Foundations of Health by Joanna Harding-Duggan
By Joanna Harding-Duggan, B.A., Dip. C.S., PCC, ADHD/Wellness Coach
Foundational Health: Keeping it Simple
I love this quote by Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”. I would add to that drink water, move your body, and sleep well. Inour social media informed world, it is important to remember that wellness intentions need not be complicated. In fact, they can be very simple by making intentional choices that align with our values and lifestyle.
What Does Foundational Health Mean?
Foundational health supports all aspects of our well-being. It is about building strategies and habits that work for us. Moreover, it is about having systems in place that allows us to get back on the proverbial horse whenwe fall off, as we all do. Whether you identify as neurotypical or neurodiverse, creating foundational wellness goals and strategies comes down to finding what works best for you. In other words what is the thing that you will do, not the thing you think you are supposed to do?
At its core, foundational health asks: What do you need to feel grounded, capable and well?
Simplifying Wellness Across Dimensions
Wellness is a term that lends itself to many definitions. I choose to see wellness from a holistic perspective, that is, encompassing a variety of dimensions, specifically social, physical, intellectual, occupational, emotional, environmental, spiritual, and financial.
Social Wellness: Prioritize meaningful connections. This winter, consider how you can maintain or strengthen meaningful relationships.
Physical Wellness: Move your body. Simple. Take the stairs, stand more, if it is available to you go for a walk or stretch your body. Reach out to the massage therapists, naturopath, or chiropractors at OMA to keep your physical wellness on track. Drink water and to reiterate the quote from Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants”.
Intellectual Wellness: Winter is a great time to settle down with a book or audiobook to feed your curiosity and foster learning. How about working on a puzzle or trying a craft? Crosswords, Sudoku, anything to stimulate your brain and engage in new learning is a great way to maintain cognitive wellness.
Occupational Wellness: This can be tough for many of us but aligning or reframing work so that it aligns with values can foster engagement and reduce stress. See below Values exercise to help you think through your values. It is important to reflect on what is meaningful to your professional life and focus on small actionable ways to be more in alignment.
Emotional Wellness: Sometimes just acknowledging how we feel can help reduce the angst. In my experience we can all be driven by “shoulds” which tend to increase stress and anxiety. It can help to notice and name how you feel and if so inclined write it out or talk to a trusted someone.
Environmental Wellness: Get outside, the light (even the watery winter light) is so important to mental wellbeing. Morning and evening light is best to support circadian rhythms. If getting outside is not available to you or even if it is, create inside spaces that nurture you…a cozy blanket, or some plants can go a long way foster feelings of wellness.
Spiritual Wellness: Connect to something greater than yourself in whatever form this takes for you.
Financial Wellness: I know this can be a tough one! Create a budget, make it simple, and align it with your financial goals and values.
Going Forward
Foundational health should not be an all or nothing endeavour. Take a moment to gain clarity on your values, reflect on the areas of wellness and choose one small step to start. I’ll go first, this winter I will align with my values of humour, connection and health and work to acknowledge the things that stress me out, lean into the things I have control over, and breathe deeply as we move toward spring.
Joanna Harding-Duggan is an ADHD/Wellness Coach who is committed to helping people make positive lifestyle changes that support physical and mental health. If you are interested in understanding your unique challenges, and developing strategies and action plans, book a Complimentary Consultation with her to find out how coaching can support you.
References:
1. Pollan, Michael. “How to Eat”; MichaelPollan.com.
https://michaelpollan.com/reviews/how-to-eat/
2. Dimensions of Wellness. National Wellness Institute.
https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/
Clarifying Values Exercise
How to Clarify Values
1. Think about a specific moment in your life when you felt deeply engaged or fulfilled. What was going on? What made this moment special? What values were you honouring in that moment?
2. Reflect on a recent experience of frustration or anger. What were the circumstances? How did you feel? Was there a value being violated or suppressed?
3. Once you’ve met the basic requirements for living, what else do you need to have in your life to feel whole and fully alive?
4. If you had a secret passion what would it be?
5. What values are you aware of that impact your life?
You may want to combine two or three values as long as critical distinctions are not lost. E.g. honesty/integrity/truthfulness - maintains a single distinction, whereas honesty/integrity/freedom - combines concepts and thereby loses clarity.
How can I honor the value of ________________?
When you honor the value of ________________, what happens? When you don’t honor the value, what happens?
SAMPLE LIST
ACCOMPLISHMENT INDEPENDENCE
ACCURACY JOY
ACKNOWLEDGMENT LOYALTY
ADVENTURE LACK OF PRETENSE
AESTHETICS LEADERSHIP
AUTHENTICITY MASTERY
BEAUTY MEANING
CONTRIBUTION MODERATION
CERTAINTY NURTURING
COLLABORATION ORDERLINESS
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
CONNECTION/CONNECTEDNESS PRODUCTIVITY
COMARDESHIP PARTICIPATION
CREATIVITY PERFORMANCE
CLARITY PERSONAL POWER
DIRECTNESS POWERFUL
EXCELLENCE PEACE
EMPOWERMENT ROMANCE
ELEGANCE RECOGNITION
FOCUS RESILIENCE
FREE SPIRIT RISK TAKING
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE RESOLUTE/RESOLVE
FULL SELF EXPRESSION SERVICE
FORWARD THE ACTION SUCCESS
GROWTH SPIRITUALITY
HEALTH/WELL BEING TRADITION
HUMOUR TRANQUILITY
HARMONY TO BE KNOWN
HONESTY TRUST
INTIMACY INTEGRITY
ZEST