8 dimensions of wellness

[Former-Member]

I recently came across this graphic of the 8 dimensions of wellness and wondered if anyone would like to join me in discussion around these and our caring role tackling one topic a week going clockwise starting with "Environmental"

[Shaz51]

Yes I do @Former-Member  xx

[Scoo]

I'm interested @Former-Member 

[Former-Member]

Environmental wellness

When I think of self-care, I hadn’t really given the environmental aspect of this a thought, however after coming across this chart I realised that this is quite important to me and there are a number of ways that tending to environmental concerns can be beneficial to health.

For the purposes of this discussion I will use these Collins dictionary definitions to frame the meanings of environment that are applicable for the purposes of this discussion (Reference 1)

1. Someone's environment is all the circumstances, people, things, and events around them that influence their life.
2. Your environment consists of the particular natural surroundings in which you live or exist, considered in  relation to their physical characteristics or weather conditions.
3. The environment  is the natural world of land, sea, air, plants, and animals.

When we refer to environmental wellness there are different ways of expressing what this means, here are a couple.

1. Environmental wellness inspires us to live a lifestyle that is respectful of our surroundings. This realm encourages us to live in harmony with the Earth by taking action to protect it. (Reference 2)
2. Environmental well-being promotes interaction with nature and your personal environment. Everyone can have a strong environmental conscious simply by raising their awareness.  Description: The environmental aspect of self-care means acknowledging what aspects of the environment are meaningful to you.  Examples include: interacting with nature, spending time with pets and family, etc. (Reference 3)

It can include

• Financial resources
• Freedom, physical safety and security.
• Health and social care; accessibility and quality
• Home environment
• Opportunities for acquiring new information and skills.
• Participation and opportunities for recreation/leisure activities.
• Physical environment (pollution, noise, traffic and climate). ( Reference 4)

I will use the last list as subtopics for discussion and these are some of the thoughts I have

• Financially I am sure that majority of us are in the lower range of income and this can be a limiting factor. When we are in the position that reducing expenditure is the most likely way we will get by rather than an increase in income and some environmentally friendly things can appear expensive. Things we have done that have saved us help include eating healthier meals (less meat, more seasonal veg) has helped us reduce our grocery bill and we do try and buy things on sale. We also buy coffee beans (12/kg, home brand) that we manually grind and prepare with a coffee plunger. Downsizing our property has resulted in a major reduction in stress as we were not coping well with looking after the small acreage we were on. Installing solar panels has also seen a reduction in our electricity bill and means that we are happy to put on airconditioner as needed and not worry about the expense incurred.
• I believe that love can only flourish in an atmosphere of freedom and I am fortunate that I am loved by Mr Darcy whom I care for and I had no hesitation in willingly loving him through his mental health difficulties. When we moved house I did get the locks changed on the external doors as a safety precaution.
• Access to health and social care were a couple of the main points I considered when chosing the location for our move.
• The home environment is one that I have made an effort to improve on, both physically and to improve our general circumstances. Physically, decluttering has been the order of the day but I also pay attention and do something if I notice we are becoming housebound.  When we go out, we have started to do things that involve nature such as a visit to the beach, a garden or a park that could involve a nature or short walk but still enjoy an occasional coffee or meal out.
• I perhaps have not recently looked at studying and acquiring new information and skills in relation to the environment, but learning does improve our knowledge and 
• Looking back, we have often intentionally sought out participation in recreation and leisure activities as in the past and are doing so again. This has not only been for our own benefit but we have hosted a number of visitors and we do enjoy finding places for them and us to visit (particularly those with little or no expense) as well as joining in social groups such as the garden club and service groups.
• The physical environment that we presently live in is quite pleasant from a township point of view. In the past we have participated in a Landcare group. Our own garden comprised of a large number of plants that have environmental weed potential but we are in the process of tidying this up and are looking at putting in fruit and vegetables as well as a number of more suitable species. I am hoping also to put in a rainwater tank specifically for garden watering. I have always leaned towards the green side of things and know I feel better when I feel I am doing something for the environment.
• I live in a country town, there is not really any public transport. Our home is within walking distance of the CBD and we intentionally walk when we can. As walking in my only exercise this has had health benefits. There are limited transport options to the nearest major centre.  As there has not been a specific need, we have only ever had one motor vehicle.

