Stephanie Bermudez

Bermudez 1
Ms. Boyd
English 111
October 6, 2014
How are you? Three little words we hear on an everyday basis, but dont give much thought to.
What would your answer be? Often our answer is well or fine, but how truthful is that answer? What is
it exactly to be well? Wellness is the quality or state of having a healthy lifestyle, especially as the
result of deliberate effort. Wellness is not just about your physical state, but also encompasses your
intellectual, financial, and spiritual status.

An active mind is essential to wellness because it detects problems, finds solutions, and directs
behavior. Throughout their lifetimes, people who enjoy intellectual wellness never stop learning. An
intellectually well person is creative. They think outside the box, they are motivated to improve and
master new skills. A good example to put that into practice is to learn to play a musical instrument.
Youre learning new skills like memorization, organization, and even discipline. The ability to think
clearly in a critical situation is a byproduct of being intellectually well. An example is being able to come
up with a rational solution to a problem under pressure. Just as simple as being timed while you
complete a mind challenge, like a word search, is putting that to practice. Sense of humor is also a
quality of intellectual wellness, some people have that talent or capability to make others laugh and in
this persons mind its processing all these different forms on how to be funny. You know you have
reached intellectual wellness when you have some of these features, and constantly learning new things
about yourself. Your brain is a muscle and must be exercised.

A person who is able to live debt free is financial well. Budgeting is not as easy as it looks, it
requires different skills to be able to live within your means. Living within your means is managing your
money in a way that helps you be in peace. If you are able to balance your income and expenses, save
for the future and for potential emergencies, it is a good start in getting financial well. First of all is to
understand your emotions about money. Ask yourself. All of this can become very stressful on a person,

Stephanie Bermudez
Bermudez 2
Ms. Boyd
English 111
October 6, 2014
and it is clear that many people in America are not financially well, and home foreclosures, credit card
debts, and personal bankruptcies are perfect examples of it, it shows that many people do not know
how to manage their finances. We all need to have a healthy relationship with our money, and selfdiscipline. Where your money is going is a main key of starting to budget, or as I like to call it, tracking,
making sure you know the difference between necessity and desires, first things first, what is more
important to you. Having a credit card is not a bad thing at all, but using it wisely is crucial when it
comes to staying out of debt. A lot of college students are targets for credit card companies, they may
see them as inexperienced when it comes to being financially well, and that is a good thing for them.
When using a credit card it is essential to take note of the APR (annual percentage rate). what is that?
The APR is the interest you are charged on your balance. Credit limit, it is the maximum amount of credit
you can borrow. Minimum payment, it is the least amount of money you can pay on a monthly basis.
Grace period, the amount of time you have before you are charged interest. And late fees, the penalties
you are charged if you make late payments. Those are just some of the main keys you should look for
when dealing with a credit card. What is your income stops for some reason, what will happen now, are
you prepared for that? This is where saving, if you have savings, could help. That is a sudden emergency,
but what about retirement, saving for a longer term plan. Financial planning plays a big role in our
wellness, imagine being stressed over money, and all that stress can even lead to sleep deprivation, and
then that leads to another mental illness, so can you really say you are well? Taking small steps into
becoming financially well will start giving you peace of mind. It is your money and you have control.

The spiritually well person is a person who in general can be positive about pretty much
everything. This type of person can take negative feedback or sense and turn it into something positive.
This person has a set of guided beliefs and principles. Focusing on positive aspects in life would be one
of the most important principals in becoming spiritually healthy. Religion plays a role in this part of

Stephanie Bermudez
Bermudez 3
Ms. Boyd
English 111
October 6, 2014
wellness, however religion is not the only way or form in reaching spiritual wellness. Many people would
like find meaning and purpose to life itself, or sense of belonging to something greater than oneself.
Ways that you can reach spiritual health is through religion, or finding it on your own through nature,
art, meditation, good doings, or even with your loved ones. Good examples or features of being
spiritually well would be to have the capacity to love, it is hard to love someone you dont know or
someone you do not like. Compassion, in the dictionary it is explained as a feeling of deep sympathy and
sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the
suffering. Caring for others and doing it without hoping to gain something in return is a dimension of
compassion. How many people honestly have compassion for others? How many of us have the ability
to forgive others, not just say it but honestly feel it. Is it forgiveness when you say you forgive and yet
the matter still bothers you and doesnt let you turn to this person without that matter making you
upset, or even asking for forgiveness and not receiving a honest response, how does that make you feel.
I am sure people have goals in life and fulfilling them would be very pleasing, fulfillments is also a
feature to spiritual health. Being spiritually well is compared to the feeling of doing something good and
not necessarily being rewarded for it, but it giving you self-enjoyment or pleasure, having that peace in
you.

Being well is not only about feeling physically well, or being able to say I am not sick. Wellness
consists of different stands, and our intellectual, financial, and spiritual status are important for you to
grow in wellness. If these types of wellnesses help our levels of happiness and fulfillment elevate, then
why not prosper in them. We can try to explore our thoughts and feelings to reach true wellness, or
complete wellness, and answer the question How are you?

Stephanie Bermudez
Ms. Boyd
English 111
October 6, 2014

Mc Graw Hill Education HEA 110 cpcc Paul M. Insel & Walton T. Roth

Bermudez 4