Dimensions of Wellness

Community Wellness

Community wellness is the sense of engagement and connection one has with where they live and a feeling of both safety and pride in one’s community. Striving for wellness in this dimension involves connecting with groups (formal and informal). Strong community wellness means one takes ownership of their own wellness and contributes to the wellness of others.

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness involves resilience, grit, and the mental capacity to both thrive and contribute to one’s own personal growth. Striving for wellness in this dimension involves identifying personal emotions, understanding their value, and regulating them constructively. Mindfulness in the emotional dimension is experiencing all emotions, recognizing which emotions you are experiencing, and responding to those emotions appropriately.

Awareness in thoughts and feelings of ourselves and others enables choices to be made mindfully. Mindfulness in decision making favors a holistic way of thinking. Recognizing awareness and acceptance supports growth in coping, exploring ourselves, and self-respect (National Wellness Institute).

Financial Wellness

Financial wellness is how one’s personal resources impact other aspects of their life. Striving for wellness in this dimension includes understanding the opportunities, limitations, and responsibilities one’s finances afford them and planning for their financial future. Strong financial wellness means one has a full understanding of their financial situation and can adequately prepare for changes.

Financial wellness is a component of Occupational and Intellectual Wellness. Focusing on interests and unique skills in work allows for personal enrichment and occupational adventure. This concentration on creativity supports a journey towards intellectual growth and stimulation (National Wellness Institute).

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness includes health, physical ability, exercise, sleep, and nutrition. Striving for wellness in this dimension includes eating a balanced diet, regular exercise, and access to resources that contribute to physical health. Strong physical wellness means one has the energy necessary to live a full and engaging life. Being mindful in the physical dimension is being aware of how our body feels and giving it attention when not performing optimally.

Regular physical activity and consciousness of consumption through nutrition allows for a focus on physical self-care. Having an appreciation for the body and how it performs plays a psychological role in self-esteem and motivation (National Wellness Institute).

Purpose Wellness

Purpose wellness includes fulfillment, spiritual meaning, personal identity, and vocation. Striving for wellness in this dimension includes exploring how one interacts with the world around them and developing a passion for how they will contribute to their community and the world. Being mindful in this dimension means having a strong internal locus of control, the extent to which you believe you have control over events that affect you.

Acting based on beliefs and values sculpts the search for meaning in human existence. Development of an appreciation for the depth of life and the individual idea of natural forces shapes our personal worldview and journey toward finding passions in life (National Wellness Institute).

Social Wellness

Social wellness involves authentic interpersonal relationships. Striving for wellness in this dimension includes connecting with individuals in a way that is deep and meaningful. Strong social wellness means one has strong, supportive, interdependent relationships where each person genuinely cares for the other. Mindfulness in the social dimension is about the quality of relationships, not the quantity.

As humans, we have interdependence in our communities. By working to have healthy connections and communication, we enhance friendships and relationships that are vital to our Social Wellness (National Wellness Institute).