When We Were South Street Journal. Chicago Street Journal for March 18, 2018.

Chicago Street Journal
February 2017
March 2018
5
The Difference Between
Health and Wellness and How
Important Is It Really…
All it took was a few painful
ingrown toenails to knock me up side
my head to have me realize, while I
was a young tenderoine, I was not exempt
from experiencing the stress and
strain of being invincible.
Emotional wellness relates to understanding your feelings
and coping effectively with stress
Environmental wellness inspires us to live a lifestyle that is
respectful of our surroundings.
Financial Wellness involves the process of learning how to
successfully manage financial expenses.
Intellectual wellness involves having an open mind when
you encounter new ideas and continuing to expand your
knowledge.
Occupational wellness is about enjoying your occupational
endeavors and appreciating your contributions.
World Health Organization (WHO) defines
health as a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity.
Three months before this slap-up side my head I landed this
awesome corporate Fitness gig in Manhattan, New York. The
freshman 15 melted into grown, sexy, and sassy in a matter of
weeks! My fall internship added value to my life, curriculum
credits, fitness membership, lockers, and laundry service.
Boom I had it going on! What put a red, bloody, swollen, sad
face, over my perks were my painful ingrown toe nails.
I found myself dreading the walk to work and then once I arrived
I would disappear behind the desk, sitting at the computer
station in a silent pain.
All I could think, is how could I make this go away. Bloody
toe nails stopped me from moving around and kept my mind
in a prison of pain. This sudden toe attack stunted my emotional,
occupational, physical, and social wellness. What I didn’t
know was that my wellness had been compromised.
How did my wellness get compromised and why does wellness
matter?
Physical wellness relates to maintaining a healthy body
and seeking care when needed.
Social wellness helps you perform social roles effectively
and comfortably, and create a support network.
Spiritual wellness allows you to develop a set of values
that help you seek meaning and purpose.
It just so happened that my site host was promoting an employee
health and wellness fair and on the list was a Podiatrist.
Needless to say, I was the first person at his table the
morning of the fair and before I went home that evening me
and my nasty toenails limped over to the physician’s office to
be treated. He addressed my ingrown toe nails, by the following
week I was back to my invincible self!
As I reflect back I am almost sure I did not share my grownup
pain with my parents or co-works. I probability took on the
mentality that this was my cross to bear and it would get better
with hard prayer. I am almost sure I am not the only one
who has suffered through wrong thinking at some point in
time? The Good Book reads faith without works is dead, I
needed to seek out a physician but I sat for weeks and silently
suffered.
Wellness matters because everything we do and every emotion
we feel relates to our well-being. According to Pfizer,
wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis
to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so instead
of just surviving, you’re thriving.
I went into to survival mode; the physical pain directly affected
my ability to perform my fitness internship which inturn
played on my emotions to be engaged in my daily work responsibility.
There are eight dimensions of wellness: occupational, emotional,
spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, social, and
intellectual. Each dimension of wellness is interrelated with
one another. Each dimension is equally vital in the pursuit of
optimum health.
As I have slightly matured and now parent a teenage boy, I
perform daily wellness assessments. I recommend you do the
same for yourself and those around you. Especially your children,
check-in with your child and their emotions. Get to
know who they are, talk to them, ask questions. Look through
their phones; see who and how they are talking and texting.
Suggest walks, active play, give lots of hugs and kisses, even
when they don’t want it.
Wellness is something that everyone needs but may not know
they need it. It is important for everyone to achieve optimal
wellness in order to subdue stress, reduce the risk of illness
and ensure positive interactions.
Chenel Darby is the founder of Choice Wellness Company.
www.ChoiceWelllnessCompany.com
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