Simply Well

9:15 AM Posted In , Edit This
Wellness. Not just the absence of illness. I have included a link to a very helpful site. The definition of wellness.com It gives you the following definition of Wellness and breaks it down for you in smaller pieces. The definition can vary slightly from different sources. The main components are all included below. I have taken this directly from a wonderful site that says it all ~thedefinitionofwellness.com for you in case for some reason you have difficulty accessing it. Below, within the asterisks ** is the definition of wellness and sub-categories that I could not improve upon so I thought it best to include it in it's entirety for you so nothing gets lost in my translation. I recommend you check out the site thoroughly if you are truly interested in wellness and becoming 'well'.


**Charles B. Corbin of Arizona State University who gives this definition of wellness: “Wellness is a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.”

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.

  • Process means that improvement is always possible
  • Aware means that we are continuously seeking more information about how we can improve.
  • Choices means that we consider a variety of options and select those in our best interest.
  • Success is determined by each individual to be their collection of life accomplishments.

Dimensions of Wellness

If wellness is multidimensional, what are the dimensions of wellness? The most commonly described sub-dimensions are the following:

  1. Social Wellness
  2. Occupational Wellness
  3. Spiritual Wellness
  4. Physical Wellness
  5. Intellectual Wellness
  6. Emotional Wellness
  7. Environmental Wellness
  8. Financial Wellness
  9. Mental Wellness
  10. Medical Wellness

Vocational Wellness and Environmental Wellness are not personal in nature, but a person's working and physical environments are factors that influence personal wellness. Research is necessary to clearly establish the relationship among the sub-dimensions. While the exact dimensions of wellness could be debated, we believe the ones listed here make up a good list.

Ultimately, the dimensions of wellness all fall into two broader categories, being mental and physical. This is critical to note, as the mental or emotional component is often overlooked as focus on such main staples as physical fitness and chronic disease risk factors. In order to achieve a state of wellness in our own lives or try to guide others to it, we must pay due diligence to each of the dimensions. We may not all be physically fit or free from disease; we can, however, strive for increased wellness by working with what we’ve been dealt.**

Back to my thoughts here. Because it can be such a lengthy process for one to travel the journey to Wellness, we need a starting point. I gave this a great deal of thought. Here's what I came up with that I personally believe is a perfect place to start. You can take the Wellness assessment and see where your level of wellness lines up. The link for that is right here for you to try out www.thedefinitionofwellness.com/wellness-assessment.html Then, after you have determined what aspects can use some work. draw up a plan to follow.

There is a book called "The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness" by Greg Anderson. He is a long term cancer survivor and has captured some incredibly simple ways to live well. As he said and I completely agree with. Wellness is not just eating well and exercising, that is only a small fraction of what we need to be truly well in our body, mind and spirit. His first law is the "Law Of Esprit" simply put "the ability to generate a joyful stance towards life on a daily basis". He also tells us "each day is a miraculous gift and it is our job to untie the ribbons". Very wise man, don't you think? I will be reading this book once again, I have owned it for many years, and sharing it with you on a weekly basis. I hope you can derive from it some value and apply it to your life on a daily basis.

As far as your personal wellness for now, take the wellness assessment and see what areas of wellness you need to work on. You can use the site I've listed to assist you in finding ways to improve that particular facet of your own wellness. I could bore you with mine, but I won't. I will be on my personal journey and let you know how I am doing periodically. I did set up the majority of my personal wellness plan, but I need to work on it a little more. It's not something that can be thrown together quickly or haphazardly for me. I am somewhat of a perfectionist (weakness) and like to do things a certain way. Because of this, things take a little longer for me to complete sometimes. I am integrating the time management I spoke of the other day and making a 'pie' out of my life to assist me in attaining balance. I have been able to see where I am spending too much time and what areas I am neglecting altogether, tisk, tisk. Here's a cute pic I found, but I doubt I'll ever find that street. Especially when changing some lifestyle habits that have been with me for a very long time. Easy nope, worth the effort, yep, absolutely!


If you stumbled across this blog and find it interesting and at all useful, please let me know. If you need any assistance I will do what I can to direct you to the right place to help you on your journey.

So, next week we will "untie" Greg Anderson's first gift of Wellness to us, "The Law of Esprit". Until then. Be Well. Simply.Marie