What Do You Think of When You Hear the Word ‘Wellness’?
Do you think of clean eating or coconut oil or all-natural products? Or something money can’t buy?
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What is wellness? Is it perfect health? Happiness? Can you only find it if you do lots of yoga and drink kombucha smoothies every day? Is it reserved strictly for the young, beautiful, and wealthy?
Or is attaining wellness something more? Something the current wellness industry can’t bottle up and sell to you.
The business of wellness has become a massive industry. You can spend a fortune on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop products or hundreds on one grocery trip to Whole Foods. The wealthy cheerfully spend thousands in one weekend on health spas and retreats to reach a state of health and well-being.
Does this mean only the wealthy have a chance to attain wellness; or is it reachable for anyone?
Defining Wellness
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.
First, wellness is not a passive or static state but rather an “active pursuit” that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work toward an optimal state of health and wellbeing. Second, wellness is linked to holistic health — that is, it extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony. — Global Wellness Institute
If we consider that wellness is the pursuit of health, then what is the definition of heath?
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. — World Health Organization (WHO)
Wellness means actively pursuing complete well-being. Not just physical well-being, but mental as well.
6 Dimensions of Wellness
The National Wellness Institute promotes 6 categories of wellness.
- Emotional — the ability to accept your feelings and express them freely.
- Occupational — personal satisfaction through work that you feel is meaningful…
