Working Towards Wellness: October 2025

[itsfi]

Hey there, BIC! I don't know about you, but sometimes, little moments of self-care sprinkled throughout the hustle-and-bustle of my day-to-day can have a meaningful impact. That's one of the reasons that lead me to put together these wellness boards; another was to add a layer of fun to self-care. If this sounds like something you might benefit from or if you're just interested in seeing how it goes, jump on in if, when and how you like. 

More detailed information for wellness bingo can be found in the links below, but essentially, if you undertake a self-care activity described in one of the squares, you can mark off that square. Get 5 in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally and you've got BINGO! 🎉 If you're up for sharing what you did for any of your wellness activities, please feel free to do so. 

Remember, be safe when engaging in the activities described, taking into consideration the condition of your self and surroundings (i.e., location, weather, your ability to perform the activities) and consult with a professional, including your health care professional, if and as needed. Make any adjustments or skip an activity, if and as needed.

How To Play / How To Post

Description/Examples of Activities

• Rows 1 through 3 Activities
• Rows 4 & 5 Activities

Spoiler

Tagging a few folks who have posted to previous Working Towards Wellness threads. Will try to update tags throughout periodically. If I inadvertently missed someone, I apologize. Feel free to tag others who you think may be interested. Be well!
@ather @blackkitty2014 @caitbird @CorgiMommy @curlychiquita @danielledanielle @jaaayp @PrettyPaint @Samtian 

[ather]

@itsfi  yes! It was yesterday! Hmmm I don’t have any real traditions other than I always invite people who aren’t living close to family. Or wouldn’t have a dinner otherwise. I have another friend who also started the same. She usually does hers Sunday and I do mine on Monday! 

[itsfi]

I love that @ather. Very thoughtful and generous of you and your friend. You're good people! Truly. It must mean so much to those you invite, whether or not they accept the invitation, just knowing they have a place to spend the holiday and share in the gathering and celebration is so meaningful. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Awww that’s why I do it! 😊 I need to think about some better traditions tho! Every Sunday I make homemade pancakes. I try to have lots of mini traditions for little man to remember when he’s older! 

[itsfi]

Reading that put a smile on my face. 🥰 It’s sweet that you are creating traditions for him, @ather, and that the three of you are creating so many great memories from those traditions. Love that more than I can express in words. 🫶🏻 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Great goals for this month! I do truly appreciate how much you put into this. Your details and descriptions are impeccable. 

[itsfi]

Awww, thank you for your kindness @Samtian; it means a lot. I appreciate hearing what people are doing, what activities they enjoy doing for their own wellbeing. It gives me ideas and inspiration both for my own wellness practice as well as for thinking through, framing, and researching future self care activities. The wellness bingo cards give me an opportunity to exercise a little creativity which is not necessarily something most people might instinctively think is a skillset for me, and documenting the the activities is my chance to practice taking photos or to try out a new technique when doing so.

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi Thanks for the tag, and the board is absolutely adorable. I love the little ghosts! 👻

[itsfi]

Awww, thanks so much @PrettyPaint! It was fun putting this one together, moreso after I got through a couple of hurdles with it, but the little ghosts turned out nicely. Hopefully it will be a good self-care board for folks this month. 

[itsfi]

How To Play:

The short-and-sweet of it is to just jump right on in, by undertaking one or more of the activities described 
in a square. Once you've performed the activity, that square is yours - check it off however you like. If you mark off 5 squares in a row, be it horizontally, vertically or diagonally, you've got yourself a bingo! It doesn't have to stop there (or start there), work towards checking off as many squares as you can, or clearing the board, by the end of the month. Just remember, be safe and make adjustments, as needed.

• Be Safe. Always be mindful of weather and safety conditions of your location, and your health and physical condition before engaging in any activities listed. For activities you're unsure of, especially the physial ones, consult with your physician or health care professional before starting an activity and make any adjustments, if and as appropriate.

