Numerous factors impact our well-being, but certain key factors significantly influence our health and wellness. Recent research has highlighted various elements crucial for achieving optimum wellness. Unlike the perspective of 20 years ago, there is now an understanding that wellness is not restricted to physical health, but also encompasses emotional/mental and spiritual health. Additionally, there is increasing recognition of a fourth factor: social wellness, which examines the influence of social connections and community on overall health and wellness.
This shift to a more holistic approach to wellness is a global trend. In 1976, Dr. Bill Hettler, a co-founder of the National Wellness Institute in the US, developed the 6 Dimensions of wellness. Building on this, Dr. Peggy Swarbrick extended the framework to 8 dimensions of wellness in the 1990s, which has become a key method for assessing true wellness.
These dimensions are interconnected and exert mutual influence. For an individual to be truly well, these dimensions need to be balanced. For example, if your finances are in disarray, this can cause stress, which then affects you both physically and mentally. Consequently, this can have a detrimental impact on your health unless you possess effective coping mechanisms and a supportive network.
Food for thought. So how well are you? Are you actively fostering wellness in all areas of your life that allows you whether storms and shocks to your system? Why not download a blank copy of the wheel and score yourself out of 10 in each area. This will help you to focus on the areas that you need to work on. Click to download here.