Overview: It’s National Wellness Month! But what is wellness? Why is it important? And how does it affect business owners? Read on to drink from the well of wellness knowledge!
Did you know August is National Wellness Month? Of course, every month on the calendar has been declared “National Something Month” by somebody. For example, January is National Soup Month! But when we learned that August is National Wellness Month, we realized it was a great opportunity to dive into the subject of wellness.
You may have heard the word “wellness” tossed around without thinking much of it. It could easily be dismissed as a self-help buzzword. But it’s actually much more than that, and paying attention to wellness can benefit everyone, including business owners. Let’s take a closer look.
What Is Wellness?
The nonprofit Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.” They go on to emphasize the fact that wellness is an active pursuit — so a person who makes a commitment to wellness must make a consistent, ongoing effort to maintain it.
But what about that phrase “holistic health?” What does that mean? Holistic health is an approach to healthcare that takes the “whole person” into account, rather than focusing solely on the health of the physical body.
That means your physical health can be enhanced by paying attention to your mental and emotional health, and vice versa. To achieve wellness, you should make an effort to be mindful of more than just your physical condition.
>> Related Reading: The Difference Between Health and Wellness
Why Focus on Wellness ?
Now that we have an idea of what we’re talking about when we talk about wellness, let’s talk about the benefits of pursuing wellness. There are lots of them — especially for business owners!
Improving your physical health: On the physical side, wellness encompasses many activities and behaviors, including regular exercise and proper nutrition. It goes without saying that these are important ways to stay healthy, but don’t forget sleep! Getting plenty of sleep can be a huge factor in making you feel good, providing you with plenty of energy, and warding off illness. You know what that means: Cut back on those late nights at work so you can wake up feeling refreshed!
Boost your mental health: This brings us back to the holistic approach to wellness. Your physical health and mental health both play crucial roles in your overall wellness. When you stay mindful of your mental health, it can have a positive effect on your physical health.
Help your business succeed: Maintaining wellness can give you the mental clarity and the physical energy you need to run your business effectively. When you’re at your best, you’re more productive and better at focusing on and accomplishing important tasks!
>> Related Reading: 5 Ways to Practice Wellness at Work
How to Make Time for Wellness
This is all well (no pun intended) and good, but how will you ever find the time to pursue this stuff? You’re a busy person with a packed schedule! Here are a few suggestions on how you can fit good wellness habits into your everyday life. Try them this month… and every month!
Schedule dedicated wellness time: Decide which wellness activities you want to observe regularly, and treat them as important appointments. Schedule them on your calendar and set reminders so you know when it’s “Wellness o’clock.”
Whether it’s exercise, quiet meditation, or simply taking breaks from work, setting aside specific times will help ensure you prioritize wellness amidst your busy workday. But don’t get too discouraged or give up if you miss a wellness activity or two — it takes time to establish new habits!
Take short breaks: It’s amazing how far a quick break can go toward making you feel energetic and clear-headed. Taking regular short breaks during the workday can help refresh your mind and increase productivity. Step away from your desk, take a short walk, or engage in a quick stretching routine.
Spend some time away from screens: Do you ever get that “screen fatigue” feeling at the end of a workday? By some estimates, the average American spends seven hours and four minutes on screens every day! It can be hard to tear yourself away from those screens, especially when you’re a business owner. There’s just so much to do! But those 7 hours aren’t doing you any favors in the health department. When you take those short breaks, try to stay away from screens.
Incorporate wellness into the workplace: As a business owner, you can set a great example for your employees, encouraging them to focus on their own wellness. You can create a wellness-friendly environment in your workplace by offering your employees discounted access to fitness programs, encouraging them to take breaks, providing them with regular opportunities for physical activities like yoga or stretching sessions, and sharing exercise and nutrition tips.
>> Related Reading: Engaging Employees in Their Health and Wellness
How Delegating Tasks Can Help You Focus on Wellness
What if you try to squeeze wellness activities into your daily routine, but you can’t quite make them fit? That’s a likely scenario, and not at all surprising. As we mentioned, a business owner’s life can be intense!
But you shouldn’t give up on the idea of wellness. Abandoning all efforts at wellness can have a significant negative impact on your physical and mental health. That’s why you might need to start delegating tasks to people you trust. When it comes to the daily responsibilities associated with running your business, you can hand certain things off to your second-in-command or a trusted employee.
And then there’s the matter of maintaining your online presence. It’s essential to have a consistently functioning, user-friendly website — but keeping an eye on the technical side of things can be time-consuming, monopolizing your attention when you could be working on wellness. That’s when you might want to consider bringing in some technical experts to take that burden off your shoulders.
Fortunately, we have a team of experts in mind: Us! At MyUnlimitedWP, we love taking care of the technical stuff so our clients can focus on things that are important to them, from growing their businesses to prioritizing wellness.
In Conclusion
No matter what month it is, wellness is much more than a buzzword. It’s a concept that can serve as a compass for navigating life in a healthy way — especially for business owners. The benefits of focusing on wellness are numerous, and with a little bit of effort, you can improve your own wellness, which will allow you to do the best possible job of running your business.
And remember, if the idea of hiring some website wizards to take the technical challenges of running your website off your plate sounds appealing to you, don’t hesitate to contact us!
