“The concept of total wellness recognized that our every thought, word, and behavior, affect our greater health and well-being. And we, in turn are affected not only emotionally, but also physically and spiritually.”
Greg Anderson
Do we know the benefits of a focus of health, wellness, and a positive well-being into our lifestyle? Do we know the differences in the three? We often use these words interchangeably, but they are very different. Let’s start by getting a clear understanding of how they are defined. Merriam-Webster defines health as a condition of being sound in body, mind, and spirit. Surprise, there is more to health than just the physical!! See, health is the total you and it is the sum of all the aspects of you and your life. Wellness is the quality or state of being in good health. It is how you actively work towards the goal of health. Positive well-being is the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous. It is how you feel and experience those aspects of your life.
There are six dimensions to wellness: Physical, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, and emotional. They all should be maintained in balance. *Emotional is not listed below since it’s connected to the other five dimensions.
1 Physical: When we eat well and exercise, we feel better physically, which helps us cope with stress and better handle emotional challenges. I just mentioned two dimensions working together.
2 Social Skill: Practicing social skills by using gratitude, spending time with people that mean a lot to you as well as meeting new ones. Now with the pandemic we have had a lot of challenges meeting this dimension. Technology has been the glue that has kept us close to our family, friends, and businesses. Also, with recent vaccines as well as social distancing, there are more options to get together face to face. Being around people that you enjoy and being able to touch and hug is part of being healthy.
3 Intellectual: Intellectual wellness is always helpful in growth and learning a new skill builds self-confidence, that aids in a positive well-being. Look at that!!! Another chip in your wellness bucket!!
4 Environmental: Our environment is just as important, whether it is living in clutter, being exposed to chemical toxins or toxic people. One affects the physical directly, and the other two affects your mental and emotional wellness. But wait, if something affects us mentally and emotionally, isn’t that physical also? Mental and emotional stress can cause high blood pressure, increased heart rate and hormone levels. If it is consistent, it can be chronic and cause major DIS-EASE.
5 Spiritual: Now when it comes to our spiritual wellness, it is about finding your meaning and purpose in life. You can do this by caring for yourself and others, meditating, or taking walks in nature.
I did not create a separate “emotional” by itself because it is directly connected to the other dimensions and is self-explanatory. We often hear people say, “I want to live till I am 100 years old”, but do you just want to be alive or live? All of these dimensions are the path to help you live a quality life versus just being alive and aging. Being mindful of them daily and incorporating them into your life will increase your positive well-being. Come join me on FB at Stephanie Whitten Fitness for more information on how to improve your dimensions of wellness.