• Length of Activities. Certain activities may include (in parens) a specified time for the activity. This is meant as a guideline, an example. If this is not something you feel comfortable doing, for whatever reason, perform the activity for a different period of time. Start out at 5 minutes and work your way up from there. If you can go for a longer period of time, go for it. Remember, this is about your wellness and your progress.

How To Post:

Posting about your progress is completely up to you. If you feel up to sharing about the self-care activities you undertook, please do, no matter the number of activities! We love hearing about what worked or what didn't work for you. And, we're always looking to pick up some real life tips, tricks and techniques. 

To post, click "Reply" in the lower left hand corner of this original post and write away in the box that will appear. You can list the activities you performed, with or without your feedback on the activity, and with or without a photo. You can also attach a copy of the wellness bingo card with the applicable squares marked off, if you'd like.

[itsfi]

A brief description of the self-care activities in the squares for this month's Be Well bingo card is below. Please note: 

• Some squares on the wellness card include more general activities or types of activities. The information included below serves as a guideline or example of how you might go about the activity described. There may be other ways to go about doing the activity/activities described. Looking forward to hearing what everyone does for the squares they mark off.

• For some activities, reference may be made to another resource or third party, each and every one of which are, to my knowledge (without inquiry) independent of, and not affiliated with nor endorsed by me, Sephora, its affiliates, unless otherwise explicitly noted.

• Safety first. If conditions are such that it is not safe to perform the activity in question, be it due to weather, the location, your physical, mental or emotional state, do not engage in the activity. Make any appropriate modification or skip the activity altogether. If there are limitations or conditions that may prevent you from safely undertaking the activity, consult with your health care professional to determine whether it is appropriate to engage in the activity.

• If an activity includes a time duration that you are not comfortable or capable of doing, adjust accordingly. Start with work works for you, whether that's starting out at 5 minutes or 10, or otherwise.

• Where a reference is made to a website and includes "(dot)" replace the "(dot)" with a "." / period.

FIRST ROW:

Stretch (30 minutes): Whether it's a full body stretch or time spent on one or more parts of the body, aim for 30 minutes or more. It can be done all at once or broken up in increments throughout your day - for example, 10 minutes when you get out of bed, 10 in the middle of the day and 10 minutes before bed. Do what works for your schedule and body needs.

From time to time, I find that having some guidance or following a stretching routine can be helpful. A couple of articles / blogs I found with some worthwhile stretching routine that might be of interest include:

• "Daily Stretching Routine: Boost Flexibility and Reduce Stress in Just 15 Minutes" from Greatist - greatist(dot)com
• "Stretches for Beginners: 10 of The Best Movements for Those Just Starting" from NASM - blog(dot)nasm(dot)org
• "7 Quick Stretches for Stress Relief You Can Do Right Now" from Everyday Health - everydayhealth(dot)com

Prioritize Yourself: I suspect we've heard the phrase "self care is not selfish" often. I imagine many of us can appreciate the truth of that statement, at least conceptually, most of the time. It's one thing to say it but quite another to embrace it and live it out. I'm not going to claim to be an expert in this field by any means, and, I'm fairly certain for many of us, it's a work in progress, and sometimes that work can feel like we're starting at the beginning, again and again. Or, giving it a go for the first time. A few ways (and these are by no means the only ways) to go about prioritizing yourself as a form of self-care, include, but are not limited to: 

• Say 'yes' (or 'no' for that matter) to the next invite you get.
• Set boundaries and say 'no' to the next request made of you.
• Read for leisure, watch a TV show or movie, listen to a podcast.
• On your next trip to the grocery store, add 1 or 2 things to your shopping cart that are just for you.
• Buy yourself flowers (go for chocolate too while you're at it!)
• Tell your partner / significant other you need a day / night off and take yourself out on a date or make plans for a girls or guys day/night out.
• Say 'yes' the next time someone offers to watch the kids, pet sit, etc. OR ask a friend if they might do that for a day/night.
• Plan a mini vacation (even if it's just an overnight stay somewhere) and follow through with it.
• Spend half an hour (or more) at a cafe - reading, journaling, people watching - by yourself or with a friend you haven't seen for a while.
• Grab / make coffee and go for a walk in the park - by yourself or with a friend.
• Treat yourself to a mani. Or a pedi. Or both. Or a massage. Or a facial. Or, whatever it is that makes you feel pampered.
• Engage in creative activities, arts and crafts, hobbies.
• Spend an afternoon at the museum, art gallery, in the park, at a craft fair, Oktoberfest.
• Block out an hour of time on the weekend. That's your "Me Time." Commit to it.

