What is Wellness?  

The National Wellness Institute articulates wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.” This formulation highlights that:  

Wellness is a purposeful and ongoing pursuit of self-betterment.  

The emphasis is on leading a life that is inherently positive and gratifying.  

The perspective acknowledges varied life domains, including choices about daily habits, mental and emotional health, spiritual development, and the surrounding environment.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) frames wellness as the optimal health condition of both individuals and collectives, involving the realization of full potential—physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and economically—while effectively carrying out responsibilities within family, community, and workplace contexts.

Health and wellness, though frequently confused, refer to different realities. According to the World Health Organization, health represents “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being—not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Factors such as heredity, living conditions, behavior, and availability of medical services determine health. Conversely, wellness constitutes a deliberate, ongoing process whereby individuals actively pursue choices designed to improve health and quality of life.  

The meaning of wellness has shifted. Once confined to the absence of disease, it is now understood as a comprehensive approach that includes affirmative dimensions like life satisfaction, personal growth, and a sense of purpose. Thus, health may be regarded as a static condition, whereas wellness is the dynamic practice that actively sustains and enriches that condition.  

The practice of wellness is personal and multifaceted, each dimension influencing the others. The WHO and various health scholars outline six interdependent dimensions that together constitute total well-being:  

1. Physical wellness: This dimension emphasizes the upkeep of the human body through regular physical activity, balanced nutrition, restorative sleep, and routine health screenings. Physical wellness also encompasses the development of strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance while avoiding detrimental behaviors such as tobacco use and poor dietary choices.

2. Emotional Wellness: According to the National Institutes of Health, emotional wellness entails the capacity to cope with stress and navigate life’s transitions. This construct incorporates self-awareness, the ability to express feelings constructively, resilience, and an overarching optimistic outlook. Vanderbilt University further adds emotional steadiness and the presence of supportive, healthy relationships as central contributors.

3. Social Wellness: Social wellness pertains to the quality of interactions and relationships within broader social and community contexts. The World Health Organization underscores the importance of inclusion and social connection. Building on this, psychologist Corey Keyes identified five interrelated dimensions of social well-being: social acceptance, social actualization, social contribution, social coherence, and social integration.

4. Intellectual Wellness: Intellectual wellness is fostered through engaging in creative, challenging, and mentally stimulating activities. Dr. Bill Hettler’s model emphasizes the importance of problem-solving, acquiring new competencies, and maintaining an inquisitive mindset in order to continually broaden one’s knowledge and cognitive capacity.

5. Spiritual Wellness: Spiritual wellness centers on the quest for meaningful purpose in life. It requires alignment of one’s actions with core values and beliefs, a deepening grasp of one’s existence, and the cultivation of a connection to something greater than the individual self.

6. Occupational Wellness: Occupational wellness encompasses the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment derived from one’s professional pursuits. It involves harmonizing personal aspirations with vocational goals, feeling acknowledged in the workplace, and engaging in ongoing professional and personal development.

7. Environmental Wellness: Environmental wellness is the practice of interacting with the natural and constructed environments in ways that foster health and safety. It emphasizes sustainability, hazard mitigation, and the design of healthy living and working spaces that nurture the mind and body.

8. Financial Wellness: Financial wellness is the experience of financial security that reduces anxiety. It encompasses the mastery of budgeting, prudent saving and investing, and strategic planning that secures long-term stability and inner calm.

Emerging Dimensions of Wellness 

9. Cultural Wellness:  Cultural wellness examines how the values, customs, and governance of a society shape individual health. Research shows that people in open and pluralistic cultures generally report greater subjective wellness than those in more authoritarian or collectivist environments.

10. Climate Wellness: Climate wellness is an emerging dimension that investigates the relationships between climate variability and personal health outcomes. Scholars are beginning to trace how macro-level climate shifts, such as rising temperatures and altered precipitation, translate into changes in both physical and psychological wellness.

Conclusion: Wellness is an active and deliberate practice rather than a passive condition. It consists of ongoing decisions that enhance health and quality of life. Integrative in nature, it interconnects physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and other aspects of life to foster comprehensive well-being.

A comprehensive appreciation of each dimension of wellness enables people to cultivate healthier, more integrated, and purpose-driven lives. Wellness is therefore not merely the negation of disease; it is the active, intentional quest for vibrancy, significance, and relational harmony across the entire spectrum of human experience.