What is Wellness?

What is Wellness?

Let’s get 2017 started! We’ve decided to create a Monthly Wellness Blog this year to help our clients in other ways than just massage. We first must look at what wellness means. Is wellness physical or is it mental? Is it both? Are health and wellness the same thing? When you ask Google, what is wellness, you will find many answers but all saying about the same thing; “wellness is seven different dimensions of healthy change and growth to help you live a fulfilling life.”

The Seven Dimensions of wellness include:

1.      Physical

2.      Emotional/mental

3.      Social

4.      Intellectual/academic/occupational

5.      Environmental

6.      Financial

7.      Spiritual (not just religion)

The best way to think of them is like a wheel on a car, if they are unbalanced, you’re in for a bumpy ride or maybe just minor wear and tear. Each aspect of the wheel plays a significant role in your overall health and well-being. Each one overlaps with the other. For example, let’s take someone who is overweight. Their low back and knees hurt from the excess weight, which then affects their emotional state leading to anxiety and depression. This causes problems with both your social and intellectual (work/school) dimensions because you can’t motivate yourself to get out of the house. This will then effect your financial dimension. Then, all this leads to spiritual problems where you feel a lack of purpose. So, as you can see, each one overlaps with the other. For us to live a long and fulfilling life, we must learn to balance each of these dimensions. I hope this helps give you a better look at what we mean by Wellness.