Music-therapy: Music can be an outlet for expressing emotion and well-being. It can help with healing, reduce stress, provide comfort. Find a song or a playlist of tunes that resonates with you and whatever mood or space you are in at the moment and turn up that beat! Sing your heart out. Dance as if no one is watching. Or, just sit in silence, taking in the lyrics or rhythm (or both) of the music. Feel free to share what you've been listening to, in your check-in and/or on the 🎶✨Song of the Day and Music Thread!✨🎶.

Work on Joy: I happened upon the article "5 Ways to Cultivate Joy Every Day (A Step-by-Step Guide)" on SenseDiary - sensediary(dot)com - I loved that it included specific examples of practical things that one could do for each way the author suggests joy can be cultivated. I've included a screenshot taken from the SenseDiary site below. One way to check off this square may be to engage in one of the practices discussed in the article or all five ways (over the course of one or multiple days). 

Have a warm & cozy drink: Fall offers some of the most fun and creative drinks.  Whether you make one yourself or buy one is entirely up to you. With or without alcohol. Be safe and drink responsibly if your drink involves alcohol. Always love seeing and hearing about a warm & cozy drink. Drop a pic or recipe here and/or on the What’s in your cup? thread.

SECOND ROW:

Quiet Time - Journal - Meditate - Breathe: Spending quality time with ourselves in solitude can be helpful to our well-being. No TikTok. No Instagram. No BIC. Spend some time in quietness, whether it be in the practice of being still or in meditation. Or, maybe you prefer to carve out some time in the day to journal (digitally or with pen-and paper). Or, take time out to focus on your breathing.

• Quiet Time - set aside some time to just sit (or lie down) and be still. The first thing to do is to identify how much time you want to spend being quiet. Start out small if you're doing this for the first time - 5 or 10 minutes. 

• Journal - Write down your thoughts, in general, or in response to a prompt/question. If you're looking for a prompt to get you started, check out the online article from silkandsonder(dot)com titled  "60 Fun Writing Prompts for When Your Journaling Practice Needs a Shake-Up"

• Breathe - There are a host of breathing exercises and techniques available online, including "10 Simple Breathing Exercises for Sleep and Relaxation" on the Oura Ring blog. If you do an internet search for "oura" and "10 simple breathing exercises" it should pull up an article titled "10 Simple Breathing Exercises for Sleep and Relaxation" - the post includes written instruction as well as illustration of the steps involved in the 10 different exercises described.

Slow down & savor the season: Autumn for me has typically been the start of a busy or even busier season so I was particularly intrigued about this "slow living autumn" concept I was reading about. It centers on the idea of the fall season being one of cozy comfort and slowing down and resting in the embrace of that warmth and comfort. I'm not sure it's going to be all rest but I can get behind some of these slow down & savor the season activities:

• baking 
• making more time to unwind in the evening 
• cozy up with warm cup of tea and book / journal
• decorate for fall / decorate for comfort
• get outside and enjoy the crisp air and fall colors 

Fall Face: Let's get some TLC to our face this fall. Some ways to show ourselves and our faces a little extra care and pampering this fall include any of the following:

