By Ana Maria Tavares, Managing Director of the Six Senses Destination Spa, Phuket, Thailand
Last year, we embarked on a remarkable 10-day wellness challenge at the Six Senses Destination Spa in Phuket, Thailand. We found this experience so beneficial that we plan to bring the experts of the Six Senses to you for bi-monthly blogs.
This thought-provoking first blog by wellness expert Ana Maria Tavares is a checklist to see how well-balanced your life is. The results may surprise you…
Are you truly well?
We see good looking people and automatically this superficial impression makes us think they are well. However what we see – our outward appearance – is merely the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and much is hidden beneath.
Total wellness comprises much more than just physically fit looks – it comprises 7 distinct areas and only if all of these are well balanced are we truly well:
1. Physical Wellness
• A pleasant appearance
• High fat-free body mass
• Dietary balance, low toxicity levels and nutritional excellence
• Cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular balance and functional strength
• Pain and disease free
2. Stress Management
• Balance of play and work (work / life balance)
• Breathing properly (taking 3 deep breaths every now and then, and when you feel truly stressed)
• Exercising regularly
• Finding a way to regularly relax, e.g. yoga, meditation or chi gong
• Sleeping early (ideally not after 11 pm) and enough (7 hours+)
3. Educational Wellness
• Advancing intellectually
• Becoming aware of how our body works and creating positive life changes
• Learning new things and skills
4. Nutritional Wellness
• Eating well-balanced meals at regular times and not too late at night
• Practising moderation
• Seeking natural / organic, seasonal and local produce
• Avoiding highly processed and refined foods
• Being aware of hidden calories (e.g. creamy salad dressings)
5. Social Wellness
• Communication and intimacy
• Awareness of self
• Having a sense of belonging to formal and informal groups
• Interaction with cultural surroundings
• Respect for self, for others and for the earth
6. Emotional Wellness
• Feeling self responsibility
• Satisfying relationships – professional, social and personal
• Intimate companionship
• Happiness and enjoyment of life
• Liberated from stress, or able to manage stress
7. Spiritual Wellness
• Finding meaning and motivation
• Transcending
• Integrating beliefs and values with actions
• Know thyself, be thyself
Who could not need a bit of guidance on one or the other area above? Ideal places to find all integrated guidance are Destination Spas, such as the new add-on to Thailand’s best, Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket.
