What is wellness?

• December 9, 2014
• victor
• Fitness, General, Substance Abuse and Addiction

Wellness involves examining and improving all aspects of our lives.  In order to preserve wellness, it is important to maintain a well balanced lifestyle.   Some areas of wellness include:

• Physical Wellness ~Physical wellness promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functioning. There are many elements of physical wellness that all must be cared for together. Overall physical wellness encourages the balance of physical activity, nutrition, personal care and mental well-being to keep your body in top condition.
• Mental Wellness ~ According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” Wellness in this area involves using one’s cognitive abilities to enhance other areas of his/her life.
• Spiritual Wellness ~ Spiritual wellness the ability to use values and beliefs to clarify one’s purpose in life events. Spirituality is a term used in relation to spiritual wellness. Your “spirit” usually refers to the deepest part of you and is different from your soul. Specific disciplines are essential in order to grow in this area; just as with Physical Wellness.
• Emotional Wellness ~ Emotional wellness involves the ability to adapt with change and conflict by managing emotions and maintaining balance in other areas of our lives.  Emotional Intelligence (EI) is related to emotional wellness.  Psychology today describes EI as “the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.  It is generally said to include 3 skills:
  1. Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;
  2. The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problems solving;
  3. The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.”
• Social Wellness ~ Social wellness is the ability to relate and connect with people resulting in favorable responses for self and others.

Wellness is much more than merely physical health, exercise or nutrition. It is the full integration of states of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The model used by our facility includes social, emotional, spiritual, mental,  and physical wellness.  This also includes, relationships and fitness at one’s place of employment, financial fitness and many other areas that we see incorporated into our main categories.