• updating/adjusting skincare routine for fall - for some of us, the cooler, crisper air that fall brings mean  updating or adjusting our skincare routine to incorporate gentle exfoliators to remove dead skin and/or switching to a richer or creamier formula when it comes to our cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen or lip treatment. If the transition to fall includes a must-have product, let us know here or on the Fall Skincare Must-Haves thread.
• transitioning makeup shades or formulation for fall
• trying different makeup looks / trends for fall - if you're looking for ideas or inspiration for looks to try,  particularly with all thing cheeks, check out the Cheek Challenge Fall 2025: Feed Me, Slay More  thread
• using different masks / sheet masks depending on your skin's needs
• incorporating facial massage and/or tools into your skincare routine - for beauty tools, including if you have thoughts or feedback on ones you've tried yourself, there's the It's Tool Time - The BIC Beauty Edition 

Have a healthy meal: Whether you're cooking at home, going out, getting take-out or having it delivered, or reheating leftovers, etc., sit down, slow down, and practice self-care by nourishing your body with a healthy meal. If you have a food pic or recipe to share, have at it here or check out the What's on your plate?  thread.

Digital Detox before bed (30 minutes): Unplug from your electronics for a minimum of 30 minutes before you go to bed. Let your unwinding time really be about unwinding.

• If reading on your Kindle, listening to music or a podcast on your phone or using an app like Headspace is part of your unwinding routine, keep doing those activities - unplug from social media, work, etc.
• If 30 minutes seems too long, start off small, with a 10 or 15-minute detox and work your way up from there.

THIRD ROW:

Prioritize Sleep: Quality sleep - a well-rested brain and body - can play a crucial role in our wellness, our wellbeing. It can be hard to make time for it with all the things we have on our plates, but every effort counts. 

1 for you and 1 for me: The (mini) Self-Care Emergency Kit: Holiday 2025: The calendar say it's October but the days fly by and the holidays will be upon us sooner rather than later. Plan for (or for those who want to get a jump start on it, put together) two (2) mini self-care emergency kits for the holidays - one for you and one for .... well, for whoever else you'd like. Or, who you think could use or might like a self-care emergency kit for or during the holidays (or, if you want to do this and give it to someone before the holidays, that works too - be it now, Thanksgiving (in Canada or US), Christmas or anytime.

Some ideas for what your kit might look like include, but is not at all limited to, any one or more of the following (all it takes is one thing):

• A card, expressing what you appreciate about the recipient or thanking them for something they did or just wishing them a good day (and for the card to you, what you appreciate about yourself, etc.)
• A small treat (e.g., piece of chocolate, candy cane, a homemade ornament, a sheet mask, hand cream, hand sanitizer, a pair of socks, lip balm, etc.)
• A gift card for a cup of coffee, a donut, a scoop of ice cream, etc.
• A candle
• A book, journal, etc.

There are a number of people the "you" could be - your significant other; a friend; family member; co-worker; new person in school/work/neighborhood; the person who delivers your packages; your teacher / your kids' teacher; your doorperson; etc.

NOTE: this square can be marked off by planning what you want to do or who your recipient will be. You can, of course, also mark off the square by putting your kit together and/or delivering it. Or you can wait and put it together/deliver it next month or the month after that - who knows, there might be another square you can check off as well (e.g., pay it forward, etc.)

Free Space: Undertake a self-care activity or something that advances or promotes your wellness. Or, do nothing at all. That, too, can be a form of self-care in and of itself.

Practice gratitude: What or who are the things or people you are grateful for? Some examples for practicing gratitude, include but are not limited to:

• Making an effort / carving out time in your day to be thankful for (or more mindful of) the people, events and things in your life this week 

• Letting someone know in an email, text, in person, etc. that you are grateful/thankful for them or for something they did

• Writing in a journal about the people, things you appreciate

Have some fall fun: Several activities that can fall into this box, including: 