@Shaz51  @Scoo  do you have thoughts that you would like to make in relation to environmental wellness?

References:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/environment

https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/environmental

http://selfcare.blogs.brynmawr.edu/about-self-care-at-bmc/environmental/

K Wac et al “Quality of Life Technologies: Experiences from Field and Key Challenges”

[Scoo]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @Former-Member Lots of rich information. 
As I have a lived experience of mental health unwellness in addition to caring for my hubby I can see how the environment we live in can impact on both the unwell person and the Carer. Many years ago I moved from a city to a coastal area. That decision was made for the following reasons; needing a better climate for my child who had health problems at the time, more affordable housing, and distancing myself from some family members who I considered toxic. Although it was a big move and took a lot of adjusting I now reap the benefits. 
I used to do a lot of gardening when living on acearage. I had to downsize after a divorce but now that I am getting older I appreciate my duplex garden. Yesterday I spent the day gardening (I'm on rec leave from work). A friend has moved into a new home which needs a garden so I took cuttings and potted some baby plants for her. I always feel good after gardening. I guess it's just being with nature and loving on the piece of earth in my personal space. The birds are loving the bird bath. I have to remember to keep it topped up for them during this drought. 
Solar power is definitely on my list of things I like to have one day. 
My cat is an indoor cat to protect wildlife. 
I love Koalas and feel sad at the thought of them going extinct so I might get involved in the next tree planting day. Hubby might join me but I am trying hard to learn that what has worked for me might not be his cup of tea. 
Note to self....get in the garden more often. 

[Former-Member]

The garden is a huge one for me too @Scoo and love just about everything about it and being able to share plants is one of the joys that it gives me. I love our bird baths too.  Having a cuppa outdoors looking at the garden can lift ones spirits and I really enjoy having a seating area in our garden. 

What a wonderful idea to go tree planting for koala habitat.

Note: Edited my earlier post as I realised I had gone off topic in my post and edited so it pertained to the environment.

[Scoo]

What a lovely haven you have created @Former-Member 

[Former-Member]

That is not my garden @Scoo although I would not mind if it was . As per community guidelines I do not post anything that could be identifying.  We have only been in our new place 5 months and our garden plan in its early stage, at present we are battling running bamboo and we have some renovations and repairs that could impact on the garden so I am having to restrain myself in relation to planting - have quite a few ideas as to what I  would like to do.

[Shaz51]

Environmental wellness -- very  intersesting, did not relize how much is in environmental  wellness  @Former-Member , @Scoo '

The home environment is one that I have made an effort to improve on, both physically and to improve our general circumstances. Physically, decluttering has been the order of the day  -- @Former-Member  after spending 5 nights in a little cottage for our holiday brought home to us that we need to declutter more and to get rid of more stuff

I believe that love can only flourish in an atmosphere of freedom

I think that I placed restrictions upon myself that were not there and have certainly felt healthier since I was able to let go of the things that were not mine to hold onto.--- yes I need to do this @Former-Member  as I know mr shaz loves and cares for me

Financially , to show that we are going forward sowly instead of backwards is a big releif , we could do more 

I live in a country town too , there is not really any public transport. Our home is within walking distance of the CBD and we sold our other car years ago as I can not drive ,

I do think of walking but mr shaz will drive me everywhere and wait for me

do something if I notice we are becoming housebound.--mr shaz would love to be housebound  for a certain amount of time and then it is good to go out doing photograghy in the forest

Environmental wellness inspires us to live a lifestyle that is respectful of our surroundings.-- sometimes @Former-Member , I feel more connected to my mum`s / grandma house which I now own half of it

but inheriting my childhood house which I inherited from my father , still feels funny , getting ther though , but I am sure mr shaz sees I don`t have the same feel as I do with my mum`s