Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important

To some, this term refers to diet and exercise. However, it is so much more than that. The World Health Organization defines wellness as, "...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Any number of daily occurrences, situations, or events can affect one’s ability to be happy and healthy. Simply put, wellness is an intentional, active process of trying to improve one's overall quality of life.

To best optimize wellness and happiness, we are encouraged to focus on the eight dimensions of wellness – Emotional, Environmental, Financial, Intellectual, Occupational, Physical, Social, and Spiritual.

Each of these wellness dimensions needs attention. Ignoring a problem in one area often leads to problems in another. This may result in a “domino effect.”  Although balance plays an important part in life, it is nearly impossible to balance eight dimensions at once. Instead of trying to balance all eight simultaneously, find personal harmony. Explore what works for you because there is no formula that will work for everyone. Everybody has different processes and unique experiences that all require an authentic combination for each dimension.

The Center is dedicated to helping our staff and students find their path to wellness. Below, each of the dimensions is briefly discussed to help you better understand why each plays such an intricate role in your well-being.

How you feel can affect your ability to carry out everyday activities, your relationships, and your overall mental health. How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult situations. It's an acceptance of emotions and working through those emotions in a positive and healthy way.

Environmental wellness is your ability to connect with the world around you. It inspires you to live a life of accountability, understanding that all actions have positive or negative personal consequences and effect the people around us. Feeling as though you are in a safe and stimulating environment is a critical aspect of not only enhancing successes but also your overall sense of well-being. Research has repeatedly confirmed the positive benefits that nature provides to our mood, mental health, physical health, and overall success.

Personal finances are the number one cause of stress nationwide, which may not be a surprise. Unfortunately, many people simply ignore their financial situation until it is too late. Finances are often complicated and even overwhelming, but taking steps to minimize financial stressors is a very important part of your overall feeling of wellness. Managing expenses, understanding loan structures, and just having a basic appreciation of your financial standing are all very important steps students can take to help attain a level of satisfaction with current and future finances.

Intellectual wellness encourages us to engage in creative activities that stimulate our minds from a nonacademic or work-related perspective. Taking time to find and indulge in your passions, hobbies, and interests leads to a far greater feeling of well-being. People that master this aspect of wellness enjoy learning about things that are separate from their normal realm, simply out of desire to obtain knowledge and skills. As intellectual wellness progresses, you are able to personally develop resources that work together with the other wellness dimensions that together lead to a more balanced life.

The importance of finding joy, purpose, and satisfaction in your occupation cannot be undervalued. Enjoying what you do is a critical aspect of your health and well-being. Occupational wellness involves balancing work and leisure time, building relationships with peers, and managing everyday stress. This dimension recognizes the importance of finding satisfaction, enrichment, and a sense of purpose through work. It also highlights and helps people understand the idea that every person has value and a unique set of skills and experiences that should be shared for the benefit of all.

It is very easy for people to reduce physical wellness to exercise and diet. In fact, this dimension is possibly the most comprehensive because it includes a number of things that are incredibly important to our well-being. It is the idea that in order to achieve optimal mental and physical health, you must balance exercise, sleep habits, nutrition, and listening to your body when it is trying to tell you something. Positive physical health habits can help decrease your stress, lower your risk of disease, increase your energy, and lead to greater academic and personal success.

Positive relationships with the people around us play a huge role in our overall feeling of wellness. The relationships and support systems we build help us navigate our lives, in good times and in bad. It is important to establish positive and regular interactions in a wide range of individuals, to help you connect to our communities. Safely stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to a much greater social perspective, which is incredibly important for future healthcare providers. Cohesively, these actions will lead to a stronger sense of social connectedness, belonging, and acceptance.

Spiritual wellness can be defined as being connected to something greater than yourself and the search for purpose in your life. Spiritually well people use their own set of values, principles, morals, and beliefs to guide their actions and decisions. Spiritual wellness has the power and capability to make our decisions and choices easier, ground us during periods of change, and give us the resiliency to survive with grace and inner peace in the face of adversity.

Wellness is such a broad term and how we think about wellness is affected by our culture and our life experiences. We believe wellness is conscious, self-directed and evolving; holistic and multidimensional; positive and affirming; and inclusive.

All dimensions of wellness need our attention for us to truly flourish. There doesn't have to be a balance among all dimensions. Instead, the goal is to find a personal harmony with the dimensions that is most authentic for you. You can't get there passively, it requires active awareness, acceptance and commitment. It is our hope that the following information about the eight dimensions of wellness will help you get started or refine your wellness plan.

Select a dimension to learn more:

Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important

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

Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
The 8 dimensions of wellness are important to your overall health
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.

Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important
Understanding your feelings will allow you to understand your emotional wellness more.
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.

Why are the 8 dimensions of wellness important