Wellness

Wellness incorporates all the eight dimensions. Each dimension of wellness can affect our overall quality of life. Wellness directly relates to how long we live, how well we live, and our quality of life.

The eight-dimension model illustrates the idea that all eight dimensions are inter-connected.

We all know how much they connect in our lives. When we feel financially stressed over school and living expenses, we experience emotional stress, sometimes leading to physical problems like illness, or food and sleeping habits. This can make us less effective at school or work, and maybe even questioning our own meaning and purpose in life. When we are not doing well in school or work, we lose some of our opportunities to interact with others, cannot get the quality foods and medical care we need to stay well, and may need to move to a place that feels less safe and secure. All of these are examples of different Wellness dimensions.

Stress, addiction, trauma, disappointment, and loss can impact our wellness and the balance in our lives.  Stress and addiction lead to imbalance in many of the 8 dimensions, though, our wellness habits can be developed or restored to help create personal balance.  

Although we may experience distress, we can choose to be resilient. We all have strengths in the 8 wellness dimensions survive and thrive, and by tapping into those, you can make changes for the betterment of your wellness.

Our habits affect what we do, how we feel, how we work, how we fuel our minds and bodies, and how we spend or save money. Habits are key for wellness and become ingrained to help you cope and function with everyday challenges or can do the opposite. Some habits like excessive alcohol, harmful drugs or chemicals, consumption of energy drinks, sugar and fat laden foods can have immediate or long-term negative effects on physical, mental, and social well-being.

It is important to consciously maintain or establish wellness habits.

The Balm website will help you think about your own wellness—what you already do now (your daily routines, habits, and life roles and activities), what else you can do or can learn to do, and what type of support you need to focus on your wellness and balance.  

Many people find it helpful to look at their own wellness in each of the eight dimensions. This wellness assessment can offer some insights to determine things you are doing well and things you may want to start or stop doing.

Each of the 8 dimensions focuses on an area of your life that you can make changes to. Think about the actions you want to take and the support that will help you take those actions.

Wellness is not the absence of disease, illness, and stress but the presence1 of:

● Purpose in life

● Active involvement in satisfying work and play

● Joyful relationships

● A healthy body and living environment

● Happiness

Wellness is a conscious, deliberate process that requires being aware of and making choices for a more satisfying lifestyle.2

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