When many of us think of “wellness”, the first thing that may come to mind is our physical or mental health. Although our physical and mental health are important aspects of our wellness, there are many more contributing factors. Debbie Stoewen identifies eight separate, but equally important, components of wellness (2017). These eight components, named the “Dimensions of Wellness”, are independent of one another, but can also significantly influence and impact each other as well. These dimensions don’t require equal attention paid to them, but neglecting one can have negative consequences on the others, including our overall wellness. The eight identified dimension of wellness include:

Physical: Managing our physical health needs. This includes our core needs of a healthy diet, exercise and proper sleep, but also extends to all aspects of physical health, including managing illnesses and other ailments. Regularly scheduling and attending doctor appointments, even if it is for a well-visit, can help us maintain our physical health and assist us in setting goals to maintain positive physical health and contribute to our overall wellness.

Emotional: Our emotional wellness consists of not only managing our mental health, but our understanding of emotions in ourselves and others. This dimension of wellness consists of identifying and understanding our personal feelings, values and identity and being able to empathize with and understand the feelings of others. In order to strive for positive emotional wellness, we want to manage our emotions in a constructive way and develop a positive view of life, the world around us and the future.

Intellectual: The intellectual domain of wellness incorporates growing and challenging ourselves intellectually. Many may think of school when they think of intellectual wellness, but that is just one way in which we can engage in this area of wellness. Puzzles, reading or even educational online videos are some ways we can expand our knowledge, continue to learn and engage in intellectual wellness. Sharing our knowledge with others can also contribute to our wellness.

Social: The social domain of wellness involves developing and maintaining healthy, positive friendships and intimate relationships. Caring for others, and allowing ourselves to feel cared about, is an integral part of developing personal relationships that contribute to our social wellness. Engaging in and contributing to our community, whether that is a neighborhood, town or a social group, also allows us to engage in this domain of wellness.

Spiritual: Engagement in our spiritual wellness can be achieved with or without a connection to organized religion. By identifying value, purpose and meaning in our lives and engaging in activities and behaviors that are consistent with our values, we can achieve spiritual wellness.

Vocational: Vocational wellness involved in engaging in work that is meaningful to us and that provides personal satisfaction. Employment can provide the opportunity to share our unique skills, knowledge and talents with others and contribute to our overall wellness.

Financial: Financial wellness is not necessarily determined by how much money we make. Rather, it is how we manage and budget our money, including setting realistic goals, living within our means and feeling secure in managing our needs and our ability to afford emergencies. More income can help us in these areas, but it still requires to adjust our lifestyle to our income and budget appropriately.

Environmental: The final dimension, environmental, involves developing an understanding of not only how our social and physical environments influence our health and behaviors, but also how our behaviors impact the environments around us.

Giving attention to each dimension of wellness, including making sure to obtain the basic needs of each dimension, influences our overall wellness and well-being. If you want to improve your wellness, first reflect on these areas and see if there are any that could use more attention. For more support around improving specific dimensions of wellness, click here.

Works Cited:

Stoewen D. L. (2017). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 58(8), 861–862