Hey there, are you well? We come across this question every now and then. Wellness could be an antonym of illness. So does the question mean, are you free from illness? In general, it can be partially true. If not, what is the deeper meaning of this question? Before getting into this let me share an anecdote with you. Being a practicing counseling psychologist, I observed that students were a bit hesitant to share their issues and concerns due to the stigma of being labeled abnormal, if they are seen in the counseling room. After a lot of thought, we named it Wellness Center. A visible positive change was perceived in quality and number of students. It was surprising to find lots of positivity among youngsters. To explore the terminology with better relevance let us dig into some research literature:
What is Wellness?
Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices towards healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness; it is a dynamic process of change and growth.” University of California
“a state of complete, physical mental and social being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The World Health Organization
“a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential” The National Wellness Institute
Wellness is today commonly described as an active, lifelong and ever-lasting process of becoming aware of choices, making decisions and taking responsibility towards achieving a balanced and fulfilling life. It is multi-dimensional in nature, unique to the individual and centered on the premise that the term has been used in the English language since the 1600s (Miller, 2005), however, it has only been in the last two decades that the concept has received significant attention. A number of theorists have employed simple metaphors and diagrammatic explanations to help convey core principles. One method is to use “wheels”, pie graphs or hexagons to depict how different dimensions, contribute to our complete well-being: spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, social, financial and environmental.
Let us imagine each segment as being full: full of color, full of energy and evenly distributed around the wheel. This wheel is balanced, true and strong. Now imagine segments of the wheel are missing, or not fully present. That makes for a less stable, less smooth-rolling wheel. There are many different subcategories of wellness that when one of these is out of whack, it can affect our health, how well we thrive and how we feel.
To understand all dimensions let’s find the key words of this wheel:
Emotional wellness: This is the dimension where you understand your feelings and emotions and can identify what would be the resulting pattern of behavior and the consequences. Life becomes easier when you have emotional intelligence. This dimension helps us to cope with the emotional challenges of life. I would suggest you acknowledge your feelings and keep expressing appropriately.
Intellectual wellness: Your intellectual wellbeing is related to how you use your mind: how stimulated you are, how much you seek and benefit from learning new things, your creativity and your critical thinking skills (which involves how you think and how you focus). Staying curious to gain new knowledge will take you a long way. Keep updating yourself with latest developments.
Financial/Occupational wellness: This dimension relates to finding fulfillment in your work and feeling like it has meaning. Occupational wellness also takes into account how you manage your money and how you balance your work and leisure time. Creating a budget and managing your expenses and staying within your means is desirable.
Physical Wellness: Are you taking care of your body? Are you leading a healthy life style? Physical wellness revolves around these important components. It is the ability to understand your body and take charge of your health by making conscious decisions to be physically fit. Spend at least one hour with yourself and follow a fixed regimen.
Social Wellness: Social support and networking plays a massive role in shaping wellbeing. When you get acquainted with different types of people with varied backgrounds and culture, you develop a different level of understanding towards broader perspectives. It leads you to become street smart, and communicate your ideas effectively.
Spiritual Wellness: It is a process to understand our own beliefs, values and finding the connection with inner self. You don’t have to belong to any specific religion, caste or creed to be spiritual. To find your real purpose of life your ethics and morals play a vital role and it helps to reflect and practice mindfulness. Meditation would be a helpful source to rejuvenate.
Environmental Wellness: Are you aware of environment, nature, and your immediate surroundings, like your room or your workplace, your city? Are you aware of the risk within your environment and make adjustments towards your lifestyle accordingly? Environment wellness is about awareness of ways of protecting the environment and protecting ourselves from environmental hazards. Try to create a calm and safe environment around you and get rid of clutter and make an effort to create positive changes towards it. Its impact would contribute to your wellbeing.
A wellness wheel is a versatile and dynamic tool that will lead to holistic development. All the dimensions are interconnected and important for your balanced lifestyle. When your life is thus harmoniously lived, with due care taken of all dimensions, you achieve a well-rounded personality and increase your chances of achieving life’s goals. You don’t need to follow this version of the wellness wheel alone. You can improvise and customize it to meet your specific needs. But the goal is to lead a more balanced life which begets a happier you.
Take Away:
· Set meaningful goals.
· Make a specific diet plan.
· Take care of body and soul.
· Talk it out.
About Author
Ms. Surabhi Pranav is Dean Capacity Building at JDCOEM, Nagpur. She is also a mental health professional with more than 14 years of experience. She is a Counselling Psychologist and leading psychotherapist who primarily focuses on mental health issues and concerns of adolescence and adulthood. Her area of interest is in Therapeutic interventions in cognitive domain. She has developed effective remedial models for holistic health too
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