• Take a scenic hike, bike ride, or drive
• Visit a pumpkin patch
• Go apple or pumpkin picking
• Have a cozy bonfire night - roast marshmallows, sip cider, etc.
• Light a fall scented candle
• Oktoberfest
• Wine harvest season
• Go for a hayride
• Visit a haunted house
• Carve pumpkins
• Go trick-or-treating (or hand out candy)
• Participate in a Halloween house decorating contest. Or, if your city or town has a street that's known for well decorated houses, take a walk or drive through that neighborhood. Invite a friend or family member to join you. Grab some warm apple cider or hot chocolate before heading out the door or on the way over to the street. 
• Visit (and go through) a corn maze
• Visit craft fairs, or, have a booth at one
• Take part in (cooking or eating, or both) a chili cook off
• Sporting events - watch the World Series (at someone's home, bar, etc.) or a football game or tailgate
• Grab a young'un & go jumping in leaves. Or, invite someone your own age to be a kid not just at heart & go jumping in leaves.

[Descriptions for activities listed in Rows 4 and 5 to follow in a separate reply post below - because there's a character liimit per post 🤣]

[itsfi]

FOURTH ROW:

Brain Teasers: Crosswords, puzzles, checkers, chess, sudoku, Rubik's cube, riddles, logic games, card games, board games, video games, answering your kids' "why?", etc. - what are the things that make your brain think?! 

Body Care: Body care as self care can take many forms, including:

• exercise - swimming, weights, soccer, tennis, pickleball, yoga, pilates, going for a run, a hike, etc.
• Or, it can extend to wellness - using a body gua sha or dry brushing, taking probiotics, supplements, etc.
• Or, be about beauty related treatments or pampering activities - mani/pedi, facials, massages, etc. 

Work on an area for growth: Look, we all have at least one. At. Least. One. An area that we struggle with when it comes to our self-care. Where it takes just a little more effort than the other areas to get right, or to just do it. For whatever reason. Or no reason at all. Whether it's speaking kindly or being kind to ourselves or to others. Or, drawing boundaries/saying 'no'. Or, maybe it's practicing gratitude. Or, being still. Or, asking for help. Or, giving ourselves a "time out" whatever that looks like for you. Whatever it is, here's a chance to work on it and mark off a square while we're at it. You don't even have to share what it is. Just do it, check off the square and be done with it. But seriously, for anyone who makes just an effort to try to work on a self-care activity that is harder for you than others (for whatever reason, or no reason at all), bravo / brava to you. It's not easy. Check off the square and give yourself the pat on the back you earned. 

Spend quality time with those you love: be it your partner, significant other, family, friends, fur babies. Or, maybe it's just spending time with yourself. Carve out time to be with the one(s) you love and the one(s) who love you, and commit to it. 

Seasonal fruits & veggies: Get in your fruits and veggies. Fall offers a plethora of delicious fruits and vegetables. Roast 'em. Saute 'em. Add 'em to your oatmeal, salad, soup, pasta sauce, water, and/or smoothies. Or just eat them as they are. If you have a farmers' market near you, grab a bag & head on over to see what's available. If seasonal fruits and veggies or a farmers' market isn't easily accessible to you, or if that's not your thing, have a helping of your favorite fruits and veggies, seasonal or otherwise.
 

FIFTH ROW:

Stay hydrated: Get in your daily dose of water, whether that's eight (8) 8-oz glasses or half your body weight. If you're exerting a lot of energy or working under conditions where you need extra water, get in that extra water and consider drinking some electrolyte water as well. 

Aroma-therapy: Light a candle, use a room spray or diffuser, spritz yourself with some perfume or apply a scented lotion or oil to your hands, feet and body. Use scent as a way to calm, soothe, refresh, uplift. Fragrance can improve mood, manage stress levels, enhance relaxation, promote mindfulness. 

Try or Do something new: This can be anything new to you. It can be something new within an area or skillset that is familiar to you - you can be a phenomenal baker but have never tried your hand at making pumpkin brownies. Or, you may slay when it comes to your blush placement but want to become the queen of contour this season (if so, check out 🏫🎓BIC University 🎓🏫). It can be daunting to step outside our comfort zones, but it can be fun and rewarding too. Whether it's shifting your focus into a different area within your expertise or trying something completely new to you, here's to challenging yourself a little and seeing where it takes you.

