to improve your sleep.
SOCIAL WELLNESS: The Power of Community
In recent years, we’ve become acutely aware of the negative impact isolation has on humans, and seniors can be especially vulnerable. Forming and maintaining healthy relationships with friends, family, and a broader community improves our outlook on life and makes us happy. When seniors have a robust social network with closer relationships as well as casual ones, they are happier and more likely to live longer.
Practice:: Consider friends, co-workers or family members you have lost touch with. Write a letter or send a message via social media to refresh your connection with them.
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS: Finding Meaning & Purpose
Every human has a need to connect with values, beliefs and a sense of purpose. Some find the opportunity in religion, others in meditation or personal reflection, and still others discover a connection in nature. Those who invest in this dimension of wellness exhibit increased gratitude and thankfulness and can often navigate life’s challenges with inner peace.
Practice:: Journalling can help nurture spiritual wellness. Take time to journal using this prompt: Describe a moment when you felt at peace with the world.
VOCATIONAL WELLNESS: A Sense of Purpose & Contribution
Often, when seniors retire, they find themselves wrestling with purposelessness. We find purpose through work, volunteering and meaningful activities. When we feel purposeful, we also feel engaged, content and motivated to continue looking for opportunities to feel purposeful. Many seniors discover that when they give back, they get back more than they put in!
Practice: Consider your hobbies and how you can share your specialized knowledge or the results of your work with those around you.
COME LIVE WITH US IN 7D
At Bria Communities, wellness isn’t just about taking a fitness class or playing bridge once a week—it’s an entire lifestyle. The simple act of choosing to live in a community where you are known and your presence is valued is a healthy step towards holistic wellness. In addition, all our teams are committed to supporting and enhancing all dimensions of wellness for the seniors who call our communities home.
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