Promoting physical well-being with new habits (Continuation)

Generally, there are almost a thousand character traits out there. However, research has shown that just twenty-four of them are considered strengths present in everyone. These attributes are further classified into six groups, namely, knowledge/wisdom, justice, temperance, humanity, courage, and transcendence. Understanding and leveraging the core strengths that make up these categories is not just a passive act but a transformative power that can enhance physical well-being and overall quality of life. Interestingly, everyone has these virtues to varying degrees, so only four to five make up your core, defining who you are and what makes you unique.

Knowing your core: As stated last week, knowing is just half a battle; applying the knowledge wins it all. The importance of being aware of one’s core strengths and using them cannot be overemphasised, as they often help increase happiness levels at home and work. Moreover, knowing your top strengths gives you a sense of ownership and authenticity to the point that you want to learn how to harness them and put them to new and better use even faster. Another advantage is that because you know your strengths, you will start understanding people well enough for a peaceful coexistence. As your confidence level is boosted, you begin to thrive and flourish in every aspect of your life with a powerful burst of energy and satisfaction. Coming full circle becomes apparent with your ability to identify your areas of improvement regarding weaknesses.

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Some of the impacts of this heightened level of consciousness on physical wellbeing include the ability to positively use them to reduce stress, especially those linked to various health challenges. Whenever you engage these strengths, you boost your positive emotions, build resilience, and strengthen the social connections required for better relationships. Focusing more on your core strengths increases your motivation to lead a healthier life, just like the founder of the Huffington Post did after an unfortunate incident in 2007.

Arianna Huffington was a high-achieving but relentless entrepreneur. Seventeen years ago, her life took a different turn after she collapsed and broke her cheekbone due to exhaustion. Waking up to the reality of burnout, she put her core character strengths to positive use. With self-awareness, she could prioritise sleep, meditation, and self-care. With her resilience and courage, she launched a workplace wellness promotion platform called Thrive Global and quickly adapted her business policies to encourage flexible work hours. Furthermore, she encouraged employees to set boundaries and prioritise wellbeing, which showed her other strengths, such as compassion and adaptability. Arianna’s moves, spurred by her core virtues, impacted the entire workforce’s physical and mental health. It reduced stress and burnout with improved focus, productivity, and creativity, which enhanced her company’s employee engagement, job satisfaction, and work-life balance.

Social connection: All human beings are social creatures, whether we like it or not because no one can thrive in isolation. Professor Wole Soyinka recently attested to this in an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo on African Voices. The nonagenarian admitted that even though he treasured his solitude above everything else, he still yearned for some form of company, which led to his impressive collection of artworks and carvings as an expression of substitution.

Nurturing social connections is not just a social activity but a significant enhancer of physical wellbeing. It can lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation and chronic pain, improve sleep quality, boost immunity, and improve cardiovascular health. The mechanisms underlying these social connections’ impact are stress reduction, hormonal regulation, behavioural influence, emotional support, and practical assistance. This underscores the importance of relationships in our lives and their direct impact on our health.

The habits to cultivate these physical health benefits involve scheduling regular social activities, joining community groups or clubs, volunteering, prioritising family and friends, and participating in neighbourhood events. A good story for this is that of a small town called Roseto in Pennsylvania in the United States, where residents lived longer and healthier lives. According to Stewart Wolf, the researcher who studied the community in 1960, the people’s strong social bonds and community habits not only contributed to their remarkable health but also fostered resilience and longevity. Their seniors and retirees were actively engaged in community work and volunteering, a testament to the value of social engagement in our lives.

Call to action:

Inspired by Arianna’s story, big companies started incorporating wellness programmes into their policies. Google introduced mindfulness programmes, Microsoft observed Mental Health Days, and Patagonia created on-site childcare. What wellness programme would you be glad to see your organisation implement? Kindly send your response to [email protected].

Olayinka Opaleye is a Wellbeing Specialist and Corporate Wellness Strategist. She can also be reached on +234 8100371304 or by clicking on www.linkedin.com/in/olayinkaopaleye.