Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! –Isaiah 38:16
The 8 Dimensions of Wellness
by Dr. Chasity Riddick
Wellness is an intentional active process of working towards improving one’s overall quality of life. Often times when one hears the term wellness, their immediate thoughts are exercise and eating. Exercise and eating are most certainly included in the wellness spectrum. However, there are other aspects of health that should be considered to maintain a wholistic lifestyle.
In order to achieve the highest quality of life, one should focus on working through the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. The 8 Dimensions of Wellness include Physical, Spiritual, Psychological, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Occupational, and Social. Each dimension is equally important and ignoring one or more of the dimensions could begin to affect each other. For example, if your psychological health is suffering, it can impact your physical health.
Let’s define each dimension of wellness and discuss how one can work to ensure they have the best optimal health.
Physical
Physical health includes exercise, eating habits, sleep patterns, and things you do to prevent illness from occurring, i.e., ensuring you are going to your routine checkups. In order to achieve optimal physical health, be sure to maintain a routine exercise regime. The Center for Disease Control (CDC, 2022) recommends that a person get 150 minutes of physical activity each week. To have a well-balanced diet, use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate (https://www.myplate.gov/) to help create a plan that is best for you. Approximately 33% percent of Americans do not get the recommended amount of sleep of 7-9 hours (CDC, 2022). Try to create a consistent schedule that allows you to get the rest you need.
Spiritual
Spiritual health is being able to connect to something greater than yourself and having a sense of purpose. Having a relationship with Christ and being an active member in the church is a terrific way to improve your spiritual health. If you are curious about what that looks like or would like someone to talk to about it, we’d love to talk! www.gtwy.life/connect
Psychological
Psychological health encompasses your mental and emotional health. Mental health is how you think, and emotional health is how you feel. How you think and feel has a direct impact on your ability to function each day. Be sure to take time to engage in activities you enjoy as this will help improve your thoughts and feelings. Additionally, counseling and mindfulness activities will help boost your psychological health.
Intellectual
Intellectual health allows us to be open to new ideas and allow our creative juices to flow. Find a hobby and engage in activities that you are passionate about. Having the desire to learn and try new things helps us to have a balanced life.
Environmental
Environmental health is the ability to connect with your surroundings and the world around you. This includes protecting yourself from unhealthy hazards such as pollution, noise, chemicals, etc. This also includes being environmentally friendly. Take note of your spaces and the places you live, work, and play as they can impact your quality of life!
Financial
Finances are the number one cause of stress nationwide. Taking time to work on your financial health can reduce your stress level tremendously. Practice living within your means. You can do this by creating a budget, managing your expenses, and improving your financial literacy on a regular basis.
Occupational
According to the American Institute of Stress, over 90% of Americans report that their job attributes to their stress levels. Good occupational health is the ability to have a work/life balance that attributes positively to one’s health. Finding a balance and having satisfaction and a purpose in the workplace will improve your occupational health.
Social
Relationships have a direct impact on our overall health and well-being. Healthy relationships improve our mood and overall life satisfaction. Be sure to surround yourself with positive people that will encourage you and lift you up. Be sure you do the same for others.
Life is about balance and so are the dimensions of wellness. Too little of something can be unhealthy, but so can too much of something. Being able to balance the 8 Dimensions of Wellness will improve your quality of life and happiness. Take time each day for yourself, you deserve it!
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God -1 Corinthians 10:31
Here at Gateway:
Financial Peace/D. Ramsey: financial health
Life and Discovery Groups: spiritual, social and emotional health
Cowan Park: environment and exercise
References
Center for Disease Control (2022). 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep. Retrieved, June 22, 2022, from
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html
Center for Disease Control (2022). How much physical activity does an adult need? Retrieved June 22,
2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
The American Institute of Stress (2022). 42 worrying workplace stress statistics. Retrieved June 22, 2022,
from https://www.stress.org/42-worrying-workplace-stress-statistics
U.S. Department of Agriculture (2022). MyPlate. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from
https://www.myplate.gov/.
(The Gateway Wellness Ministry is meant for educational purposes only. It is not intended for evaluation or treatment. Consult your medical provider for your own personal care.)
