Dimensions of Wellness
Health & wellness is composed of more than just physical health and functioning. There are in fact many dimensions of wellness. Today, we’re focusing on 5 core dimensions of wellness, which we believe have the biggest impact on your overall health and happiness.
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is often the first thing that comes to mind when we think about health. Physical health looks like taking care of your body through movement, nutrition, and regular health check ups. Oftentimes, people focus on nutrition and exercise when wanting to improve physical health - which is great! Both are important aspects of supporting physical health. But remember that exercise and movement is supposed to be founded on something you enjoy, movement that makes you feel good in your body. If you’re looking for movement ideas to try, check out our blog.
Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness is truly about mental health. Practices that support mental wellness include:
Making space for your feelings and accepting them without judgment
Being cognizant of the feelings of others
Managing your emotions effectively and healthily
Being willing to positively engage in your life
If you feel that you’re struggling with your mental health and wellbeing, exploring therapy or other forms of mental healthcare is an excellent step toward wellness. Some of the sites we recommend using include Psychology Today or Inclusive Therapists.
Social Wellness
Social wellness is based on your connections with others (Stoewen, 2017). To be socially healthy, you need to be able to build and maintain relationships - these can be friendships, familial relationships, or romantic ones. An important foundation of all relationships is practicing compassion and being able to accept compassion from others (Stoewen, 2017). A healthy relationship is one that is based on mutual respect and fueled by a desire to uplift and value one another. Pursuing social wellness has been particularly challenging in light of the pandemic. Connecting with others might look different right now, but it’s still possible - schedule virtual hang outs with friends, or meet new people by joining online groups to meet others who share your interests and passions.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness does not have to be derived from religion, although it can be for some. The foundation of spiritual wellness is deriving purpose, value, and meaning from your life (Stoewen, 2017). For many, the easiest way to move toward spiritual health is to live in a way that is aligned with your core values. If you’re not sure what your core values are, journaling can be a useful tool in identifying them. Write down what’s important to you -- spending time with family, living with integrity, treating others with compassion etc. This can help guide you to identifying what your driving values are.
Vocational Wellness
Working to live rather than living to work is the ideal goal - but with so much of your life spent at your job, it’s important to find a vocation that aligns with your values, goals, and lifestyle (Stoewen, 2017). This doesn’t mean that work has to be your passion - for some, finding a job that offers shorter hours so they can spend more time off the clock on things they enjoy is what works best with their values. Individuals who are passionate about their job or career benefit from learning to establish work/life boundaries to enable a separation from work to enjoy their personal time.
Citation
Stoewen D. L. (2017). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 58(8), 861–862.