Revisit Wellness Wheel: From April to August of this year, we included self-care activities that touched on the 8 dimensions of wellness (as represented in the wellness wheel). For this square, pick (at least) one of the 8 wellness area(s) to focus on and undertake an activity within that area. I'll list the 8 wellness areas in a reply to this post, along with the description or examples of activities included for that area from the month it was part of our BWell bingo challenge.

Exercise (30 minutes): Let's get our bodies moving. Indoors or outside. Individually or with others. Let's get in some exercise. At least 30 minutes if you can - all at once, or broken up in smaller cycles throughout the day. If you're not feeling up to doing 30 minutes or it's not in your best interest to try for 30, go for 5 or 10. Exercise can come in many forms, including:

• Walking, running, biking, hiking
• Raking leaves, chopping wood, 
• Wall workouts, yoga, pilates, resistance bands, weights, doing balance exercises
• Tai chi, martial arts
• Swimming, racquetball, pickleball, soccer, volleyball
• Dancing, HIIT, circuit training, bootcamp, crossfit, aqua fitness, rock climbing

[itsfi]

Information Regarding Previous Activities Pertaining to The Wellness Wheel:

Over the course of five (5) months, we've included squares that have focused on all eight (8) of the wellness areas of the wellness wheel, with the spotlight being shown on certain areas more than once. Whether or not you undertook an activity for all eight (8) areas, here's another opportunity for you to pick one or more wellness area to focus on for a square. I've listed the 8 dimensions in the order they appeared on this year's wellness boards and attached or posted the activities or examples of activities that might serve as a form of self-care within that wellness field. I've also included a link to the monthly wellness thread in which the particular wellness field first appeared in the event you'd like to go back to see what folks may have done to mark off the square for that wellness area.

Financial Wellness (April 2025)

Financial well-being is a form of self care, and can take on many approaches, including but not limited to the following:

• Create a realistic and reasonable monthly budget
• Track your spending, on your own, through an app, etc.
• Set financial goals for the future, on your own or with a financial advisor
• Listen to a financial, money or investment related podcast
• Save money every month - to invest, for a treat, etc.
• Hit "refresh" - not all of us are great with managing our money. We may have some habits we need to let go of or manage better, be it with past expenditures, etc. Here's a chance to do some financial "spring cleaning" - out with old bad habits, and in with better ones. 

Occupational Wellness (May 2025)

Self-care at work (e.g., office, home, remote location, etc.) will mean different things to different people, but a few examples of what it looks like might include (but is not limited to):

• Pack a healthy lunch and/or snacks
• Stretch - if you spend most of your day in front of a computer, focus on your hands, arms, core, lower back, etc.. If you stand all day, focus some extra time stretching out your legs, calves, ankles, lower back, etc.
• Take your lunch break - don't eat at your desk while working; and, if applicable, your breaks for that matter
• Make sure your workspace is safe, ergonomically sound, etc.
• Get fresh air
• Stay hydrated
• Stay connected with your colleagues. Check in with one another to see how people are doing.

Emotional Wellness: (May 2025)

Emotional well being is important. There are any number of things that can cause our emotions to spike or wane. Emotional wellness is not about being "on" or having it together all the time, but sometimes it feels like that's the case. Being emotionally strong, emotionally well is about how we handle the ups and downs that life throws at us; building mechanisms to respond to life's twists and turns and having tools and resources to help with that. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published an article entitled "Emotional Wellness Toolkit" that included "6 strategies for improving your emotional health" and PDF of an emotional wellness checklist that I found interesting. I won't be able to post a link to the site but if you type the following into your search engine - "NIH Emotional Wellness Toolkit", you should be able to pull up the article which includes a downloadable checklist.

