When you think of wellness what comes to mind? For many wellness centers around the idea of physical wellbeing, but there is so much more to health and wellness. Wellness involves targeting separate areas of ourselves in order to achieve a holistic integration of our physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing.
There are 8 dimensions of wellness that work with one another and have a direct impact on our health. When too much or too little focus is put into one dimension, there can be adverse effects on the body. In this blog, we will discuss the 8 dimensions of wellness and what you can do to improve your overall health.
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The Dimensions of Wellness
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is the most common dimension that people think of when it comes to their health. Physical wellness involves having a healthy body, good health habits including nutrition, sleep, and exercise. You can improve your physical wellness by:
- Choosing fresh, healthy food
- Incorporating physical activity into your routine
- Getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night
- Visiting the doctor, dentists, and other health care providers regularly for routine health screenings.
- Avoiding the use of tobacco products, alcohol, or other substances. You can reach out to family, friends, or the team at Modern Psych for help.
Intellectual
Intellectual wellness uses your mind to expand your knowledge, skills, and creativity. The goal of this dimension is to ensure that your brain is active and constantly expanding your perspective. Here are tips for improving your intellectual wellness:
- Read books based on your interests or topics you wish to learn more about
- Try a new hobby like painting, pottery, or even martial arts. This allows you to improve your skillset.
- Expand your existing education by earning an industry certification or attending a class.
- Keep your mind sharp by playing brain games or mind teasers.
- Have conversations with others about interesting topics. This will allow you to expand your perspective to what others believe.
Social
Social wellness refers to relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and the community. Social wellness allows us to have an interest and concern for the needs of others. You can strengthen your social wellness by:
- Spending time with friends and family
- Attending a community support group
- Meeting new people that share the same interests as you.
- Volunteering for a cause in your community
- Setting aside time in your schedule for family, friends, and social events.
Emotional
As the name suggests, emotional wellness is the ability to express feelings, adjust to emotional challenges, cope with stress and actively enjoy life. In this dimension, it is important to understand your personal strengths as well as what you can do to improve yourself with goals and the help of others. To understand your emotional wellness, here are some questions you can ask yourself:
- Do you actively acknowledge your feelings openly and without judgment?
- Have you had relationships with friends, family or significant others where you can safely express your feelings?
- Do you take responsibility for your actions?
- Have you considered writing in a journal when your feelings become too overwhelming?
- Do you have a stress-relieving activity like yoga to declutter your mind?
The first step in emotional wellness is recognizing that you are human, and feelings are a part of who you are. By actively expressing your feelings in a healthy way and seeking help, when necessary, you are demonstrating emotional wellness.
Spiritual
Often confused with religious beliefs, spiritual wellness is broader and represents an individual’s personal beliefs, values, and what gives them meaning and purpose. This includes recognizing your sense of purpose in human existence as well as developing your appreciation for your place in the universe. The concept of spiritual wellness can be difficult to grasp and takes time to establish. When strengthening your spiritual wellness, you can:
- Take the time to determine the values, principles and beliefs that are most important to you
- Determine a place that you can go to discuss your beliefs with others
- Reach out to others in the community when they’re in need
- Spend time meditating and reflecting on your spirituality
- Explore different belief systems
- Appreciate and explore nature
Vocational
Vocational wellness, also known as occupational wellness, involves participating in meaningful and purposeful activities such as work and education. Vocational wellness should involve personal satisfaction and enrichment from your work. You can improve your vocational wellness by:
- Working in a career that fits your values and allows you to actively demonstrate your talents and knowledge
- Communicate with colleagues to strengthen relationships
- Balance work and leisure by spending time with friends, outside, or completing your hobbies.
- Celebrate your accomplishments
Financial
Often tied to stress, financial wellness is an important aspect of our daily lives. There are many opinions on what is considered to be financially well, but it depends on your goals are. Financial wellness involves things like savings, debt, income as well as your individual understanding of your financial situation and goals. Financial wellness can also be tied to vocational wellness since it involves actively earning income. When considering your financial wellness, start by asking yourself these questions:
- Does your current job allow you to meet your necessary bills while leaving room for things that you enjoy?
- Do you actively check your bank account balance to ensure you’re not overspending?
- Are your savings in line with your life goals such as buying a home or retirement?
- Do you have an existing budget you stick to?
- What active debt do you have and how are you paying it down?
- Are you actively saving for retirement or have emergency savings set aside?
Financial wellness is different for everyone, but it can be a major source of stress. By taking control of your finances and spending smart, you’re on the right track to living a happier, stress-free life.
Environmental
Environmental wellness refers to the sense of safety, comfort, and connection with your physical surroundings. Environmental wellness includes access to clean air, food, and water as well as preserving the areas in which we live, learn, and work. You can take action to improve your environmental wellness by:
- Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible
- Spend time outside and appreciate the nature in your community
- Get rid of clutter within your home on a regular basis
- Decorate your living spaces in a way that you enjoy
- Limit water and power when at home to cut back on energy
Improve Your Wellness
The 8 dimensions of wellness have a direct impact on our health and can affect your life in one way or another. By working toward improving all these areas with small goals, you are taking a step to improve your overall health. At Modern Psychiatry and Wellness, we understand that improving all the dimensions of wellness can be an overwhelming task, but we are here to help. With our treatment plans, we work with you to establish short-term and long-term goals that you can achieve. If you would like to learn more about our treatment plans and what we can do to help you, contact a member of our team today.
