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The Eight Dimension of Wellness


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What is "Wellness"?

Wellness is health disposition that fits YOU best! We accomplish this by establishing a balance between the eight dimensions that affect your overall quality of life. Rather than focusing on one area, wellness takes a holistic approach to creating and living an optimal healthy lifestyle.

 

A Balanced Lifestyle

There are many things that affect our lifestyle including our culture, circumstances, and availability of resources. Balancing these factors means making sure that we have time to do what makes us happy and fulfilled. Your individual needs, preferences, and capabilities vary from person-to-person and can change over time! Especially when facing challenges, our habits and routines contribute to how much control we have over ourselves and the roles we play in other lives.

 

Want to Improve Somewhere? Pick a Dimension!

Living responsibly and taking the full responsibility of caring for your body, and recognizing that our daily habits and behaviors have a significant impact on our overall health, wellness and quality of life.

Think about your...

  • Physical activity
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition and diet
  • Primary prevention medicine and habits
  • Alcohol and drug intake
  • Medication safety
Knowing how well you recognize and express your emotions.
  • Learn what keep you positive and what triggers negativity
  • Be sensitive to your feelings and other's feelings
  • Learn to cope with stress
  • Set realistic goals and expectations

Motivating yourself to master new life skills by encouraging your creativity and critical thinking abilities. Consider you...

  • Personal interests
  • Education
  • Stimulation for your brain
  • Daily conversation

Choosing a lifestyle of committed effort toward sustaining the Earth’s natural environment and promoting learning in a stimulating, supportive environment.

Ask yourself:

  • Do you go through clutter from mail and paperwork?
  • Is your work space styled how you like it?
  • Are you spending as much time outdoors as possible?
  • Are you recycling whenever possible?
  • Do you limit use of power and water at home?

Building relationships with your coworkers, addressing stress in the workplace, and ultimately finding a balance between work and leisure activity.

  • Work relationships
    • Have open communication between your employer and coworkers
    • Find ways to be personally stimulated and satisfied with your job
  • Balance
    • Schedule time for work AND leisure
    • Keep a calendar to avoid overloading your plate
  • Accomplishment
    • Does your career satisfy you or will it help you reach your future goals?
    • Do you feel accomplished and take pride in your work?
    • Do you feel as though your accomplishments matter?

Making responsible decisions to live within your means and setting financial goals that will positively impact your financial future.

Consider this:

  • What are your work obligations?
  • Do you have a checking account? A savings?
  • What is your plan to pay off any debts?
  • What are your retirement plans?

Contact the WKU Center of Financial Success for FREE advice and guidance on budgeting, student loan debt, and more!

To create and maintain positive relationships and enjoy being around other people.

  1. Establish yourself in your communities (friends, family, support groups, extracurriculars, etc.)
  2. Meet new people from different backgrounds
  3. Try a new hobby you might like
  4. Visit places you've never been before
  5. Set aside time to spend with family and friends and take care of yourself
Finding a core set of values and beliefs and using them to develop your sense of purpose and meaning.

You can learn about other belief systems to fully understand and respect your choice. Reach out and see if there is a group in your community where you can freely express and deepen your practice!

Increasing your spiritual well-being can look like:

  • Volunteering
  • Self-reflection
  • Meditation
  • Spending time in nature
  • Prayer (for those who are religious)

 

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References:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) - A Step-By-Step Guide to Wellness (PDF)

SAMSHA - The Eight Dimensions of Wellness

PubMed - Dimensions of Wellness

 


 

 

 

 


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 Last Modified 4/18/22