Have you ever stopped to think about what it really means to be healthy? So many articles and books are written about health and diet, but how will you know when you are healthy? This article will cover a broad understanding of health, its dimensions, and how to approach it holistically.
Defining health
Health can be defined differently, depending on the source's philosophy. A traditional definition is the absence of disease, while the World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Expanding perspectives might include how health has evolved to include lifestyle, emotional balance, and community.
What is a wellness wheel?
A wellness wheel is a great tool that promotes the idea of balance and is a way to work on developing well-being. Using this type of tool allows us to understand that wellness is the process that builds on strengths and is based on a person’s beliefs, values, personality, and life experiences. Wellness is not something we “achieve” but a continuous, life-long process of living a healthy and fulfilling life. On the other hand, well-being can be seen as the result of the day-to-day activities in the wellness journey (University of New Hampshire).
The most current model of the wellness wheel includes eight dimensions of wellness. This model helps people focus on daily habits while shaping new ones.
Dimensions of health
Physical health includes nutrition, fitness, sleep, and medical care. It can be improved by changing your diet, adding regular exercise, adding a sleep routine, and getting regular medical checkups.
Mental and emotional health includes mental clarity, emotional resilience, and stress management. Meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises can strengthen these.
Intellectual wellness includes broadening knowledge, building skills, and encouraging creativity. It can be improved by reading, doing creative projects or problem-solving puzzles, connecting with others with similar interests, and learning new things.
Social health includes relationships, support systems, and community connections. This dimension can be improved by reducing exposure to news and social media, only accepting social invitations that bring you joy, and scheduling time with friends or family that feels meaningful so you have activities to look forward to doing.
Occupational wellness refers to satisfaction with work. It can be improved by creating a better balance between work and home life, taking mental health days off, and communicating with others at work.
Financial wellness refers to how financially stable one feels in one's life. It can be improved by examining one's spending, saving habits, and financial goals.
Environmental health includes access to clean air, water, and access to nature. It can be improved by spending more time outdoors connecting with nature, gardening, finding natural cleaning alternatives, or recycling products.
Spiritual health includes a person’s purpose, values, and connection to something larger than self. It can be improved by connecting with others who share a similar spiritual belief, creating a vision board with goals, and creating a morning routine with meditation or mindset work.
Holistic approach to health
As you can imagine, there are connections between the various health dimensions, with a special focus on physical, mental, and social health. Using a holistic approach to health, people can use a wellness wheel tool to determine their strengths and what needs more work. As the weaker areas of the wellness wheel improve, the whole body becomes healthier. It’s important to remember that this is a journey towards balance, improving overall well-being, and not striving for perfection.
How to foster good health
If you are curious about improving your health, consider taking a wellness wheel assessment to see how you are doing in the eight dimensions of health. (insert link) Once you determine how you are doing, consider creating a plan to improve in the weaker areas. Sometimes, we spend too much time focused on one wellness area, such as diet or exercise, and not enough on other areas like mental health or healthy relationships. Identifying the areas of strengths and weaknesses can give you a better picture of your health and how to work to make it different!
Conclusion
Health is more than just an absence of disease. I believe in a holistic view of health that includes many different dimensions. When we see health this way, it becomes a lifelong journey that we can keep working on to change.
Take a look at the wellness wheel assessment and begin your health journey today! Try starting with small changes that can become big once repeated daily over time. Seeing health improvements can motivate you to continue working in all of the areas of the wellness wheel. Remember that perfection is not the intention of well-being but of finding a state of feeling good and enjoying life.
References
Wellness Wheel Assessment. (2024, November 21). University of New Hampshire. https://extension.unh.edu/health-well-being/programs/wellness-wheel-assessment
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