Emotional Wellness involves having a positive attitude, high self-esteem, and a strong sense of self. Self-care, relaxation, stress reduction and the development of your inner-self are all vital to emotional wellness.

Signs of Emotional Wellness

• Ability to express emotional concerns and feelings with others.
• Saying “no” when you need to, without feeling guilty.
• Feeling content most of the time.
• Having the ability to relax.

How to Acheive Emotional Wellness

• Reduce stress – recognize productive vs. bad stress.
• Improving mental health.
• Developing strong communication skills.
• Building healthy relationships.
• Develop your emotional intelligence.

Resources:

• Invest EAP:Invest EAP is a Vermont-based public and private non-profit collaborative offering counseling and referral management consultation, training, and resources. UVM employees, and their household members, can contact Invest EAP to find 24/7 resources in times of emotional distress. Visit the Invest EAP website for more information (UVM employees can create a login using the organizational password: UVM.)
• Staff Council: The UVM Staff Council serves as an advocate for non-represented staff by seeking out and responding to their ideas and concerns, representing them to UVM administration, and keeping staff informed about UVM initiatives. Visit the Staff Council website for more information.

Environmental Wellness involves living a lifestyle that is respectful of our surroundings. This includes being aware of the interactions between the environment, community, and yourself.

Signs of Environmental Wellness

• Creating environments that are supportive and nurturing.
• Conserving energy, recycling, and composting as much as possible.
• Awareness of the earth’s natural resources.
• Enjoying time outside in natural settings.
• Consciously limiting pollutants to air, water, or the earth.

How to Achieve Environment Wellness

• Spend time outdoors.
• Supporting a culture of conservation, recycling, and composting.
• Gaining knowledge of sustainability practices.
• Limiting personal pollutants

UVM Resources:

• UVM Greenhouses
• Recycling & Zero Waste Program at UVM

Community Resources:

• Walk to Shop - Net Zero VT

Financial stress is a common source of anxiety that can impact our work-life balance. The ability to live by your means, keep track of expenses, and manage a budget are important in maximizing your financial wellness and preparing for potential short-term or long-term financial stressors.

Signs of Financial Wellness

• Establishing a personal budget.

• Donating some money, if possible, to a cause you believe in.

• Thinking long-term, saving for the future.

• Creating a plan to pay off debt.

• Building good credit.

How to Achieve Financial Wellness

• Create a budget.

• Start saving: contribute to savings and retirement accounts.

• Limit credit card debt.

• Know what you owe.

• Talk to a financial consultant

UVM Resources:

• UVM Employee Benefits

Community Resources:

• New England Federal Credit Union - free virtual workshops on a variety of topics

Intellectual wellness can be developed through academics, a professional career, cultural involvement, and personal hobbies. Strong intellectual wellness allows you to pursue the opportunities you enjoy the most, and expands your knowledge and skills while sharing them with others.

Signs of Intellectual Wellness

• Contributing to work you find motivating and interesting.
• Seeking out ways to challenge and inspire yourself.
• Working in a way that fits your personal learning style.
• Ability to develop your own ideas, and opinions.
• Ability to balance work with leisure.
• Understanding your values.

How to Achieve Intellectual Wellness

• Expose yourself to ideas and beliefs of others that differ from yours.
• Create careers and/or educational goals.
• Improve time management.
• Do what you enjoy; enjoy what you do.
• Understand how you learn and study best.
• Speak with a career counselor.

Resources:

• UVM Continuing and Distance Education
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Classes (OLLI)

Physical Wellness encourages the proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functionality. Overall physical wellness promotes the balance of physical activity, nutrition, and mental well-being to keep your body healthy. Taking care of your body is key for optimal health and functionality.

Signs of Physical Wellness

• Being physically active.
• Eating healthy.
• Maintaining dental hygiene.
• Regularly seeking preventative care.
• Maintaining low levels of stress.
• Being well rested.
• Maintaining energy levels.

How to Achieve Physical Wellness

• Quit smoking.
• Increase beneficial physical activity.
• Eat healthy: increase consumption of fruit, veggies, nuts, legumes, seeds, and whole grains. Decrease consumption of foods high in saturated fats, sugars, and salt.
• Reduce consumption of alcohol.

Resources:

• Local Fitness & Nutrition Discounts
• Tobacco Free Vermont
• Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs in Vermont

Social Wellness refers to the relationships we maintain and how we interact with others. Building healthy, nurturing and supportive relationships that lead to a genuine connection to those around you, as well as handling conflict appropriately, are all factors within social wellness.

Signs of Social Wellness

• Developed assertiveness skills - not passive or aggressive ones.
• Balancing social and personal time.
• Being engaged with others in your community.
• Maintaining and developing friendships and social networks.

How to Achieve Social Wellness

• Setting boundaries within relationships that encourage communication, trust, and conflict management.
• Develop communication skills that allow you to effectively convey your thoughts, ideas, needs, and wants.
• Develop healthy and supportive relationships.

Spiritual Wellness lets us connect to our spiritual selves. This realm of wellness allows us to find meaning in life events, demonstrate our individual purpose, and live in ways that reflect our personal values and beliefs.

Signs of Spiritual Wellness

• Idenitifies purpose in life.
• Ability to spend reflective time alone.
• Takes time to reflect on meaningful life events.
• Maintains a clear set of right and wrong.
• Cares and acts for the welfare of others.
• Ability to forgive and display compassion.

How to Achieve Spiritual Wellness

• Understand your values and beliefs.
• Find an activity that allows you to self-reflect (e.g., prayer, meditation, yoga, etc.)
• Practice forgiveness of others.
• Build healthy relationships.

Resources:

• UVM Interfaith Center
• UVM Identity Centers