8 dimensions of wellness

[Former-Member]

We are on a very low income too @Shaz51 , I know I could apply for Newstart but I don't want to look for another job and /or do the volunteer work that would require.

I am really  excited though that we have now put into place some budgeting measures that will help us manage things better. Mr D has recorded where what we have been spending on  for a while so we could easily see where we could make some improvements in reducing expenditure.

[Shaz51]

I know I could apply for Newstart but I don't want to look for another job and /or do the volunteer work that would require.-- same here @Former-Member and centrelink would be too stressful for mr shaz

and I am able to show mr shaz that we are going forward which is soo good

@Appleblossom, @Sophie1 , @Former-Member , @FindingStrength 

[Former-Member]

Thank you @Scoo @Shaz51 @Appleblossom @Sophie1 @Former-Member @FindingStrength @Jay-e @Boo13 

Today we move onto our next topic of intellectual wellness.

Intellectual wellness is defined as recognizing one's creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills. It refers to active participation in scholastic, cultural, and community activities.

This is a component of wellness that I had not really heard about in great detail previously. Occasionally on tv mention is made about research shows that exercise for the mind is important as exercise for the body and in particular regarding the link between doing mind games and improving and/or delaying cognitive decline.

It is important to gain and maintain intellectual wellness because it expands knowledge and skills in order to live a stimulating, successful life. In order to improve intellectual wellness, it is important to value creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning.   It is in essence to:

• Expand one’s ability to create, develop, analyse, critique, concentrate, understand, evaluate, problem solve, predict, comprehend, etc.
• Feel competent in intellectual and academic activities by improving skills in academics, studying, time management, stress management, note taking, listening, and public speaking.
• Strive to be open to new experiences and ideas in all areas of life

Some ways of increasing intellectual wellness include:

Reading, for fun rather than for any formal study.

Journaling, which can promote deeper thinking.

Playing “brain games”. Research suggests that cognitive decline may be prevented, slowed, or perhaps reversed in aging adults who are frequently engaged in creative, challenging, and cognitively stimulating activities such as computer games, reading, and crossword puzzles.

Experiencing the arts. A study showed that people with 100 or more hours per year of arts engagement (i.e. at least 2hrs per week) had significantly better mental wellbeing than those with none or lower levels of engagement.  For the purpose of the study, ‘Arts engagement’ was defined as the art people do as part of their everyday lives for enjoyment, entertainment or as a hobby (i.e. recreational arts rather than art therapy) such as singing, painting, dancing, reading a novel, playing an instrument. 

Doing crafts like knitting and crochet. A study found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss. Although it is possible that only people who are cognitively healthy would pursue such activities, those who read newspapers or magazines or played music did not show similar benefits.

Attending lectures in person or online. If you would prefer to pursue more scholastic knowledge without attending college courses, consider open lectures. Universities and libraries often offer free lectures on various subjects. From history to gardening, the subjects are vast. Furthermore, the lectures are most often provided by professors, or individuals who have honed their craft.

Playing a musical instrument. Music has a powerful impact on our minds. Playing a musical instrument can increase intellectual wellness by learning how to create sounds, make patterns, and emote through music.

Learning a new language. Learning a foreign language can be beneficial to your intellectual health and your employment prospects. When learning different ways to communicate, your mind expands. This not only helps with being receptive to new knowledge, but also helps broaden information already learned.

Improving skills for studying. Learning new things about the way your mind processes information can be a vital tool to helping you succeed.

Intellectual wellness is intertwined with the other dimensions of wellness and can impact upon them.  Looking at the areas we have already discussed, learning new things can help us understand our environment better, find enjoyable ways of improving our physical health and learning new things can lead to opportunity to both occupational financial wellness either by helping you get a job, doing our work better, helping us get a promotion/pay rise or learning better ways to manage one's income.

When I think of intellectual wellness on a personal level the saying “use it or lose it” comes to mind. I must admit in the last few years that this is one aspect of my life that has taken a bit of a hit.  I have always been one who has taken advantage of “in house” training in the places I have worked at or have been involved in doing training that has required me to research topics and present them in a way that the target audience could readily understand.  My intellectual wellness started to slip as my life was consumed by Mr Darcy’s crisis and the post-traumatic stress reaction that followed. It was one of his doctors that told me to “look things up” that helped me restart using my grey matter, initially researching mental health and its treatment, followed by what I will loosely term as “advocacy” work.  Recently I have read a few novels and getting back into knitting is on my “to do” list. I enjoy listening to talks on YouTube amongst other things that have been mentioned as being beneficial.  For me this has been and continues to be a slow and at times spasmodic process (I did some sudoku but not so much lately),  like other areas of my life I am gradually getting back on track and enjoy this aspect of overall wellness.

How are you faring with this dimension.?

References:

https://resources.theesquiline.org/blog/6-ways-increase-intellectual-wellness

https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2014/03/seven-simple-steps-increase-intellectual-wellness/

https://www.arts.qld.gov.au/aq-blog/is-mental-wellbeing-linked-to-arts-engagement

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-knitting/

https://boomernaturals.com/blog/2019/10/24/intellectual-wellness/

[Appleblossom]

WOW @Former-Member 

You are doing such a thorough treatment of different dimensions of wellness.

