Do you consider that your life is full of well-being? Surely this question will make you think and at the same time reflect, that’s good, because, at any time of our lives, it is wonderful to go into our being and see everything that is balanced and what is not.
Recently, we spoke with psychologist Irene Zamora about wellness and wholeness, especially in these times when there is so much talk about mental health. It is worth mentioning that Irene has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Centroamérica (UACA) in San José, Costa Rica, due to her focus on studying and taking courses that nurture both her professional career and her personal life:
● Diploma in Floral Therapy at Centro Transformar in San Jose, Costa Rica (year 2005).
● Diploma in Bioenergetics at Centro Transformar in San Jose, Costa Rica (2010).
● Specialty in Aromatherapy, Phytotherapy, and Nutrition with the Funiber Foundation of the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana (UNINI) in Arecibo, Puerto Rico (year 2015).
● Master’s Degree in Emotional Wellness Psychotherapy at the Instituto Superior de Estudios Psicológicos (ISEP) in Valencia, Spain (year 2018).
● Certified as a facilitator of Conscious and Sacred Sexuality at the Latin American School of Sacred Sexuality, Viña del Mar, Chile (year 2021).
● Certified Mindfulness and Meditation Instructor thanks to studies at the European University Miguel de Cervantes in Valladolid, Spain (year 2023).
And, finally, she is an expert in Team Roles, such knowledge was obtained at the Belbin Institute in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Irene is a native of San José but now lives in Pinares de Curridabat. Regarding what motivated her to study psychology and the branches that have generated her greatest curiosity, the Costa Rican has an interesting story.
She grew up in a family of nine siblings with very present parents, but among nine siblings and being the fifth (the center), she felt a little misunderstood, in addition, since she was a child she noticed her high level of sensitivity which made her feel different or strange, and that led her to seek answers, so she decided to study psychology “more as a personal path, than as a career”; at that time Irene worked in the tourism area and had studied other careers such as administration that she did not finish.
For her, defining a single area of psychology that filled her with curiosity was not easy, “I live very much from the integrity of being, so the psychoanalytic vision seems to me a very valid contribution to access the unconscious and understand. The behavioral part is what leads us to be here and now, to make the necessary changes. The humanistic one involves the spiritual and transcendental part of the being, which for me is very important in wellbeing,” she said.
Currently, she does not work in psychology, she is grateful for the training because it opened the path of self-knowledge and personal growth processes, but in her practice she considers herself a holistic therapist, specializing in emotional self-regulation where she works from mindfulness, art therapy, acceptance therapy and commitment, decoding, if necessary in the definition of methodologies.
What is a human being’s well-being based on?
According to his knowledge and given the current times, Zamora explained that wellness is an integral state that implies taking care of our needs and maintaining a balance in our lives in different aspects: emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, financial, social, environmental, and spiritual.
“All human beings have the right to live in wellness and this entails a series of responsibilities and commitments to ourselves, from healthy living habits such as balanced nutrition, exercise, and adequate rest. A self-care and personal growth that involves our daily presence. Fostering meaningful interpersonal relationships that provide us with support, connection, and a sense of belonging,” she said.
Likewise, the Costa Rican psychologist stressed that the spiritual dimension and the meaning of life are essential, providing a purpose, and connecting us with something greater than ourselves to understand our existence.
These elements, when integrated into our daily lives, provide us with the tools necessary to live a fulfilling, purposeful, and satisfying life, facing challenges with resilience and building deep connections with ourselves and others.
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Is wellness practiced daily?
In Irene’s opinion, wellness requires our daily presence to foster this awareness and thus be able to live acting in coherence with our feelings and thinking.
That is, all our actions are motivated by our emotions and the way we perceive the world, “as we become more aware of this we will be able to relate better to what happens to us, always remembering that we are not what happens to us, but the attitude with which we relate to what happens to us.
Each experience is a field of action, a learning experience, an opportunity to see how I want to relate to people or situations”.
In this way, we choose every day, this choice requires us to see what is there without judgment and with acceptance, to be able to perceive the possibilities of action and from that place to decide what we should or want to do, being aware of what we think, acting in congruence with the objectives, goals, and purposes.
Can Well-being be measured?
Zamora emphasized that “wellbeing can be measured, although it is a complex concept that encompasses multiple dimensions, understanding wellbeing as a state in which a person feels satisfied with his or her life”.
Satisfaction should assess emotional well-being, physical well-being, social well-being, professional well-being, and spiritual well-being “Given that well-being is multidimensional, levels of well-being may vary from one dimension to another. Some people may have high emotional well-being but low physical well-being,” he emphasized.
