Dimensions of Wellness
People often think about wellness in terms of physical health — nutrition, exercise, weight management, etc., but it is so much more.
Wellness is a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being - fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit. Although it always includes striving for health, it’s more about living life fully and is a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the best kind of person that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow.
Wellness necessitates good self-stewardship, for ourselves and for those we care about and who care about us. For those in the helping professions, such as ourselves in veterinary medicine, wellness is a professional as well as personal responsibility. In order to ensure high-quality patient and client services, we have an ethical obligation to attend to our own health and well-being. Sufficient self-care prevents us from harming those we serve.
Wellness encompasses 8 mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. Attention must be given to all the dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will adversely affect the others, and ultimately one’s health, well-being, and quality of life. They do not, however, have to be equally balanced. We should aim, instead, to strive for a “personal harmony” that feels most authentic to us. We naturally have our own priorities, approaches, and aspirations, including our own views of what it means to live life fully.
EIGHT DIMENSIONS
Physical Dimension
Caring for your body to stay healthy now and in the future
Intellectual Dimension
Growing intellectually, maintaining curiosity about all there is to learn, valuing lifelong learning, and responding positively to intellectual challenges
Expanding knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing your gifts with others
Emotional Dimension
Understanding and respecting your feelings, values, and attitudes
Appreciating the feelings of others
Managing your emotions in a constructive way
Feeling positive and enthusiastic about your life
Social Dimension
Maintaining healthy relationships, enjoying being with others, developing friendships and intimate relations, caring about others, and letting others care about you
Contributing to your community
Spiritual Dimension
Finding purpose, value, and meaning in your life with or without organized religion
Participating in activities that are consistent with your beliefs and values
Vocational Dimension
Preparing for and participating in work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment that is consistent with your values, goals, and lifestyle
Contributing your unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding
Financial Dimension
Managing your resources to live within your means, making informed financial decisions and investments, setting realistic goals, and preparing for short-term and long-term needs or emergencies
Being aware that everyone’s financial values, needs, and circumstances are unique
Environmental Dimension
Understanding how your social, natural, and built environments affect your health and well-being
Being aware of the unstable state of the earth and the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment
Demonstrating commitment to a healthy planet
