About Dr. Oscar
Bekoff (Dr. Self Help)
About
Dr. Bekoff's
book, It's Yours For
The Asking
Praise for It's Yours...
An excerpt from It's
Yours...
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Yours For
The Asking
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Articles
A Personal Stance
Self Love
Self Observation
Humanity Towards Self
Love Is An Inner Concept
A Presence And
...A Potential
The Need To Believe
Choices
No Limit
Wholeness
Wellness Throughout
...The Lifespan
Body Talk
Stress
Depression: Exploring The
...Whole-Person
Approach
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Wellness
Throughout
The Lifespan
I consider wellness to be the unity of the mind, body, and spirit. In order to achieve greater mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, one must begin with a personal commitment to wellness, a commitment which is possible regardless of circumstances, resources, and/or personal history. We can achieve this state of being at any point in our lives by making choices which enhance our individual functioning and development. Thus, through these conscious, deliberate, voluntary, and positive lifestyle choices, one can discover greater overall health.
Wellness encompasses many components including the following:
1.) Emotional Wellness: awareness and acceptance of one's feelings; feelings of enthusiasm about life; ability to control and manage one's feelings and behavior; ability to express emotions appropriately; ability to maintain satisfying relationships; ability to cope with stress.
2.) Intellectual Wellness: involvement in creative, stimulating, mental activities; seeking and using available resources to expand knowledge; improving skills and sharing with others.
3.) Social Wellness: recognition of the interdependence of individuals with others, society, and nature; concern for harmonious family relationships; concern for the common welfare.
4.) Physical Wellness: commitment to healthy, nutritional choices; physical exercise, which optimizes cardiovascular capacity, flexibility, and strength; medical self-management, which results in prevention and/or early detection of illness; use of appropriate (physical and mental) medical treatment.
5.) Spiritual Wellness: continuing search for meaning and purpose of life; appreciation for the depth of life, the universe, and natural forces; a personal belief system.
Clearly, wellness is multidimensional.
I am the outside of your body. You know me very well.
You see me every day. You take care of me.
You wash me, you protect me. You understand me.
But I am not alone.
I am the inside of your body. Why do you neglect me?
I am filled with unhealthy food and toxins.
I am polluted with stress, yet you never cleanse me.
I attempt to make you listen, but you do not hear.
Please love me and hug me, do not forsake me.
Give your inside the same sort of attention as your outside.
Previous Topic: Wellness Throughout The Lifespan
The continuing distresses and conflicts of modern life take their toll on our bodies. In fact, stress can lower our resistance to disease. Therefore, it makes sense to be proactive in our efforts to overcome stressful situations, rather than just reacting to these events. We need to become more prevention-oriented rather than intervention-oriented.
To a large degree, every one of us has the ability to control his (her) actions consciously. Every day we make conscious and unconscious choices. By becoming aware of our choices, we can ensure that they serve to relax us and reduce our level of stress.
Listed below are a few thoughts for you to consider:
A. There is no outside emotional stress; there is only my subjective response to a situation, which I can learn to control.
B. I will do one thing at a time.
C. I will do the best I can about a situation and then I won't worry about it.
D. I will express my feelings honestly to other people.
E. I will think and live positively, committing myself to the highest I can be.
F. I will be aware of my own needs, rather than those inspired by competition.
G. I will not feel closed in, but I will realize that there are always options.
H. By keeping in touch with my body and its needs, I will choose to be well.
I. I will live in the here and now.
As it has been said, "A loving person lives in a loving world, a hostile person lives in a hostile world."