Staying on Track with your Wellness Goals
Leah McMillan
Published March 9, 2023
Planning and setting goals is a great way to keep your life moving forward. In the same ways that setting financial or educational goals can help you achieve the things that matter most, wellness goals are also useful. By creating a list of goals, you can keep these things high on your priority list, even when life gets crazy.
Wellness encompasses a great deal more than exercise and drinking fruit smoothies. Of course, regular exercise is important for a healthy life, as is nutritional eating. Getting adequate good quality sleep, socializing, managing stress, having fun, and nurturing your spiritual side are also critical.
Read on for some more pointers and ideas from Mente Soul.
Yes, your career, too
Career wellness may be a new term to many, but it conveys an important concept. Your career should be more than just a paycheck. Your work should bring some satisfaction and curiosity. If you feel you are not well placed in this area, you may want to return to school. There are many online programs in which you can earn degrees, often while still working a day job.
How do I create a wellness plan?
Creating a plan with specific, measurable goals can help you stay on track. Begin by thinking about your day-to-day routine. What are the activities and situations that bring joy? What are the major stresses? Brainstorm ways to incorporate more of the things that elicit joy and ways to manage stress. Jot down a list of things you’d like to incorporate, such as more stretching, eating a more plant-based diet, regularly spending time with friends, journaling, or mindfulness practice.
Next, make a list of specific, small ways you can add those things to your regular activities so that they become habits. If you have particular outcomes you are seeking, such as lowering your blood pressure a specific amount, or joining a spiritually oriented group, note them and be sure to list activities that will move you toward them.
Sticking with the plan
A wellness plan is useless if you don’t follow it, so it’s important to find ways to continually adjust your activities and make tweaks to keep it workable with your life. The Joint Chiropractic notes that finding ways to make your activities fun is helpful. It’s a good idea to set regular times to check whether or not you are following the plan and whether it is indeed moving you toward your goals.
Mindful.org points out that having an accountability buddy works well for many people. This could be an exercise partner you walk with or simply a person you text or email each time you do the activity, such as turning off your screens an hour before you hope to sleep. If you have friends with common goals, you might create a group that meets once or twice a month to check in and celebrate progress, as well as share ideas for staying on track.
Building rewards into your plan can also be an incentive to stick with it. You might join a gym or sign up for personal coaching as you progress. You can also read informative mind-promoting articles on the Mente Soul blog!
A Clean Home Is a Happy Home
As part of your larger plan, it’s a great idea to give your home a deep cleaning to make it a healthier space. Before starting your cleaning project, find online resources that offer expert cleaning advice and in-depth reviews on cleaning projects. This will ensure you’re making an informed decision on the best products that will get the job done right.
What happens when you fall behind?
It’s important to have a plan for what to do when you fail to maintain the activities that are moving you toward your goals because this happens. We all fall short now and then. Be patient with yourself, examine what happened to see where you can make changes, such as moving the time of your exercise session and take the smallest action possible to get yourself back to your healthy habits.
Creating a wellness plan with measurable goals and small, specific activities you’ll do regularly to reach the goals can be motivating. Take the time to assess your own wellness in all areas, make sure your living area is nice and clean, and decide what you want to achieve. Some change will be necessary, so take it in small steps, and if possible, find a buddy or group to keep you accountable. Before long, you’ll be reaping the rewards of feeling better in body, mind, and spirit.
Leah McMillan
“It’s a tale as old as time. Leah McMillan was taking on too much, saying “yes” to everything and everyone, running herself ragged, while also trying to be the best mom/partner/daughter/friend she could be. Eventually, she was running on fumes. Then, the pandemic hit. And while there were a few dicey weeks for her and her family at the beginning, she found being out of her normal “life-nado” helped her slow down and start to find her voice again. And with that voice, she started to say NO. She set boundaries, focused on spending quality time with her loved ones (even if it had to be virtual), and made her health and her family’s health her priority. Does she still have some hot mess days? Sure, but they’re definitely less frequent than they used to be. She hopes her website will inspire others to step back, take stock, and make positive life changes.”