99% of your post I agreed with but could not understand why "consumerism" was seen as part of intellectual wellness. Maybe it means good decision making re finances and products purchased.  It is still not an ism I associate with wellness.  Having one's needs met is different from consumerism which seems to be consuming for the sake of it ... anyway thats my take ...

I was lucky in that I had a positive attachment to education as an anchoring to my personality among so much instability at home growing up.  I got to uni later than the average. I was 23. I loved it and never regretted it.  I still regularly return to my old uni for events etc ... tho sometimes it is a year or so ...it has given me stability as it is now over 30 years and it is still standing ... yay!  This year I am thinking of being at home more and doing my music, whereas for a while, when my son was home, I felt it more important to get out and about, for myself as a break, to socialise and also to model for him all the different things life can offer.

Great Thread.

[Former-Member]

@Appleblossom  as you alluded to, the part of intellectual wellness that relates to financial wellness is the education around financial decisions rather than consumerism. 

I really enjoyed the learning I got when researching financial wellness and found a financial planning system that resonated with me and we are now putting some of it into practice. (It is based on restraint, making the decision to free oneself from debt and temporarily going on a tight budget to do so,  with the goal

where one can live and give generously within one's means).

[Appleblossom]

@Former-Member 

I still see consumerism as the wrong way to describe it.  When I was at Yr 10 at school we did Consumer Ed, and it included banking and taxes as well as shopping styles and making things. They should change it to that.

I guess I had a lucky childhood learning lots of things very young. I earned first cash when I was 8 and continued to earn on and off from then. I wasted a little  money in late teens and it took me another 10 years to kick the stupid smoking habit. I learned young the meaning of eating and having a roof over my head.  It was not always in the money way ... sometimes it was working on a farm.  I took very little for granted.  That does not mean I was money minded, I calculated endlessly in various govt jobs. Money in and money out. I was totally over dollars. Nor did I marry for money as so many people have insultingly implied to me one way or another during my life.  I am sorry that so many people have been very spoiled with unecessary stuff as it has made life harder for us all ... and all the mental health problems .... are terrible ... in a predominantly capitalist society.

[Former-Member]

@Appleblossom 

I completely agree with you, it is not about consumerism. 

Certainly was not wanting to convey that, rather trying to highlight the holistic approach and how the intellectual aspect ties in with the other aspects of wellness that we have already looked at. 

[Appleblossom]

All good @Former-Member 

I think this discussion is terrific.  I love the many dimensions and that you post each one with quotes and pics from different sources.  WTG

I am sure this thread will be helpful for casual readers and the community.

I just had that one lil red flag and you indulged me. Thank you

[Shaz51]

intellectual wellness.

@Former-Member  this is really interesting , and I had to think a bit  and wow , where do I start

I was born with CRS, which mum decided she was not going to wrap me up in cotton wool

with my thinking I have really had 2 sets of lives

one where i was single

when I did childcare and I did an dipolma and monthly meetings  and conferences

to learn more and I also learnt a couple of laugages to talk to some of the children , which the parents were soo overjoyed

I brought half a house with lots of work

arts and crafts i did included pottery, computer work ,girl guilds  etc

being a treasurer of 3 different clubs , also improve my swimming so much that I ended up at the Masters

grandma tried to teach me knitting and  crocheting , But i loved cooking instead -- another one of my grandma`s amazing  skill  and sewing xx

mum taught me how to play the organ and I was involved in so much and I also travelled which was great

I loved doing jigsaw puzzles

I had episey for 3 years , i learnt about it , I coped and I got pass the dark time in my life

ohh yes I did the family tree -- genealogy

---------------------------------------------------------

Then my Married life

with 4 step children to love and to encourage them to grow into what and where they are today

to help and lots of reading and learning to help my Mr shaz

learnt so much about my mum`s condition that she has been at home for 7 months without any hospital stays

and to learn more about my Kidney disease and diabetes that i am now stable -- fingers crossed

to see what mr shaz did that day made me want to learn more about Bipolar 11 and to help him  xxx

it has been nearly 5 years since Mr shaz has been in hospital

@Appleblossom, @Sophie1 , @FindingStrength , @Former-Member , @Scoo , @Jay-e 

[Scoo]

Hi @Shaz51 @Former-Member @Appleblossom 

I think this is a really important topic. My mother died with dementia so I want to make sure I keep my mind stimulated well into my twilight years. I really don't know if that will reduce the risk of me also getting dementia. However once mum retired she didn't get a lot of intellectual stimulation.

At the moment my paid employment keeps my mind very active. The voluntary work I do is quite different and stretches my mind in different ways. 
I enjoy reading and listening to interesting and informative podcasts. Alot of the podcasts I listen to broaden my mind and are often educative. I enjoy puzzles and I have a training app on my IPad (it's called Elevate). I only use the free version so it can get a bit repetitive. 
I don't seem to have a creative bone in my body unfortunately so I don't do arts or crafts. I played guitar for many years and I loved singing. I pretty much gave that up after the kids came along. Maybe I might pick the guitar up again when I retire and have the time to practice.