Intellectual Wellness: (June 2025)

Giving our brains a workout (that's different than the hoops and hurdles it may be asked to go through in your day job).  An article published in UC Davis Heath described intellectual wellness as being "about nurturing your mind." Intellectual wellness "encourages you to stay curious, engage in creative activities, and continue learning through life."  Some ways to go about improving our intellectual wellness include:

• Reading
• Writing
• Learning a new language, skill, craft, instrument
• Engaging in brain teasers or mind puzzles, like sudoku, working on physical puzzles,  Rubik's Cube, crossword puzzles, riddles, quiz night at the neighborhood bar, playing against the contestant on Jeopardy!, etc.
• Taking a class or workshop
• Watching documentaries, listening to podcasts & audiobooks on a subject or topic that is new to you (or an area that you are delving into)
• Traveling

Physical Wellness: (June 2025)

Physical wellness is about the actions we undertake or refrain from undertaking in our efforts to reach or maintain the optimal or maximum health of our physical bodies. It is closely tied to other areas of wellness and there are several ways to go about looking after our physical wellness, including -

• Moving your body. Getting regular physical activity - walking, stretching, lifting weights, yoga, cycling, etc. Start small if this is new to you.

• Nourishing your body. Being mindful of what we put into our bodies. It's not necessarily about following a certain type of diet (unless certain restrictions or guidelines are directed by your healthcare provider), but making efforts to consume good-for-your-body foods, balancing fruits, veggies, grains and healthy fats that your body needs to perform optimally.

• Getting adequate rest and sleep. It's recommended that most adults get 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. Look, I get it. 7-9 hours is not always easy to come by. Making it quality sleep during that entire time can be even more difficult. Do what you can to create a routine and sleep environment that can help you get there.

• Managing stress. Some amount of stress can be healthy and can optimize how we perform. Too much stress, however, is, well, too much. Finding ways to relax and relieve stress (whether it's taking deep breaths, giving ourselves a time out, journaling or talking to a friend or therapist, etc.) can improve our health in the long term.

• Preventative care. Scheduling regular medical check-ups, screenings and immunizations.

If you have an activity that falls in the physical wellness category, go for it! If there's something on this month's wellness bingo card that fits and you enjoy doing it, have another round of it. NIH also puts out a  checklist that might be of interest (see below).  Please note that neither I, nor to my knowledge (without inquiry) Sephora, are affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, or any other organization, business or brand referenced here (unless otherwise noted). You may wish to consult with a medical professional, heath care provider, trainer, nutritionist and/or other professional as needed before engaging in activities described in wellness bingo, including physical wellness activities described.

Social Wellness (July 2025)

Connect with others; spend quality time with others, whether it's a family outing; a weekend with friends, date night. Or, taking a cooking class, training with others for a run, taking group lessons, like pickleball, water aerobics, spinning, etc. 

Spiritual Health & Wellness (July 2025)

We've been working through the wellness wheel / 8 dimensions of wellness. One of those focuses on spiritual wellness. There are are many ways to practice or increase our spiritual health and wellness, including ones noted by UC Davis Office of Wellness Education and the coaching and mental health platform, Better Up.

Other resources on this area of wellness have noted the following activities:

• Self-reflection
• Go into nature
• Self-cherish
• Sing
• Dance
• Play
• Be inspired
• Take yoga
• Play with children
• Meditate
• Pray
• Volunteer for a cause
• Foster self-forgiveness
• Watch sunsets

Environmental Wellness: (August 2025)

Environmental Wellness encompasses many aspects, including the environments where we live, work and play, and how they affect our health and overall wellness. We can't always choose what's in our environments but there may be simple, every day things we can do to make our surroundings healthier for ourselves and others.

How's your environment? Is/are the space(s) you spend the most time contributing to your overall wellness? What can I do / what practical, realistic changes can I make to make my space a better environment for my wellness and the wellness of those around me?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published an article entitled "Environmental Wellness Toolkit" that included "7 strategies for improving your environmental health" and PDF of an environmental wellness checklist that I found interesting. I won't be able to post a link to the site but if you type the following into your search engine - "NIH Environmental Wellness Toolkit", you should be able to pull up the article which includes a downloadable checklist.