Let’s invent a compass to discover the best headings for our Wellbeing?

I was inspired by a post shared by Dr Nora Gold, curated from, “The Present Psychologist.” It was, “8 Healthy Habits to Improve Mental Health.”

Knowing that my own mind works well with something to trigger each memory, I wondered if the 8 could become the basis of a "Wellbeing Compass".  If so, I would find it easier to remember the content from the four main compass headings.

Stephen R Covey was brilliant about linking first things first to your true North - your sense of purpose, principle, and meaning - so I had my North! This worked well with goals and journaling.

I’d like to pause here and come clean on the purpose of this blog. It is not to debate the headings – there may be much better ones. Rather, I’d like to ask you to share ‘how’ you do these things. For example, I rarely set goals even though I know about SMART goals and teach goal-setting! And I’ve never journaled consistently. If you do these things, how do you do them?

My South was being grounded in the Physical - so exercise and nutrition (and The Present Psychologist has > 7 hours sleep as a key) Exercise and good

nutrition are not yet habits for me, so again, “How do you do…?”

My East and West needed to reflect and complement one another, so I thought about my Inner and External Worlds. East is spiritual and inner for me and my mental associations, thus this became mindfulness and inner playfulness creativity/curiosity.

West is more external, as far as my thinking goes, therefore this became my outward focus on contribution and connection - the social and community elements of wellbeing. For contribution, I recommend having a look at B1G1.com as a way to building contribution into every business activity you make... making a difference. Contributing your comments to Moodscope and other communities are other good examples. And I know many of us volunteer for various charities.

Thus, how do you develop your inner and outer worlds? How do you build networks in your community, and networks of rich associations in your mind? How do you practice mindfulness?

I conclude with a boundary! I’m not asking you to contribute to each of the 8 Compass headings – only one! There will be one of them that you are particularly strong on – so help us to develop strength too in that one heading.

Let’s explore Undiscovered Country together.

Lex

A Moodscope member