8 Dimensions of Wellness- A Guide to Habit Change

Before we begin 8 dimensions of Wellness, lets understand Wellness first.

If you take wellness as a posh word used by rich people who don’t have to work hard regularly to earn a decent living, you are wrong.

We all have tough lives- responsibilities that seem never to end, people who seem to be hell-bent in making our lives miserable, and situations that always go against us.

We all have been there and done that. But what are we doing for ourselves? Just for our mental and physical well being, what is it that we are doing?  That is where wellness comes.

Wellness is for everyone

-World Health Organization (WHO)

As WHO aptly stated, it’s just not about being healthy physically, but being aware and accepting of oneself.

Wellness is a dynamic process where you continuously reinvent yourself for a better you. You grow, change, and make conscious choices to have a more fulfilling and healthy life.

Irrespective of your age, social or professional background, perceived attractiveness, size, and shape, your wellness is the cornerstone of quality of life.

Our wellness determines how we feel and interact with others, ultimately how we want to look and eventually thrive in life and work.

What are 8 Dimensions of Wellness

To optimize your journey towards wellness, there are 8 Dimensions of Wellness. They can be worked upon individually or all at once. The choice is all yours, but they contribute and affect our wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

Emotional Wellness

This is one of the most important elements of 8 Dimensions of Wellness.

Even if we are physically healthy and fit when we are suffering emotionally, every luxury and worldly pleasures just are not enough. We need resilience to work through challenges in life and overcome the setbacks. By building our emotional wellbeing we take control of our behaviors and feelings.

We become more confident in general and have better relationships with people. To attain emotional well being, we need to indulge in regular recreational and leisure activities.

It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. You can listen to your favorite music, have a cozy dinner with your partner or family, play with your pet, or watch your favorite movies. Just doing things that give your pleasure can make you emotionally fulfilling.

But mind you those pleasurable things must not be self- destructive. Drinking a glass of wine at the end of the day to wind down is good, but overindulgence in alcohol will leave you addicted, dependent, and messed up.

Spiritual Wellness

First of all, it has nothing to do with religion in the context of 8 Dimensions of Wellness.

Spiritual wellness will enable you to have a sense of self- confidence, specific values, and a feeling of inner peace. It is related to your values that you want to preserve and help you find its purpose.

To gain spiritual wellness, you can devote some time in nature, go for walks, meditate, and even spare a few minutes a day on self- reflection. You don’t have to get sleepless nights rewinding everything you did that day and regretting some of your choices. It will be exhausting.

Just think about the things that you have done and accept it with consequences. Try to learn from it and let it go.

To enhance your spiritual well being find a space for contemplation and solitude. If that not your thing, then find a place of playfulness or curiosity.

Spiritual wellness doesn’t mean you always have to be calm and composed; your curious and playful attitude also helps you to attain hope, meaning, and purpose of your existence.

It’s all about being you- unapologetically yourself but always improving.

Intellectual Wellness

When you try to have intellectual wellness, you get better at critical thinking skills, better concentration, and improved memory.

To have intellectual wellness, you need to challenge yourself by learning something new or indulging in things that you have never done before.

Reading, learning a new language or musical instrument, debating with people of opposing views, tutoring, and teaching others will eventually help you improve and maintain your intellectual wellness.

If you want to attain intellectual wellness, use your skills and knowledge in something creative and challenging. You will not only recognize your unique talents but also find something fulfilling and won’t feel empty, dejected, or lacking.

Physical Wellness

If thinking about physical wellness flashes an image of Victoria Secrets Supermodel or rock-solid abs, you must know that those are not the only physical health standards.

Of course, if they are your goals, then you can set the parameters to achieve them. But being physically fit is not just about being visually attractive; it’s about having a healthy lifestyle. It pertains to healthy nutrition, physical activity, and adequate sleep.

Now, physical activities can be customized depending upon your time management and commitment.

Physical activities can be light or vigorous, but it has to be consistent.

You can maintain physical health by engaging in sports, jumping rope, walking, skiing, bike riding, and even yoga. 

Environment Wellness

Environmental wellness includes everything related to your natural and social surroundings. Thus, it is another big element of 8 Dimensions of Wellness.

They significantly impact the way you feel and react to situations daily.

When the surroundings you occupy are always chaotic, and in disarray, you will feel a sense of negativity and lack of productivity in you all day long. You cannot expect to feel better when your surrounding is disorganized and in clutter while you feel unsafe and unprotected in your environment.

Some of the factors that affect environmental wellness are garbage buildup, violence, pollution, and water conservation. You don’t have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle to have an environment that pleases you. You can start small and eventually create a routine that suits you.

Some of the ways you can do to have environmental wellness are by turning off the water and lights when not in use to conserve energy, avoid littering, buying products with minimal or recyclable packaging, planting a community or personal garden and creating neighbourhood watches.

Financial Wellness

We all want to be financially independent. We all want to work less and earn more. However, if we don’t curb our expenditure and check our spending habits, eventually, no matter how much we make, it will still be lacking.

Finances are one of the most common stressors that we, as a society, suffer together. Attaining financial wellness will give us a satisfactory feeling about our financial situation.

To start with getting financial wellness, we have to actively track our monthly expenditure, and set goals based on where our money is going.

Some of the other common ways to start our financial wellness journey are- 

• By having a strict household budget 
• By creating a savings account and adding to it every month even if it is just a small amount
• By saving some of the income in an emergency account 
• By cutting back or limiting unnecessary expenses 
• By avoiding credit card debt 
• By donating to a meaningful charitable organization 
• By shopping at thrift stores 
• By utilizing the library for free books and DVDs
•  By cooking your meals instead of dining out.

Occupational Wellness

We all must have been in that work where we feel like we don’t belong there. We must also feel lost and creatively drained. Such situations are because our occupational well being is hampered.

Occupational wellness means finding a job that is meaningful to us and also financially rewarding. Finding work that corresponds to our values, skills, and interests will help us to maintain our occupational wellness.

It involves managing workplace stress, building relationships with coworkers, and balancing leisure time and work time.

We are not telling you to leave your job the moment you feel stressed out. Wellness means not quitting your current situation but dealing with it to the best of your ability and finding something good for yourself.

Consider your work culture and office environment and how supported or rewarding you feel.

Talk to someone if you feel left out, engage in recreational activities, and create hobbies to balance the work stress. 

Social Wellness

In this generation of social media, people still feel isolated and disconnected.

Our social well being starts with us and should never be dependent on others.

Social wellness involves creating and maintaining a healthy and meaningful support network.

Some of the tips to start with your social wellness are-

• Build a healthy social dimension by asking a colleague or acquaintance out for a meal 
• Join a club or organization 
• Set healthy boundaries 
• Use good communication skills that are assertive rather than passive or aggressive 
• Be genuine and authentic with others 
• Respectfully treat others.

End Thoughts

Has something resonated with you?

You can read more about them from Wellness 8 by Jeremy Reynolds.

Out of all 8 dimensions of Wellness, is there a dimension you are strongest at or need improvement for?

Awareness about things will give you scope for improvement, which was the goal here.

Now that you know all 8 dimensions of Wellness that can help you get your life together and make your more at peace with yourself, why not start working on them today?