Dimensions of Wellness

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The concept of wellness is highly valued by human beings as it covers every aspect of internal and external well-being of a person. These various aspects are called as ‘dimensions of wellness’.

Every dimension of wellness is interconnected and these relations have an impact on the life of an individual.

Wellness has six dimensions. They are:

Emotional wellness
Emotional wellness is determined by the degree to which one can feel positive and enthusiastic about one’s self. The elements of emotional wellness are:
- Optimistic thinking
- Attitude of gratitude
- Awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings
- Realistic assessment of one’s limitations
- Developing autonomy
- Ability to cope up with stress
- Maintaining satisfying relationships
- Ability to manage and express feelings
- Personally rewarding

Occupational wellness
It is characterized by the personal satisfaction at work and enrichment of life through work. The elements that contribute to occupational wellness are:
- Occupational development
- Good attitude towards work
- Consistent career
- Contributing our skills to work which are personally rewarding
- Job satisfaction
- Personal performance at work

Physical wellness
It is characterized by physical development through good exercise and eating habits. It is characterized by certain features in an individual like:
- Learning about diet and nutrition
- Discouraging tobacco, illicit drugs and alcohol
- Building physical strength
- Endurance and flexibility
- Understanding body’s warning signs
- Looking good and feeling active
- Safety precautions

Social wellness
It is characterized by one’s contribution to his surrounding community and environment. It also includes cultural and environmental factors. The elements of social wellness are:
- Common welfare to the society
- Harmony with others
- Importance of society
- Impact of your actions on multiple environments
- Important friendships
- Understanding the interdependence between others
- Understanding the interdependence between humans, nature and other living beings

- Intellectual wellness

It is characterized by the promotion of one’s creative and stimulating mental activities. This dimension is helpful in taking a person to the next higher level and in achieving major endeavors at regular intervals. The elements of intellectual wellness are:

- Careful decision making
- Expanding knowledge and skills
- Discovering one’s own potential
- Indulging in intellectual and cultural activities
- Exploring issues related to problem solving
- Creativity and learning
- Pursuing personal interests
- Making use of personal skills for others

Spiritual wellness
It is characterized by the drive to search for the real meaning and purpose of human existence. It is achieved when your actions are consistent with your values and beliefs. The elements of spiritual wellness include:
- Deep appreciation for depth of life and natural forces that exist in universe
- Search for harmony between interpersonal feelings
- Experiencing wide range of feelings such as doubt, despair, fear, dislocation as well as joy, happiness, discovery, etc.
- Adopting right value system
- Becoming open minded and tolerant towards others feelings
- Bringing meaning to your existence
- Adopting nature of forgiveness

Nourishing and enhancing each dimension individually and establishing a right balance between every dimension leads to the improved quality of life.

Having gained the knowledge on each and every dimension of wellness, it is now important to know how to practice wellness and why you should adopt wellness lifestyle. These topics are covered in our next articles.