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Art for wellness program, Brooklyn, NY

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Wellness is the state of condition of being in good physical and mental health. It requires conscious effort and it is an evolving process in an individualʼs path. Wellness is comprised of many important things, numbered as many as the complexity of individualsʼ interests. You may have seen already a diagram describing the concept of wellness, most commonly named the Life Wheel. Thankfully, the visual communications language makes things easy to understand. Visualize a circle divided in six parts. The circle represents you, or the Self. The circle divisions represent the key components of your wholesomeness, those essential dimensions that support a balanced life. In general, there are six basic dimensions in a Life wellness chart: the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental dimension. The physical dimension describes the physical body condition, and choices in exercise and nutrition; the intellectual dimension describes an individualʼs curiosity in intellectual pursuits. The emotional dimension is about inner balance, feelings and thoughts, including close relationship connections; the social dimension has to do with social interactions, which may include friends, co-workers and relatives. The spiritual dimension describes an individualʼs relationship with their spirituality, the Universe, or religious belief. Finally, the environmental dimension describes the choice in an individualʼs surroundings. The Life Wheel diagram below, or the Life Wellness Chart, as I prefer to call it, is self-explanatory.

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The formula for success to personal wellness is in your power of choice and commitment to it long-term. I have found that when we take responsibility and recognize how our life choices affect our wellness, from vocation selections, social interactions, to physical health, we come closer to ignite the changes that serve our authentic self. In other words, how we go about our life creates an impact in our wellness and our authentic essence. You are work in progress in the human experience, so is everyone else around you. You can check in on your wellness by using the Life wellness chart whenever you find fit. We all go through stages and phases in our evolution in life. With a tool like this handy, we take initiative and plan the seeds for change as we find fit. Remember that you have personal power in responding to all things that take place in this time that you are present on the earth. In the following paragraphs, you are provided with instructions to creatively design your own Life wellness chart. Make it personal; make it art, and most importantly have fun with it!

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Easy guide to create a Life wellness chart Pre-planning Make one black and white copy of recent portrait photograph of yours. If you are inclined, draw or paint your own self-portrait on a letter size paper (8.5x11 inches). When that idea is not an option, take a selfie with your smart phone, or ask a beloved to help you. The local office store will print your work once you save it on a USB drive. Buy one white sheet of paper from your neighborhood art store. It needs be on the heavyweight side and proportionally larger than your self-portrait, one to two times larger. This heavyweight paper is to become your canvas. I encourage you to use white color; it makes it easy to add on. However, use my instructions as your guide, anything goes in art and creativity. Find a table that your family or housemates wonʼt need to use for the next few hours. It needs to be spacious enough to work on it comfortably. Start by protecting the table with a linen tablecloth from the dollar store. Alternatively, lay down old magazine pages lightly taped together, or reused wrapping paper. Gather material that you fancy to work with. For example, if you are into textile design, select leftover fabric from favorite patterns and textures and pieces of yarn you would love to use. If you are passionate about accounting, you may use older receipts and copies of tax reports. Have glue and adhesive tape handy, markers, crayons, a pencil, an eraser, a ruler, and a pair of scissors. Other materials you may choose to use are paint, paintbrushes, stencils, colored pencils, your own printed photography and images from magazines. Application Place your self-portrait in the center of your heavyweight paper. Use adhesive tape or glue to secure it. With a light pencil draw a large circle around your photograph. The circle needs to be large enough to cover about two thirds of your canvas. Divide the circle in six equal parts. They represent the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental dimensions. Spend some time to contemplate. Is there anything else that is important to you, perhaps a seventh dimension? Make room for it in your wellness chart and lightly pencil it down. Then think how to fill out each dimension and draw lightly with the pencil. In the next steps, trace the circle with a marker or paint, trace the dimensions, to start complete your artwork. I would encourage you to work spontaneously and allow creativity to be your guide. What colors would you add to compliment your Life wellness chart? Would you want to use acrylics or watercolor paint? Would you add your own photography or found images from magazines? Could you doodle decorative patterns with a brush pen, or a marker? Perhaps consider

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experiment with finger painting? Whatever makes your heart sing goes. Your wellness chart is unique. Make it personal, make it fun, make it art! When you finish with your chart take a pen and a notebook and answer the following questions: * Did anything surprise you? * There is an imaginary scale, 0-10, with zero as least satisfied, where are you in each dimension? * Is there anything you would like to improve? If so, how would you go about taking small action steps? What can you do in the following week and month to improve your wellness and honor your authentic self? Tip Revisit your personalized Life wellness chart whenever you feel fit. Change is an inevitable aspect of life and so you have the power, to create the best life for you. Material - Glue - Adhesive tape - Various magazines - Paint - Paintbrushes - Markers - Pencil - Eraser - Ruler - Scissors - Yarn - Gift-wrapping paper Nefeli Soteriou is a certified life creativity coach and helps clients achieve natural lasting results in well-being and lifestyle with the Humanistic approach to Psychology. Our relationship starts with a complimentary phone conversation to learn about you and discuss how we can work best together. We are proficient in English and in Greek language contact us at 347-830-5239 in the US Website: https://www.nefelisoteriou.com/ Facebook: fb.me/HolistiConsultant Instagram: nefelisoteriou