Wellness 101: Dimensions of Health and Wellness
I believe the essence of wellness is an understanding that life is multidimensional, encompassing all aspects of life. Unfortunately, this core concept is also one of the greatest misconceptions of health and wellness.
So what exactly are these dimensions I keep alluding to….Well, in my classroom, I teach ten dimensions of health and wellness: cultural, emotional and mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, occupational, sexual, social, and spiritual health and wellness (future posts will be devoted to each component). However, there is no single consensus on the dimensions of wellness. Different health organizations and specialists provide differing lists. Ultimately, I think the most important thing to understand is that wellness is multifaceted, encompassing body, mind, and soul, and how you divide up these three components is going to vary from person to person.
Understanding that wellness is multidimensional and that there are many dimensions of health impacting our well-being is only part of the issue. It is also vital we recognize the interconnected nature of the dimensions of health. By this, I mean we must also understand that each dimension powerfully impacts the others. Let’s look at these examples to better understand the interconnected nature of health:
Scenario #1: Let's say you have a high-stress job that you strongly dislike. The stress and frustration you feel at the job are going to seep into all other aspects of your life. Your family may feel as though you work too much, and as a result, it is straining your home life. The impact of this job is profound! Although your occupation is only one component of life, the effect of this single dimension is deeply impacting your life as a whole.
Scenario #2: Let's imagine that you decide to improve your physical health by joining a gym. At the gym, you attend fitness classes, participate in pick-up games, and join a running club. As you get involved in these activities, not only are you boosting your physical health, but you are also creating new opportunities to build and enhance your social health with new relationships. Additionally, as you increase your physical health, you can also strengthen your mental and emotional health.
Even though these are hypothetical examples, I hope it helps explain the interplay between each dimension of health and wellness (you may even be able to empathize). And hopefully, as this series continues and a greater understanding of each dimension of wellness is gained, you will discover additional connections.
As I get ready to sign off, I hope that you take away two things from this post:
Health and wellness is multidimensional
The dimensions of health and wellness are interconnected
Next time, I'll start diving into each component of wellness.