Wellness. Everyone has heard this word, but does it really mean? Wellness is a pretty vague word by definition. It means, “the state or condition of being in good health”. When most people hear that definition they automatically think of physical health, but experts in health and wellness know that it is more than that. Depending on which resource you look at, there are between five and seven aspects of wellness that are listed. I liked the model I found on the University of California at Riverside website. I will share this information with you as we will briefly examine the aspects of wellness over the next two articles.
Wellness is the full integration of states of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The UCR model includes social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, intellectual and physical wellness. Each of these seven dimensions act and interact in a way that contributes to our own quality of life.
First, Social Wellness refers to one's ability to interact with people around them. It involves using good communications skills, having meaningful relationships, respecting yourself and others, and creating a support system that includes family members and friends. Social wellness includes thinking of others and working toward the welfare of the community and living in harmony with others.
Ask yourself these questions: Do I plan time to be with my family and friends? Do I enjoy the time I spend with others? Are my relationships with others positive and rewarding? Do I explore diversity by interacting with people of other cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs? If not, you may be out of balance in the social area.
Second, Emotional Wellness is the ability to understand ourselves and cope with the challenges life can bring. The ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness or stress; hope, love, joy and happiness in a productive manner contributes to our Emotional Wellness. Being emotionally well is more than just handling stress. It also involves being attentive to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, whether positive or negative. Emotional Wellness implies the ability to be aware of and accept our feelings, rather than deny them, have an optimistic approach to life, and enjoy life despite its occasional disappointments and frustrations.
To check your emotional wellness ask: Am I able to maintain a balance of work, family, friends, and other obligations? Do I have safe and effective ways to reduce stress in my life? Am I able to make decisions with a minimum of stress and worry? Am I able to set priorities? Am I able to follow through on decisions and accept the consequences of my choices?
Next on the list, Spiritual Wellness is the ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives. The ability to develop a correlation between values and actions and to realize a common purpose that binds creation together contributes to our Spiritual Wellness. Having compassion, the capacity for love and forgiveness, altruism, joy, and fulfillment help you enjoy your spiritual health. Your religious faith, values, beliefs, principles, and morals define your spirituality.
Evaluate your own spiritual wellness with this brief quiz. Do I make time for relaxation in my day? Do I make time for meditation and/or prayer? Do my values guide my decisions and actions? Am I accepting of the views of others? If not, then spiritual wellness might need attention.