I'm not sick, but am I well?

I was parked at the local mall, and started my car to drive home.  It began making a horrible noise, and felt like it was lurching when I tried to put it into drive.  I called my mechanic, who could see me right away, and babied my way there.  My car was definitely sick!  Thankfully the mechanic knew just what to do to get me back on the road.

But sometimes I take my car to the mechanic when there is nothing wrong.  I get the oil changed regularly, and belts and fluids as needed.  These preventive measures help my car run more smoothly and efficiently, and have allowed me to get more than 200,000 miles so far.

Our selves work in a similar manner.  Sometimes we are ill, and need to see a doctor, counselor, or physical therapist.  Sometimes we are doing ok, but want to function at a higher level.  We might take a class, join a club, or work with a coach.  I believe we can all have abundant life, and this means continually growing and stretching.

There are many aspects to our selves that can be ill, or can be healthy and growing.  There are different breakdowns, but I tend to look at six aspects of health, or wellness:

Spiritual health:  My understanding of my place in the universe.  My relationship with God, and the practices I use to maintain this relationship.

Emotional health:  My ability to understand and manage my own emotions, and to interact effectively with the emotional aspects of others. 

Physical health:  My ability to care for my physical body and to meet its basic needs for sleep, food, and exercise.

Social health:  My ability to make and maintain friendships, and to interact effectively with all of the people in my life.  This includes my ability to set appropriate boundaries.

Intellectual health:  My ability to continually challenge my brain and to help it to grow. 

Behavioral health:  My management of my habits - both the good habits that help me and the bad habits that hurt me. 

There are experts that deal with each of these areas of health.  As a coach and a counselor, I focus on whole person health, and work with all six areas.  I can help you identify where your strengths and weaknesses lie.  Some things you can grow on your own, or with a little help from me.  I also refer my clients to experts as needed. 

We have a choice, no matter how old we are:  move forward or move backward.  Are you moving into wellness?