Wellness
[wel-nis]
1. the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort.
2. an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.
Wellness can assume many forms. You can achieve physical, mental or spiritual wellness through a variety of relaxation techniques, by improving sleep patterns, lowering stress levels, eating healthier foods and more. In this Education Essentials, you'll learn how you can pursue wellness both personally and professionally by lessening the effects of stress, staying mindful and more.
Stress Management in the New Year
Stress affects us in many ways, from the seen to the unseen. It can have an effect on not only your attitude, but your overall health and wellness. Most meetings professionals tend to have high expectations of themselves and want to do it all. Their day-to-day lives are about making the impossible, possible! But like everyone else, you only have 24 hours in a day, and setting unrealistic expectations leads to missed goals and unwanted stress. Check out this recent FICP blog post by Amanda Sherman, CMP, for tips to make 2020 stress-free. You can start by practicing relaxation techniques, setting aside time for yourself everyday, limiting your caffeine intake and more.
Help fight stress with foods that are scientifically proven to help you feel less overextended. Check out this article that suggests the 10 best foods designed to lower stress levels. Try herbal tea to promote calmness, chocolate for some antioxidant-rich indulgence, mood-boosting whole grains and more.
Learn more about wellness and contribute to this discussion thread on TheNetwork.
Stay Well with Relaxation
No matter what the cause, stress floods your body with hormones that cause your heart to pound, your breathing to quicken and your muscles to tense. This stress response is a normal reaction to threatening situations. One way to respond to stress in a healthy way is to invoke the relaxation response. Here are six relaxation techniques that can help you evoke this response and reduce stress.
Exercise is another great way to respond to stress. Regular aerobic exercise changes your body, heart and spirits. It's proven that exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones and stimulates the production of endorphins, which are the chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood lifters. Read more about the link between exercise and stress reduction.
Make Mental Health a Priority
The start of a new year is the perfect time to rethink the habits that weigh you down and develop new practices to improve your overall well-being. Start by focusing on your mental health, and consider these tips for cultivating a healthy mind. In this recent blog post from Emily Wills, you'll learn how to cultivate a healthy mind by practicing gratitude, staying present, exercising self-compassion and more. Read more.
Mindfulness is the act of being present and fully engaged in the moment. Try incorporating this practice by meditating for a few minutes per day for a couple of weeks and then increasing the duration by one minute to develop a regimen. Other ways to stay mindful include taking a yoga class; maintaining healthy relationships; and increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Read more.
#TBT - The Science of Sleep
At the 2019 FICP Education Forum, attendees explored how sleep affects every aspect of your waking life, and how the quality and quantity of your sleep influences how rapidly you age and the degree to which you learn and retain information. Check out the webinar on the Science of Sleep here.
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