Well-being is something you work towards so you can have the state of being comfortable, healthy and happy.

Well-being is my go to, my default, a lifetime pursuit and my whole lifestyle is aligned with promoting my state of well-being. I’m drawn toward promoting and encouraging others in their pursuit of well-being as well. As far back as I can remember from when I had my first interviews as a young women applying for uni I have had a holistic philosophy and view of well-being, I called it “total well-being” and this meant to me well-being not just in a physical health sense but in all the aspects that contribute to health and well-being.

During my teaching years as a Health and Physical Educator, I was introduced to the concept of “hauora” and this concept really resonated with me.

Hauora is a Māori philosophy of health unique to New Zealand.  The model of Hauora encompasses four dimensions of wellbeing. Using these four dimensions you can promote wellbeing in all aspects of your life.

• taha tinana (physical dimension),
• taha hinengaro (mental/emotional dimension),
• taha whanau (social dimension), and
• taha wairua (the spiritual dimension).

Think of the concept of Hauora as a four sided house.  Without all the sides, the house would not be complete.  Each side is important for your total health and each dimension supports the other. It is important to look after all aspects of your hauora.

The concept of well-being encompassing the physical, mental/emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of health is also recognised by the World Health Organisation.

So now is your chance to choose a course of action to enhance your wellbeing, to create your own Wellbeing Map and transform the areas in your life where you are not feeling fulfilled. You can reflect on your wellbeing and have a look at where you can focus to help promote your health and happiness using this map.

Your Wellbeing Map is not a stick to beat yourself up with if you haven’t got it right but a reflection tool to help you see what you are doing well already, and to identify those areas for improvement and that you may want to focus in on.

Download your Wellbeing Map and start here with me to reflect on your Hauora. Focus on your wellbeing from a positive perspective and look at what you do well. If there are areas that are looking bare of attention, then provide more positive input into those areas. Each area impacts on the others and as we create balance and attention around all four dimensions our wellbeing and a more fulfilling life really starts to fall into place.

You can start with the physical dimension of your wellbeing. It’s the area you often focus the most on, because you can see it – its about growth, development, ability to move and how you physically care for your body, how you keep it strong, maintain and develop it – how you fuel it – what you eat, how you rest – sleep and relaxation, how you move it – physical activity, and exercise. And no surprises here, that recent research shows that even a small increase in exercise boosts our wellbeing. You don’t have to run a marathon, just get moving.

Find this circle and fill in what you do already to promote this area.

Reflect on your physical health including your ability to move and maintain strength in your body, how you nourish and fuel your body, how you rest and relax and the quality of your sleep. What daily habits would you like to introduce?

Note too, that all four dimension’s overlap. For example; I love to be physically active so “exercise” is as much about my mental/emotional wellbeing as it is my physical wellbeing. I enjoy exercise, walking and playing sport, and doing any of these makes me feel great. I can map walking, and playing tennis in my physical dimension in that overlap of my Mental/Emotional dimension as well.

The Mental/Emotional aspect of wellbeing is all about your thoughts and feelings, how you express these, and how you respond to others. It’s all about what helps you feel great, think positively, what lifts you up, the skills you need to communicate and problem solve, and the support you have and give to others.

Go to this dimension on your map, and reflect on time with friends or family, getting out in nature, a positive work place, activities you enjoy, activities that help lift your mood and help you to re-energize and recharge and all contribute to this aspect of well-being.  It includes how you express your emotions, how you respond to stress and difficult time’s, how you support yourself and others, and how you seek and ask for help when you need it? Also consider your skills of problem solving, communicating, self expression and self control, how you challenge yourself and acknowledge your achievements. New Learning has been identified as an important factor in promoting well-being, so if you want to promote this dimension of your well-being find something you are passionate about. Take up a hobby or learn a new skill at work.

Now let’s check out the Wairua dimension. We live our happiest life when we connect with a reason for doing things, when we feel engaged and have a purpose. Your spiritual well-being is all about who and what you are, where you come from, and where you are going. It includes how you see yourself and how you connect with your inner self. Connecting with your inner self may be through activities such as meditation, yoga, journal and having time for personal space, and reflection. Wairua is about your special places, the special people in your life, your purpose, and your beliefs.

The Social or Whanau dimension of well-being involves relationships, the special people in your life, this includes significant relationships, family, and friends and how the quality of those relationships contribute to your well-being. It’s about “connections”, feelings of belonging, compassion, and caring; and social support; how you spend your time, your social connections and opportunities to mix with others, and also how you help others. New Zealand research on well-being (Sovereign Well-being Index) shows that people who regularly socialise have the highest levels of wellbeing and those who connect with others socially every day flourish the most.

Nurture and grow each dimension of your hauora, and ask your self which dimension of hauora you really want to give more attention to, focus on, and nurture.

You can ask your self the following questions

• What do I do well already to promote each dimension of my wel-lbeing?
• What else could I do?
• Are there any dimensions I would like to nurture and give more focus?
• If there is, how could I go about nurturing and building this area of my health?

I’d love to support you further in your pursuit of wellbeing, to help you to explore, and fill your wellbeing map with habits and actions that align with how you love to live, so you can feel healthy and happy and create an effective, blended and fulfilling life.

“Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui”

Be strong, be brave, be willing