Understanding the Dimensions of Wellness

If you're looking for a way to develop your own personal wellness, it may be difficult to find a model that fits. You want to feel better physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You want to improve your fitness, your relationships, your career, and your ability to handle stress, anxiety, worry or depression. In short, you want to be the best you that you can be.

There are many dimensions of wellness, and the best way to describe them is using the 7 Aspects of Wellness model. The 7 Aspects of Wellness are these different dimensions-Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual, Occupational, Environmental, and Social-that work together to create a whole and complete life. When they are in a state of balance, the 7 Aspects of Wellness build a foundation from which you can accomplish your greatest dreams.

What are the 7 Aspects of Wellness?
Emotional Wellness: Emotional Wellness is the aspect of wellness that deals with our inner worlds. When we're working on our Emotional Wellness, we address self-knowledge, personal feelings, and our ability to handle stress. If we want to truly understand ourselves, our feelings, our behaviors and our motivations, we must focus on Emotional Wellness.
Physical Wellness: Physical Wellness is the aspect that focuses on our physical health habits and obtaining optimum physical well-being. Our Physical Wellness is dependent on our diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene habits and can have a profound affect on how we feel.
Intellectual Wellness: Intellectual Wellness involves learning about and having new experiences with the world around us. It includes creative activities, expanding one's horizons, and discovering new ways of thinking about the world. Intellectual Wellness also means picking up new skills or hobbies along with learning new facts.

Spiritual Wellness: Spiritual Wellness is concerned with our search for meaning and purpose in life and our connection to whatever form of higher power we each decide to believe in. Spiritual Wellness involves discovering what we each believe and how to practice those spiritual principles in everyday life.

Occupational Wellness: Occupational Wellness focuses on finding our calling in life, coping with work stress, progressing toward our career goals, and aligning our work life with our ultimate dreams. It also involves understanding the balance between work and play for ultimate personal as well as professional satisfaction.

Social Wellness: Social Wellness is about creating healthy, intimate connections with others. For some of us, building healthier Social Wellness means overcoming interpersonal issues or social anxiety. It also means creating and maintaining appropriate boundaries in relationships, finding the balance between social life and alone time, and learning to communicate openly and honestly with those around us.

Environmental Wellness: Environmental Wellness focuses on how our environment is connected to the way we feel. Practicing Environmental Wellness means looking at how our immediate environments-our homes, offices, and car interiors-reflect our feelings about ourselves and support our Emotional Wellness. It also involves strengthening our connection to the earth and our natural environments for better spiritual, emotional and physical well-being.

Bringing these 7 Aspects of Wellness into a state of balance helps you feel better in the moment and leads you toward your ultimate wellness goals. The best part is that balancing these 7 Aspects is an individual experience for everybody. The key is to consider ways of supporting all 7 of these major life areas in some way shape or form that moves you forward toward positive change. Lack of awareness is the main reason most of us remain stuck. Learning about the 7 Aspects of Wellness and using that knowledge to cultivate awareness of our actions is the cornerstone leading a life that's both fulfilling and satisfying.

The Wellness Dimensions Explained

What is "wellness" per se? There are many definitions, and 20 years ago, wellness didn't exist. But today, the industry is growing fast, and the term "wellness" is being overused, abused and it is not being used in its appropriate context. Wellness is achieving one's full potential; it is self-directed and an ever-evolving process. Wellness has seven dimensions: occupational, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, environmental and physical. When all of these dimensions are met, then we are considered whole or complete. Wellness is more than just products to make us feel good or be physically fit.
Here is what each of the seven dimensions mean:
1. Social Wellness. This is how a person contributes to their environment and community and how he or she builds better living spaces and social networks. The social dimension encourages contributing to one's environment and community.
2. Occupational Wellness. Occupational development is related to one's attitude about one's work, and recognizes personal satisfaction and enrichment in one's life through work. The choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions and personal performance are all important components of this dimension. To be occupationally well, a person is ultimately doing exactly with what they want to do in life and are comfortable with their future plans.
3. Spiritual Wellness. The spiritual dimension recognizes our search for meaning and purpose in human existence. It does not mean one is religious, but that it is better to ponder the meaning of life and be tolerant of the beliefs of others than to close our minds and become intolerant. Spiritually well people take time out of their day for spiritual growth and learning. They have a clear sense of right and wrong, and they act accordingly.
4. Intellectual Wellness. This dimension recognizes one's creative and stimulating mental activities as well as expands knowledge and skills while sharing his or her gifts with others. The intellectually well person is open to new ideas, thinks critically and seeks out new challenges. These people will stretch and challenge their minds with intellectual and creative pursuits instead of becoming self-satisfied and unproductive.
5. Emotional Wellness: Emotional Wellness. This dimension includes the capacity to manage one's feelings and related behaviors, including the realistic assessment of one's limitations, development of autonomy and the ability to cope effectively with stress. Emotionally well people have the ability to express feelings freely and manage feelings effectively. They are also aware of and accept a wide range of feelings in themselves and others.
6. Environmental Wellness. This includes the ability to promote health measures that improve the standard of living and quality of life in the community, including laws and agencies that safeguard the physical environment. The environmentally well person is aware of the earth's natural resources, conserves energy, buys organic foods and products, and enjoys and appreciates spending time in natural settings.
7. Physical Wellness. This is what we all do well in our health clubs. It is met through the combination of good exercise and eating habits, taking precautions for self-care and receiving appropriate health screenings throughout our lives. It also means taking personal responsibility and care for minor illnesses and knowing when professional medical attention is needed. Physically well people understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how their body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction. Integrating Wellness into Your Facility
What are you doing in your programming to promote wellness? First, you have to decide what will wellness mean in your facility. Does your facility have spa amenities, dietitians, offer corporate wellness programs, physical therapists/chiropractors or a recycling program? Wellness is more than just going to the gym to work out these days. It means getting a sports massage, attending a health seminar or seeking the expertise of a registered dietitian. It is helping the member to relieve stress and educate health through other means besides physical fitness.
It is predicted that the wellness industry will be the next trillion-dollar industry, and in the next 10 years, an additional $1 trillion dollars of the U.S economy will be focused on getting Americans healthy through programming and treating the whole person.
Americans are already spending more than $200 billion in the industry, including $150 billion per year in the nutrition industry (of which $19.8 billion are on supplements) and $24 billion for fitness clubs. The need for personal, customized care is growing because people are willing to spend the money to safeguard their youth and be well. It is time to shift our focus, get creative and develop wellness-based programs for our members.
Jasmine Jafferali, MPH, is the Program Coordinator and an instructor for Educational Fitness Solutions, Inc., Professional Certificate in Women's Personal Exercise Training and Wellness. She has a diverse fitness background with over ten years of industry experience in campus recreation, corporate wellness, and the commercial health club setting. To learn more about her program, visit: http://www.efslibrary.net