The simple secrets to a long and happy life

Do you also have health challenges like joint pain, obesity, or chronic fatigue?

The sad news is illnesses are becoming a normal part of our daily lives. Wherever we look, we see and hear our loved ones dealing with one health issue or the other. And even though we don’t admit it often, it’s quite scary.

But why is it that most of these illnesses were uncommon among the older generations?

What did people do then? How did they live? What are we doing now and how do we live? What are the secrets of a long and happy life?

Before I reveal the simple secret, let’s explore what it means to live a long and happy life.

I recently read the story of an 80-year-old woman who lives alone. She said she doesn’t feel lonely or bored because of her active lifestyle. She is a gardener and a health enthusiast. She is also a coordinator for a volunteer organization across 3 countries.

We’ve all heard stories like this one – stories of people living meaningful, stress-free lives.

A happy life is a life well-lived – brimming with fulfillment, success, and contentment. But what’s the secret?

Here’s the two-word secret: Holistic wellness.

To live a long and happy life, you must bring your whole self on your wellness journey. This is what holistic wellness is all about. This is the secret to a long and happy life.

Most people focus on one or two areas of their lives – like their career – but a happy life requires a lot more.

Let’s dive in to find out what holistic wellness is all about.

Holistic wellness consists of 8 pillars. They are physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, environmental, and financial.

1. Physical Wellness

Exercise, nutrition, and sleep are the main parts of this pillar of holistic wellness. Taking care of your body is a priority because you need to be fit and healthy to be able to do every other thing. Wellness begins with your physical health.

Go to a gym or spend your weekend planning out your healthy meals for the following week. Get a full night’s rest of at least 7-8 hours every day. Your body will thank you!

2. Emotional Wellness

“Emotions” has become a buzzword nowadays, because it is a whole topic in psychology.  The most successful people have a high level of emotional intelligence or wellness.

How do you bounce back from difficulty? How do you express your needs? These questions can help you determine your level of emotional wellness. Practicing self-awareness, responding well to criticism, and showing empathy; these are all signs of emotional wellness.

3. Social Wellness

Social relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and community are very important. Society makes us chase independence from a young age. According to a 70-year study, the quality of your relationships determines how happy you are.

Make it a point to reconnect with a friend or plan a date with your spouse, especially if you haven’t had one in a while. Visit a new city with a group of friends or have a family game night. These small steps have a huge impact on your social wellness.

4. Spiritual Wellness

Spirituality is different for everyone, but it’s a foundational pillar for wellbeing. It adds meaning to your life.

Praying, meditating, and showing gratitude are common ways to increase spirituality. There’s a reason why gratitude is a natural anti-depressant.

A simple way to improve your spiritual wellness is with a daily gratitude practice. Take at least 5 minutes every morning to write down 3 things you’re grateful for. Don’t forget to focus on that feeling of deep gratitude.

5. Intellectual Wellness

As humans, we have an innate curiosity to know and learn more about the world we live in. We’re always ready to learn how things work and why things are the way they are.

Do you find some topics and ideas more interesting than others?

With continued learning, you will stimulate your intellect. Thought-provoking discussions on topics of interest can also improve your intellectual wellness. Expanding your library (books, genre, podcasts, etc) is also a great way to improve your intellectual wellness.

6. Occupational Wellness

This pillar of holistic wellness refers to the things that take up most of our time. Work, studies, accomplishments, community work, professional development, job satisfaction… These all come together to make up your occupation.

Remember the story above about the 80-year old? She kept herself busy in a good, meaningful way.

Don’t forget to check in with yourself from time to time: How do you approach your occupation? Are you happy with it or is it draining? Does it leave you stressed and burnt out? What is your attitude towards your occupation? Ask yourself these questions and make any necessary adjustments.

7. Environmental Wellness

Your environment, like your relationships, has a direct impact on your wellbeing. This pillar of wellness is often overlooked. The more cluttered your environment is, for example, the more chaos you will feel on the inside. This also applies to your calendar and the world around you. Constant noise and endless distractions in your environment can be indirect causes of stress.

The natural world is a big part of environmental wellness, so don’t forget to take regular walks. Another important point is to be mindful of who you follow on social media. Some social media accounts are more in the ‘noise and distraction’ category.

8. Financial Wellness

Society makes people chase things like ‘billionaire status’ and ‘early retirement’. Those are great if they’re in line with your values. But, you can improve your financial wellness without the bells and whistles of the hustle culture. If you’re working on your money mindset and you’re investing, saving, and giving, you’re well on your way!

Financial wellness also requires knowing your worth and charging (earning) what you deserve. It’s important to be able to communicate to your boss or clients what your rates are and not feel bad about it. You’re a hard worker and you deserve to make good money for all your hard work!

Congratulations! You now know that the secret to a long and happy life is holistic wellness.

Are you wondering how to incorporate all these pillars into your life? Well, there’s no right way! The most important thing to keep in mind is to take it one step at a time.

We know how hard it is to balance all these pillars due to the constant stresses of life… But we’ve got good news!

We’d like to invite you to Nisa Wellness Retreat, a tranquil environment where you can get in touch with your whole self again.

We’ll take care of your mind, body, and spirit after a careful assessment of your specific needs. We want to empower you by helping you build a life you won’t want to escape from.

Your holistic wellbeing is our priority and we can’t wait to welcome you!