Article: Wellness By Ancy George, USA

When we think about wellness, the first concept that comes to mind is our physical well-being. But does only physical fitness matter? Physical well-being does have higher priority when compared to other human needs. If you are not physically fit, you are not able to focus on other areas of human life.
Let’s focus our attention on the holistic approach to “wellness”. What is wellness? According to Webster’s dictionary, wellness is “the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal” It’s an actively pursued goal to maintain balanced good health. Wellness includes six different aspects – physical, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social, and intellectual. For some people, wellness could mean different things; their focus is not going to be all six dimensions, it could only be one or two. The time spent on each could be different because of the individual needs in those areas.
To have a healthy balance, all six dimensions should be balanced, like the old school food pyramid, which included 30% carbs, including bread and grain, 25% vegetables, 20% fruits, 15% meats, fish, 10% oils and nuts. The percentage of each category has changed with people’s needs of weight loss, heart health, diabetic diet, etc. When you only focus on certain areas, the other areas can be deprived. Especially with the COVID pandemic, people were focusing on eating healthy, building up immunity, and weight loss. During this time, an area that was forgotten was social interaction. Yes, it was difficult to meet up with people and have social gatherings. Even when COVID restrictions were lifted, people had a difficult time coming out, because they became so comfortable in their bubble of few friends, remote working, social media, etc. These issues increased mental health concerns in both the young and the old.
Physical wellness includes eating a balanced diet, exercising 30 mins daily, and maintaining regular sleep of 6 to 8 hours daily.
Emotional wellness is being aware of your feelings and how you react to them every day. Feelings can affect your daily activities and how you can function. It is especially important to have a healthy mental well-being. “Emotional well-being can affect relationships, work, and overall mental and physical health” (Wade, D. 2023).
Spiritual wellness helps to find meaning in life. Spirituality stems from faith, values, ethics, and moral values. Engaging in religious activities and practicing your faith can help to settle your wandering mind. Having a strong faith helps you face the challenges in this world.
Occupational wellness is your satisfaction with your career choice, your workplace, and your satisfaction with the outcome of the task you are assigned to. You feel valued in your workplace, and you have a good relationship with your leaders and co-workers.
Social wellness focuses on building nurturing and supportive relationships with individuals, communities, etc. It encourages us to communicate with others and connect with families, friends, and classmates.
Intellectual wellness encourages us to be involved in creative and mentally stimulating activities. We need to be lifelong learners, be involved in cultural and community development, expand our hobbies, learn new skills, and let our brains sleep.
August is Wellness Month: let us take some time to evaluate ourselves and focus on areas that we need to improve or change.

“Wellness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wellness. Accessed 7 Aug. 2023.
Wade, D. 2023, What is emotional Emotional wellness and well-being: What is it, causes, how to improve (medicalnewstoday.com)

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