The 7 Dimensions of Wellness
People often talk about wellness in a generic way but it’s rare that people talk about what wellness actually means? Wellness can be defined as ‘the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal’. Even when defined it can be difficult to understand what being in overall ‘good health’ looks like. The 7 dimensions of wellness can be used to break this down into a clearer, more manageable goal.
Physical wellness is probably the most commonly referred to out of the 7. It encompasses everything to do with bodily health including nutrition and physical activity from building strength, flexibility or endurance to preventing disease and protecting yourself from injury.
Emotional wellness focuses on the ability to acknowledge, express and manage your feelings. Through all the highs and lows, emotional wellness is about understanding how you feel and being able to manage those feelings.
Intellectual wellness is all about exploring new concepts, enhancing your skills and applying new ways of thinking to life’s challenges. People with good intellectual wellness have an active mind, making use of the resources available to them to expand their knowledge and improve skills.
Spirituality is perhaps something that is less commonly associated with wellness but it is none the less important. It involves having a sense of purpose and a set of guiding beliefs, principles or values that give direction to your life.
This one is probably not one you naturally think of when it comes to wellness either. Environmental wellness is all about minimising your harm to the environment. Conserving natural resources, being mindful of consumption, and recycling are all positive examples of supporting your environmental wellness.
Personal connections and healthy relationships contribute all contribute to your social wellness. By nurturing relationships you create a network around you to support you through all aspects of wellbeing.
Lastly, occupational wellness focuses on enriching your life by sharing your gifts, skills and talents through work or volunteering. This includes finding a healthy work life balance.
Join us on our social channels throughout January as we share small steps towards improving our wellness in all of the 7 dimensions.