Now, when we talk about the integrity of being an integral well-being, all our aspects correlate with each other. This requires assessing which are the areas in which we are not living in wellness to make adjustments since discomfort in one area will have an impact on others.
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According to Irene’s knowledge, several scales, indicators, and methods can help to measure well-being in one or different areas giving a more objective view.
“But wellness is quite subjective. Subjectively measuring wellness involves reflecting on different aspects of life and assessing how you feel about them. So everyone can ask themselves, “Am I living a balanced and fulfilling life in all the aspects that are important to me, including my physical, emotional, social, professional and spiritual health?” she added.
A person with Wellness
“People who live in wellness stop surviving to live,” answered Zamora, when we asked him what a person with wellness looks like.
A person with wellness has greater energy and vitality, better self-knowledge, self-love, less self-criticism, and are more compassionate being.
Also, they tend to have healthier and more satisfying relationships, as they are more empathetic, understanding, and able to communicate effectively, allowing people to build stronger support networks, which can be a crucial factor in times of need or crisis.
People with well-being are more creative people, tend to make more balanced and effective decisions, can think clearly and evaluate situations from multiple perspectives, increase performance and efficiency in their professional and personal tasks, facing adversities more efficiently.
“A person with well-being has a sense of living a full and purposeful life, which leads to greater satisfaction and happiness, tending to enjoy more of the little things in life and feel grateful for what they have.”
Is Wellness the same as Wholeness?
The Costa Rican therapist said that “Wellness” and “Wholeness” are related concepts, but they are not the same. Well-being, as we have seen previously, is a state of balance and harmony in the different aspects of our lives.
On the other hand, wholeness refers to a deeper sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, it is a state of awareness and presence, where it not only implies having well-being but also a sense of wholeness and inner completeness. “It is a subjective experience of feeling complete and fulfilled, beyond external circumstances”.
She explained that we can be fulfilled in times of adversity and surrender to experiences in a conscious way that helps our evolution. “Fulfillment includes well-being, going beyond that by incorporating a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. It is living from the essence of being in the awareness of presence, it is that surrender to the present moment from an unconditional love for life.”
For Irene, how can fulfillment be achieved?
Fulfillment requires us to stop resisting and controlling. It requires our presence, to accept what happens to us, and to recognize what is moving in us to be able to relate most lovingly and compassionately.
It is the manifestation of unconditional love with ourselves and our environment; the understanding that we are a being with a unique essence, which has a purpose for life itself and the humanity that is shared.
Is being full the same as being happy? “Being happy is an emotional state that comes and goes like all emotions in our life, it is not a permanent state”.
Tips for living a full life
The Mindfulness expert mentioned some tips to live a full life:
- Taking care of the body we inhabit through healthy nutrition, exercise, constant movement, optimal sleep health, adequate hydration, contact with nature, and the necessary self-care activities.
- Meditate, there are many benefits that this practice gives us on both neurophysiological, emotional, and spiritual levels.
- Knowing ourselves. It is necessary to heal wounds, reconcile with our past, understand ourselves, understand ourselves and make adjustments or changes that disconnect us from our feelings.
- Take care of our thoughts and restructure our limiting beliefs, embracing our vulnerability.
- Fostering interpersonal relationships through mindfulness and assertive communication.
- Practice reflection and gratitude.
- Find meaning in what we do every day and live congruently with our goals and objectives.
Details about Kokoro Bienestar
Kokoro Bienestar is Irene’s current project. In her opinion, it is a space to connect with different resources in wellness, where she has made national and international collaborations.
“It is a project that is evolving, whose mission is to interconnect wellness professionals. Here we provide both personal and corporate services. On a personal level, we offer services such as face-to-face and virtual mindfulness courses, philosophy and meditation workshops, individualized emotional wellness programs for emotional self-regulation, healing the inner child, and working with burnout syndrome”.
At the corporate level, they offer training with a Mindful Leadership program and personal training to promote emotional well-being in companies, both SMEs and multinationals more than 30 companies have enjoyed emotional well-being through their approach in the last 3 years.
A person can contact Irene if he/she is going through… People who need guidance to self-regulate their emotions, to know themselves better, and who wish to work on their emotional well-being.
Finally, the therapist shared the message: “We can only transform what we have accepted; to accept, we must see ourselves with love and cultivate the best relationship with ourselves. The most valuable investment in your life is yourself: pay attention to it, learn to live from wellness, which is your right”.
For us, it was a pleasure to talk with Irene, a woman who is undoubtedly prepared in the area of the well-being of the self.
If you wish to get more information, contact them or simply follow her on social networks, you can’t miss her contact information:
WhatsApp: +506 8930 6272
Instagram: @kokorobienestar
Website: www.kokorobienestar,com
email:[email protected]
