One of my favourite tools to create balance and wellness while nursing is the ‘Wheel of Life’. You may have seen this before in articles or books. I think its simplicity is its strong point, and I have used one every 12 weeks for the past 4 years to assess how my life is going. I then use it to set my 12 week goals and actions. Many of my clients find it a useful starting point too.
Using it can highlight imbalances in your life or make you think about areas of you and your life that you have been ignoring. There are no right or wrong answers; it is only for you.
The Wheel of Life:
1. Health – Physical and psychological
2. Work – Do you like your job, does it ‘suit you’?
3. Money – Income vs spending and debts
4. Your ‘inner circle’ – Friends and social life
5. Your family, partner, parents, and pets.
6. Home – Town, area, house/flat
7. Fun, challenge and excitement – Travel, performing, hobbies
8. Development and learning/spirituality/community
Spend some time thinking about each life area, and be honest, how ‘happy’ are you with each one right now? Give each area a score ‘out of 10’ to indicate how happy you are with that area at the current time. This will be from 0 (it couldn’t be worse) to 10 (it is absolutely perfect!)
Then be bold! What would make that area a ‘10 out of 10’ score? What would be the best thing for your psychological well-being regarding money, work, or family relationships?
This is to challenge you to think about what you really want in your life. Think big. If you feel that ‘something is missing’, then this simple exercise can help to point to what that may be.
You can organize this information in a way that suits you. You can use these action pages or use a journal/ notebook or A4 papers in a smart file, or a spreadsheet – it’s up to you!
When I started to do the exercises 10 years ago, I used an A4 file to hold the information for each section with sheets of notes, pictures from magazines, and lots of colours. I still use a similar system in an A5 notebook – my 12 week action book – as this works for me. Put it on whatever format you like to use, as long as you look at it regularly (daily is best), write lots of information in it, and use it to inspire you.
When you have identified what you would like in life, think of one action for each section that will move you closer to your ultimate goal. Then decide exactly when you will do it – the sooner the better – then do it! It can be as simple as buying a health magazine this afternoon, eating an extra piece of fruit each day this week, phoning an old friend for a chat, taking your child to the cinema – whatever is right for you. Do it today, or at least this week. Make a start!
You can work through with a coach, a friend or a nursing co-worker, which will help. With the first coaching book that I used, I worked through the exercises with one of my sisters, and it was very helpful to share our experiences, motivate each other, and have someone to be accountable to for nursing wellness.