What is Wellness?

when someone says that they haven't felt well, what do you think that they mean? Most of us probably imagine that the person has been having difficult time in one area of their life. The image that we see for them is varying from person to person. This is because wellness, is a general term and it isn't limited to one aspect of the human condition.

The concept of wellness is not one of pure physical nature. Rather, wellness encompasses a full spectrum of emotional, physical, spiritual, and even wellness in your job (often referred to as “Occupational, but we’ll get to that later.) is taken into account.

The Wheel of Wellness

In the sphere of wellness, there are seven dimensions.

• Social Wellness
• Emotional Wellness
• Spiritual Wellness
• Environmental Wellness
• Occupational Wellness
• Intellectual Wellness
• Physical Wellness

These aspects of wellness are described as the ability to be conscious of ourselves and our surroundings. When you step back to take in the bigger picture of life and living, you have to look at the total spectrum of wellness, seven different aspects that, together, create the sphere of total wellness.

The definitions of these separate aspects are as follows:

Social Wellness

This is described as the ability to create and maintain positive relationships with those around you. Friends, family, co-workers and other loved ones make up our sphere of Social Wellness.

Emotional Wellness

Defined as the ability to understand the self. Our emotions, reactions, and willingness to grow is what the sphere of Emotional Wellness is comprised of.
Spiritual Wellness – The definition of Spiritual Wellness is simply the establishment and maintenance of peace and harmony within the mind, body, and spirit. Some choose to achieve this through religions such as Buddhism.

Environmental Wellness

This is described as the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the environment around us. Things such as reduction of carbon footprints, planting new trees, and general improvement of the air quality comprise the sphere of Environmental Wellness. You can make an impact on your area by participating in community level events to encourage a healthy environment. Other ways in which individuals contribute to this kind of wellness is by keeping their property clean, driving a car that has low emissions, walking or biking where they can and properly disposing of trash.

Occupational Wellness

Essentially, this is the nature of your work and career. Physical and mental wellness often overlap in this area. While this is it's own kind of wellness, seen as when one can create and maintain personal fulfillment in the scope of jobs and what you do to make your living. The desire to create positive relations with you co-workers and superiors make up Occupational Wellness.

Intellectual Wellness

Described as the ability to open the mind to new ideas, thoughts, and experiences, our actions and thoughts regarding our intellectual relationships and maintaining positive balance is the key to Intellectual Wellness. Mental stimulation is required to keep this wellness up and is often a risk category for children and the elderly as they are in cognitive stages that can result in a deep deficit if not engaged mentally.

Physical Wellness

Though this may sound self-explanatory, things like maintaining a healthy quality of life for yourself and those you are responsible for, such as healthier eating, adopting healthful habits and avoiding destructive habits create the sphere of Physical Wellness. Of course, this is important for all people. Living is done best when you can do so in a healthy manner. Physical health affects nearly all aspects of your life and thus is an important cog on the Wheel of Wellness.