Wellness combines seven dimensions of well-being into a quality way of living. These dimensions include: physical (body), intellectual (mind), emotional (feelings), social (family, friends, relationship), occupational (career, skills), environment (air, water, food, safety), and spiritual (values, purpose, intuition, vitality). Overall, wellness is the ability to live life to the fullest and to maximize personal potential in a variety of ways. Wellness places responsibility on the individual; it becomes a matter of self-evaluation and self-assessment. Wellness involves continually learning and making changes to enhance personal wellness.
Physical (Body)
A healthy body is maintained by good nutrition, regular exercise, avoiding harmful habits, making informed and responsible decisions about health, and seeking medical assistance when necessary.
- Physical wellness requires that steps be taken toward:
- eating a well-balanced diet,
- getting plenty of physical activity and exercise as health and physical ability permit.
- maintaining proper weight,
- getting enough sleep,
- avoiding risky sexual behavior,
- limiting exposure to environmental contaminants, and
- restricting intake of harmful substances.
Intellectual (Mind)
A state in which the mind is engaged in lively interaction with the world.
Intellectual wellness involves unbridled curiosity and ongoing learning. This dimension of wellness implies application of learning, creation of opportunities to learn, and engagement with the world around you.
Emotional (Feelings)
The ability to understand ones own feelings, accept limitations, achieve emotional stability, and become comfortable with emotions.
Emotional wellness implies the ability to express emotions appropriately, adjust to change, cope with stress in a healthy way, and enjoy life despite its occasional disappointments and frustrations. It also means developing the ability to address problems or conflicts in an appropriate and constructive manner.
Social (Family, Friends, Relationships)
The ability to relate well to others, both within and outside the family unit.
Social wellness endows us with the ease and confidence to be welcoming, friendly, and affectionate toward others. Social wellness involves not only a concern for the individual, but also an interest in humanity and the environment as a whole.
Occupational (Career, Skills)
Recognizing and making use of your gifts, skills and talents in order to gain purpose, happiness and enrichment in your life.
Occupational wellness means successfully integrating a commitment to work into a total lifestyle that is satisfying and rewarding. The development of occupational satisfaction and wellness is strongly related to attitude about work.
Environmental (Air, Water, Food, Safety)
The capability to live in a clean and safe environment that is supportive of health.
The quality of today's environment has a direct effect on personal wellness. To enjoy environmental wellness, we require clean air, pure water, quality food, adequate shelter, satisfactory work conditions, personal safety, and healthy relationships. The development of a comfortable, inspirational environment that enhances rather than just maintain overall wellness is the desired outcome.
Spiritual (Values, Purpose, Intuition, Vitality)
The sense that life is meaningful and has a purpose; the ethics, values and morals that guide and give meaning and direction to life.
Spiritual wellness is a search for meaning and purpose, and truth in human existence
Wellness is…
- Caring for your mind, body, and soul
- Usually affected by your culture and your life experiences
- Self-defined and dynamic
- Not only the absence of illness or stress. You can still strive for wellness even if you are experiencing these challenges in your life.
While all dimensions of wellness need your attention for you to truly flourish, there doesn’t have to be a perfect balance among all dimensions. Instead, the goal is to find what works best for you. The dimensions are interconnected, so you may notice that most topics (e.g. stress, finances, healthy relationships, substance use, etc.) influence multiple dimensions. Explore the sections below to learn about tips and resources related to each dimension.
Resources for Students- Main Health & Wellness page
- Sign up for Health Education & Promotion's and Nutrition Services' twice-monthly student health and wellness newsletter
- Follow our student health and wellness accounts on Instagram
- UCDavisSHCS (main SHCS account)
- UCDLoveLab (sexual health)
- Aggie Mental Health
- UCDTeachingKitchen (food and nutrition)
- UCDSafeParty (alcohol, tobacco and other drug risk reduction)
Dimensions of Wellness
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