Does living with purpose really inspire good health? After years of effort teaching health education, public health and wellness professionals are asking why people who have all the right information are still not making more healthful choices? It is becoming clear that well-being is so much more than health risk factors and metrics. People make so many choices everyday and most of these decisions can make us stronger or lead to deterioration. Living with purpose and values that support it actually gives more meaning to life and increases that will to live.
People that have a purpose in life are 2.4 times less likely to die from Alzheimer’s Disease, less likely to have a heart attack and potentially promote a longer life.*
Health promoters want to expand their programs to focus on other facets of well-being, but struggle with how to incorporate multiple dimensions such as as emotional, spiritual, intellectual and vocational well-being. Suggestions for steps to take to add purpose-driven wellness include:
- Expand communications to cover every dimension while remaining brief and interesting.
- Promote and utilize EAP programs. EAP (Emotional Assistance Programs) are getting the dust wiped off and coming to the center of more wellness programs. Many EAP’s have webinars, videos and even come onsite to present workshops.
- Make policies that allow some volunteering during work hours.
- Graduate from point tracking and health measurements for incentive programs to rewarding decisions that lead to improved quality of life, such as taking one’s lunch hour, utilizing vacation days and leaving work at a reasonable hour.
*Vic Stretcher TEDMED 2013
The theme of the 2017 Healthy Perspectives Wellness Calendar is Live Inspired. Deliver “purpose-driven” messages that are meaningful and emotionally relevant to expand wellness to well-being to your employees.
