What Are the 8 Areas of Wellness?

The 8 areas of wellness include physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental.

Wellness is more than being physically and mentally fit. It is a complete integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Wellness helps you:

Being in good health does not guarantee wellness. Wellness is about taking care of yourself, the people you care about, and those who care for you. When you are in good health and ensure your well-being, you can be a productive and content soul in this world.

Wellness comprises eight interdependent areas that need utmost attention, which include:

1. Physical
2. The physical area involves caring for your body to remain healthy.
3. Healthy behaviors, such as exercise, proper nutrition, and abstaining from harmful substances, can improve your physical wellness.
4. Regular checkups and identifying symptoms of disease can prevent the risk of most diseases.
5. Ways to achieve physical wellness:
6. Regular exercise
7. Adequate sleep
8. Control portion size
9. Consume healthy foods from different food groups
10. Avoid smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke
11. Use alcohol in moderation, if at all
12. Identify early signs of disease
13. Use a helmet or seatbelt while driving
14. Practice safer sex using condoms
15. Intellectual
16. The intellectual area involves stimulating your creative side. The mind needs to be constantly inspired and exercised.
17. An intellectual mind always seeks to learn more. They keep their minds engaged and expand their knowledge and skills.
18. Ways to achieve intellectual wellness:
19. Include learning as part of your hobby
20. Take up mentally stimulating hobbies
21. Read books with good messages
22. Interact with people who stimulate you to think
23. Travel to learn about different cultures
24. Learn a foreign language
25. Take a course or workshop
26. Emotional
27. The emotional area involves learning the art of managing your emotions positively and empathizing with people.
28. Emotional wellness should include optimism, self-esteem, self-acceptance, and the ability to share feelings.
29. Techniques to boost emotional wellness:
30. Accept your emotions and understand the reason behind them
31. Avoid self-harm or thoughts that would put you in trauma
32. Accept and forgive yourself
33. Seek help and support
34. Develop an optimistic attitude toward life
35. Practice stress management techniques
36. Learn time management skills
37. Social
38. The social area involves learning ways to live in harmony with society. It means practicing good communication skills, developing intimate bonds with others, and creating a strong network of friends and family.
39. Ways to achieve social wellness:
40. Share your talents and skills
41. Contribute something toward the society
42. Cultivate healthy relationships in your neighborhood and workplace
43. Catch up with your friends and stay in touch with them
44. Volunteer in social organizations
45. Work with people with similar interests for a social cause
46. Spiritual
47. The spiritual area involves connecting with your inner self and finding the true purpose of your life.
48. To achieve this, you should:
49. Appreciate the beauty of everything
50. Bring harmony between your inner self and external forces
51. Tips and suggestions for spiritual wellness:
52. Live by your ethics and moral values
53. Spend time alone to investigate your inner self
54. Practice meditation and mind-relaxing techniques
55. Give your maximum in everything you do
56. Understand and accept uniqueness in yourself and others
57. Engage in activities that give you peace and contentment
58. Vocational
59. Vocational refers to getting involved in an occupation that enriches you and provides personal satisfaction.
60. Your unique skills, talents, and gifts are utilized in the most effective way to bring out maximum productivity in your occupation.
61. Ways to improve vocational wellness:
62. Choose your career options after exploring your choices
63. Have a vision for your future
64. Choose a career that suits your interest, personality, and talents
65. Stay updated in your field
66. Be open to change
67. Develop team spirit by communicating with your team members
68. Financial
69. The financial area involves managing your resources to live within your budget, making wise investment choices, and avoiding huge debts.
70. Ways to bring financial wellness:
71. Avoid extravagance if you can barely afford it
72. Set budget goals
73. Manage your finances prudently
74. Invest smartly and save for emergencies
75. Avoid huge debts
76. Learn about budgeting and managing your taxes
77. Environmental
78. The environmental area involves being connected to nature and modifying your habits that may negatively affect the earth.
79. Ways to be socially responsible and contribute toward the earth:
80. Minimize the use of water and other natural resources
81. Reduce chemical use
82. Reduce, reuse, and recycle
83. Keep your environment clean

Summary of dimensions of wellness chart

• Care for your body to stay healthy now and in the future
• Grow intellectually, maintain curiosity, value lifelong learning, and respond positively to intellectual challenges
• Expand knowledge and skills while discovering the potential to share your gifts with others
• Understand and respect your feelings, values, and attitudes
• Appreciate the feelings of others
• Manage your emotions in a constructive way
• Feel positive and enthusiastic about your life
• Maintain healthy relationships, enjoy being with others, develop friendships and intimate relations, care for others, and let others care for you
• Contribute to your community
• Find purpose, value, and meaning in your life with or without organized religion
• Participate in activities consistent with your beliefs and values
• Prepare for and participate in work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment consistent with your values, goals, and lifestyle
• Contribute your unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding
• Manage your resources to live within your means, make informed financial decisions and investments, set realistic goals, and prepare for short-term and long-term needs or emergencies
• Be aware that everyone’s financial values, needs, and circumstances are unique
• Understand how your social, natural, and built environments affect your health and well-being
• Be aware of the unstable state of the earth and the effects of your daily habits on the physical environment
• Demonstrate commitment to a healthy planet

Why is wellness so important?

Wellness is essential in a person’s life due to the following reasons:

• Prevents many physical and mental ailments
• Boosts your ability to handle stress
• Reduces irritability and anxiety
• Positive effect on your temperament
• Boosts your quality of life
• Increases productivity, creativity, and provides overall satisfaction