After College: Prioritizing Health and Well-being

Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay

I’ve completed my college studies, at last!

This is a big deal at my age. Continuing to work while attending part-time studies created a load that felt a tad heavy. It wasn’t simply one 10-hour Saturday added to my week, it was also many continuous nights and weekends spent on assignments, reading and homework.

This intensive period of work and study, lead to what I can only conclude is mental fatigue.

As we age, our bodies don’t “take a licking and keep on ticking” the way they used to without some intentional support. A “Wellness” plan is in order!

Priorities

For me, this Wellness Plan will include Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health. We can’t rest and recover without prioritizing what we need. This is especially true for those working in demanding environments.

Are you thinking about your health?

If we take a closer look at our text, health and well-being are actually important to God. Scripture emphasizes the importance of praying when someone is sick (James 5:14-15) and Jesus healed many (Matthew 4:23). The Lord even sent an angel to Elijah when he was exhausted and discouraged, instructing him to eat and drink. (1 Kings 19:5-7)

In the Psalms, we can also see that God grants us rest, so working too hard is senseless. Of course, there may be times when we have to push (Such as my college months.)

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Psalm 127:2 (NIV)

Trusting God with our needs is key to lightening our load. We do have to place our burdens before His feet and allow Him to help carry them. This includes our worries. Therefore, letting our worries go is important. No, this isn’t always easy. Trusting God is built through a relationship with Jesus.

What do your health and well-being goals look like? This is the direction my goals will be aimed:

• spending quality time with God
• prioritizing working less hours (currently 3 full days. )
• eating healthy
• drinking enough fluids (I really notice how awful I feel when I become dehydrated)
• prioritizing more sleep and better sleep quality
• regular exercise and stretching
• taking vitamins, supplements and medications consistently
• scheduling health visits or phone calls
• regular flu vaccinations
• Things that lift, refresh, relax, revive and recharge my soul

Did I forget anything?

How about activities that are good for brain function 🧠 and heart health ❤️

And …

Acts and facts that bring joy and peace

“….whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”

Philippians 4:8

Mull this over and stay tuned for priority #2.

Really, it’s priority #1 as it fits into my top priority of Health and Well-being. However, I broke it down this way because I know I’ll require a lot of the basic human needs and physical rest before I can fully reap the benefits of priority #2.

God Bless and thank you for reading.

Tina ❤️