New year, new you? Looking to make improvements in your life, obtain a new level of success, and feel more content about the way you spend your time? It’s easy to feel the pressure to start a new page of your story with the beginning of a new year. No matter what your goal may be, self-reflection to understand the current condition of your mental well being is crucial to avoid overexertion and burnout. Overall well being can be analyzed through the lens of six categories that influence the way we feel, think and behave. Like pieces of a pie, each category is crucial to make up a balanced and whole foundation for positive mental health. Let’s explore these elements with the acronym, PIESSS.

P - Physical Wellness

There is a lot to be said of the mind-body connection. Physical wellness involves taking care of and strengthening our bodies and minds. This includes getting proper nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and being in touch with signals from your body. There is considerable evidence that caring for the physical aspect of your well-being influences your mental well-being. Looking for ways to challenge your physical wellness habits? 

• Reduce your refined sugar consumption. Try to make a healthier meal or snack choice.

• Get outside for a short 10-minute walk.

• Consider a sleep audit.  Spend a week reflecting on your sleep quality and quantity to understand what might be affecting your sleep habits.

• Have you visited with your health care provider recently? Take time to schedule a check-up.

I - Intellectual Wellness

Staying curious about the world around you can significantly affect your mental well-being. Intellectual wellness involves staying curious and engaging in continual learning. It’s easy to get caught in the mindless scroll of today’s technology, but with so much information at your fingertips, you can easily gain new knowledge about all kinds of topics. Consider ways you might challenge your mind by enrolling in an online course, watching a video, reading a book or listening to a podcast about a subject that seems out of your reach! Find accountability by trying one of the following: 

• Set aside dedicated time each week to read.

• Share your findings about a new topic with a friend.

• Keep a journal of new things you learn each week.

E - Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness involves being aware of our thoughts and feelings and seeking to manage them effectively. Recognizing that all emotions serve a purpose and are not innately good or bad can free you from spiraling thought patterns. Emotional wellness can be found by managing expectations, keeping healthy boundaries, and taking accountability for treating yourself with kindness. Practice emotional wellness by:

• Try to name all the emotions you feel in a day by documenting them in a journal.

• Take a look at an emotion wheel and consider what your feelings are trying to tell you. 

• Set aside a block of time to do breath work.

S - Social Wellness

Having a supportive social network is a key element to maintaining positive mental health. While this may look different for everyone, it is important that you have someone you feel comfortable confiding in when difficulties arise and celebrating with when you have exciting news to share! This can look like healthy family relationships, actively engaging friendships, or regular participation in community, interest groups, or organizations. Assess your social wellness by considering one of the following:

• Conduct a relationship inventory and select one you would like to make efforts to improve.

• Consider finding a community organization where you can interact with like-minded individuals.

S - Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness involves striving for harmony with your beliefs, values, ethics, and daily choices and actions. Finding this harmony requires efforts to be tuned personally to happenings around you and within you. A daily reflection of the balance or lack thereof can go a long way. Many find this wellness immersed in prayer or meditation.

• Consider trying a spiritual tradition or practice that is new or unfamiliar to you.

• Make an effort to conduct daily tasks with mindfulness.

• Take a moment to reflect and consider the people you don't know who make your life easier.

S - Sexual Wellness

Sexual wellness is beyond finding health in sexual relationships or your orientation. It involves self-acceptance of your individualized experience and staying curious about emotions that come up without labeling them. Often, we have to be willing to consider that personal experiences may not be in harmony with other views. As with other elements of mental health, sexual wellness will fluctuate and extending patience and kindness to yourself throughout the journey will allow for ultimate growth and peace.

• Conduct a personal assessment with a willingness to identify negative associations you might have with your own sexual experience.

As you prepare to tackle your resolutions or new year to-do list, consider the role that each of these pieces of the pie play in your success.