Conversations about health are ongoing in the news and in our world these days, as they should be. Anytime you hear the word “health” you are likely to hear it paired with “wellness,” but what does wellness really mean? It is difficult to differentiate between these two terms, but the important point to remember is that a truly satisfying and healthy life requires the coexistence of health and wellness. Typically when we think of being healthy we picture eating well and exercising regularly, but these actions only address physical needs. Our society is very aware of the physical dimensions of wellness, and I believe that we are headed in the right direction in terms of recognizing mental (emotional) wellness. However, most people aren’t aware that there are at least 6 dimensions of wellness that all go into each person’s overall health. Yes, that includes you. Besides physical and emotional, wellness also has social, spiritual, occupational, and intellectual aspects. Some sources have even added another dimension, environmental wellness, to the mix. Here’s a rundown of the 7 dimensions of wellness that we should all be paying attention to:
Physical Wellness
This is the obvious one. It includes eating foods that are good for your body and exercising, but also includes going to the doctor for check-ups and avoiding substances such as tobacco or hard drugs. Physical wellness enables us to function in our daily lives without putting unnecessary stress on our bodies.
Emotional Wellness
I like to think of emotional wellness as another word for mental health. This type of wellness involves awareness of one’s feelings, as well as the ability to talk about and learn from those feelings. Emotional wellness enables us to stay strong in dealing with life when it gets tough.
Intellectual Wellness
Intellectual wellness encompasses both the ability and motivation to learn new information that can be applied to our lives. Reading about new subjects is one of my favorite ways to contribute to my intellectual wellness.
Social Wellness
Humans are social beings, and we can’t exist in a healthy way without each other. Contributing to social wellness involves interacting with others productively and being able to sustain good relationships with the people in our lives.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness for many people involves going to church. More generally, spiritual wellness can be achieved by finding a purpose in life. It is important to remember that people have a variety of ways in which they maintain their spiritual wellness.
Occupational Wellness
This type of wellness means being satisfied with your contributions to society. It also means keeping a balance between work and other aspects of life. To me, occupations are all of the activities a person involves themselves in, so I believe that occupational wellness includes much more than their career.
Environmental Wellness
This dimension of wellness was news to me when I read about it, but that does not diminish its importance. Environmental wellness involves recognizing that we all play a role in maintaining a healthy planet. It means taking action within our homes and communities in order to leave a positive mark on our environment.
Dimensions of wellness adapted from https://wellness.ucr.edu/seven_dimensions.html
