THE NINE DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Wellness, which is closely connected to health, is the efforts made to achieve better physical and mental health. Wellness is the active process that leads to a healthier lifestyle.
They are nine dimensions of health and wellness, which are interconnected: Physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, occupational, financial and cultural. All dimensions are necessary to achieve holistic health
- Physical Wellness: being free from injury or illness, and includes healthy diet, adequate sleep, physical activity, healthy weight and maintaining healthy relationships.
- Emotional Wellness: being in control of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It means being aware and dealing with your emotions, whether negative, such as stress, anger, and sadness, or positive.
- Intellectual Wellness: being open to new ideas, thinking critically and finding ways for continued creativity
- Social Wellness: involves building positive relationships, developing social network with friends and coworkers that offers a support system as well as having self-esteem to manage conflict.
- Spiritual Wellness: having a belief system which guides in decision making, and makes one better prepared to manage life challenges and find purpose in life.
- Environmental Wellness: an awareness of your physical and social environment and understanding the impact they can have on health. People should live in harmony with nature and respect others in their surroundings.
- Financial Wellness: effectively managing your finances, and incorporates spending within your means, being prepared for emergencies, tools and information for making good financial decisions and being able to plan for the future, emphasis being placed on living within your means.
- Occupational Wellness: choose a profession that provides a feeling of purpose and productivity. Know your talents and skills and look for the opportunity to achieve personal satisfaction through your work
- Cultural Wellness: an awareness and appreciation of various cultures, including one’s own, and respecting their richness and diversity. It respects and embraces diversity such as religion, gender, race and ethnicity.