Start off the new year with good practices

Gabrielle Robinson, a COGS student, contributed the following article as one of the educational initiatives sponsored by the NEOMED’s Student Wellness Committee as part of their peer-support series on the eight dimensions of wellness. The eight dimensions that this student and staff committee supports include: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual wellness. The concept of eight dimensions of wellness comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a U.S. government agency.

Happy New Year!

While you are planning all of your goals for 2024, it is vital that you take a moment to include time for your personal wellness. Some tips that I have found useful to facilitate this are as follows:

Goal setting

Set realistic goals with work and personal life obligations to ensure balance. Creating a schedule can also help with this task.

Exercise

Prioritize movement such a time at the gym, walks outside, or other workout classes.

Nutrition

Be mindful of your diet, prioritizing healthy nutrient dense foods that nourish your body.

Relationships

Establish and nurture supportive relationships. This is crucial as you will experience challenges and adversities but when you have supportive relationships, you don’t feel alone when these times arise.

Sleep

Integrate good sleep hygiene and prioritize sleep as this can promote improvements in mood, overall health, and cognitive performance.

Hopefully these few tips were helpful and can be beneficial in planning for your new goals!