Balancing Your Health: Mind, Body, and Spirit
Starting her career as a staff pharmacist, Jeannette Wang is now Senior Vice-President of Professional Affairs and Services at Shoppers Drug Mart. She shares tips on how she takes care of her whole health, and details of the new Shoppers LOVE.YOU. program, dedicated to helping women be their best in mind, body, and spirit.
By Jeanette Wang
Staying fit has always been a part of my life. I look forward to going to the gym. I look forward to my tennis game every weekend with a girlfriend. I look forward to my spinning classes—I have a favourite instructor that plays music I can relate to, and it transports me to another space.
Women who have a lot of responsibilities, and who aspire to have more responsibilities—we need to do whatever we can to stay healthy on all fronts. If I didn’t stay healthy or fit, I wouldn’t be able to cope with the daily demands of my work.
I’m fortunate that the organization I work for, Shoppers Drug Mart, is committed to helping not only their employees, but all women, achieve optimal health. Shoppers LOVE.YOU. has the aim of elevating women’s health by focusing on three pillars: body, mind, and spirit.
I believe these areas are not only all connected, they are the key to happiness! Here are a few tactics that I personally use to take care of my whole health:
Stay balanced with integration.
People talk about work-life balance. In recent years, the word integration is a more accurate description. We’re tethered to our smart phones, and whether having dinner with family or on vacation, very often we are doing work. We find ourselves in situations where we need to intersperse our work and leisure activities and somehow manage. You have to be creative. A working mom, for instance, might need questions answered about her child’s health. She can go to her local Shoppers Drug Mart and speak to her pharmacist—an easily accessible healthcare provider—and then add on some “me” time by browsing the beauty section.
I have come to a point where I can say ‘I can’t solve it right now; I need to solve it later,’ as opposed to stewing over a very difficult issue until I find an answer.
Stay productive with compartmentalization.
I’m getting better at compartmentalizing now than I used to be a number of years ago. I have come to a point where I can say ‘I can’t solve it right now; I need to solve it later,’ as opposed to stewing over a very difficult issue until I find an answer. The more I focus on one thing at a time, the more I’m able to cope and be more productive. How do I do that? Getting physical helps me compartmentalize. It takes my mind off the very intractable problem that I have to solve at work or in my personal life, so I can come back to it when I’m in a better headspace.
Stay engaged by feeding your spirit.
If you asked ten people, ‘how do you keep your spirit engaged?’ you would get ten different answers. For me, it’s having intellectual curiosity, and lifelong learning. I’m in a field where things are evolving quickly; having an understanding of world issues and government policies gives me context and allows me to make better decisions. This interest is both from a personal and professional perspective. However we do it, we need to keep our body, mind, and spirit healthy in order to live our best life; don’t forget: they are all connected.
What is Shoppers LOVE. YOU. all about?
We truly believe that when you put your health first, you’re giving the people close to you the best gift of all—a better you.
Shoppers LOVE. YOU. – Putting Women’s Health First – is our commitment to helping you stay focused on being your best in body, mind and spirit. It shares the expertise of our partners and connects you with others in support of local, community-based Women’s Health initiatives across Canada. Find one that moves you and join our journey to strengthen Women’s Health across Canada!
If your charitable group has a program to help women in your community lead stronger and healthier lives, we may be able to help.