The Occupational Dimension Of Wellness

​Hi everyone! I hope you have been enjoying our series on the eight dimensions of wellness. This week we are talking about occupational wellness. 
 
This dimension has a huge ripple effect on the others (though they all do to varying degrees). Because let’s face it, for most of us, our job is where we spend the bulk of our time (or so it seems). 
 
If our work life sucks, it is going to cause us to be moody at home, lack energy to engage in activities and be motivated to do our work well.
 
However, if we love our job, we are excited to and feel energized in engaging in something we find meaningful. 
 
What does it look like to have this area strong? 
 
Well, first you have a good work/life balance. While I am not going to get into all of that right now, Christy Wright just published a new book on the topic that you can find here.
 
It also means you have meaningful relationships at work and enjoy your work atmosphere. You have fun with coworkers, you challenge one another and support each other through obstacles. The culture of your work is positive and encourages you to be the best you can be. 
 
Having a strong occupational dimension means that you have a good work ethic and you enjoy what you do. That means you actually work while you are at work and don’t find loopholes or ways to do as little as possible without getting caught. Even more important, you enjoy what you do the majority of the time. I am not saying that you have to love every day or there are not hard seasons but I am saying that the more times than not, you are passionate about your work. 
 
If you are not living the above areas, explore why. 
 
Do you need to take a long vacation because you are burnt out or do you need to set boundaries so you have a better life balance? Perhaps you realize that you are Debbie downer and you need to be more positive at work or minimize the gossip to create a better work environment. 
 
Maybe it needs to be something more extreme, like getting a new job. Now, I am not saying go quit your job tomorrow because you are not passionate about it or don’t find it fulfilling. Be smart about it and do not quit until you have something lined up or your financial wellness also might plummet. 
 
If you have no idea what you want to do or who you want to be, there are plenty of career placement tests online that you can take to help guide you in evaluating what may be a good career for you. 
 
You can do this. You are worth investing the time, energy and discomfort to build this occupational wellness muscle. 
 
See you next week as we dive into emotional wellness!