Eight Dimensions of Health and Wellness
It is safe to say that the subject of health is very complex. There is not just one piece to health, there are many pieces that ultimately determines your overall health status. With that in mind, picture your health as a puzzle. Your puzzle contains eight pieces or eight dimensions of health and wellness. These eight dimensions are used to give everyone a way to divide up their overall health and evaluate areas that may need more attention than others. The best way to envision the eight dimensions of health and wellness is to imagine that each dimension is a spoke on a wheel, the wheel being your overall health. Each spoke, or dimension, is measured on a scale of 1-10. The higher the number on the scale, the more balanced and fulfilled that aspect of health is. The more dimensions that are balanced, the better your overall health and wellness will be.
Let’s put all of this into perspective. The Eight Dimensions of Health and Wellness are: Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Financial, Vocational, Physical, Intellectual, and Environmental. Now, imagine that two of your dimensions are on opposite ends of the spectrum; one being a 2 on the scale and the other being a 9. You can already imagine that your health wheel will have a lot of trouble “rolling” due to the imbalance. This is why it is important to focus on all eight dimensions of your health and really strive for optimal balance. Below is a list of all eight dimensions of health and wellness, along with questions to ask yourself in order to create your own personal scale of your health. Review these questions and then continue reading for further guidance.
The eight dimensions are as follows:
#1. Emotional – your emotional health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you think you manage your emotions well?
- Do you think you handle other emotions well?
- Do you think you fully understand your emotions and what causes certain ones?
- Do you feel like you have a positive outlook on your life?
#2. Social – your social health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you think you have a stable amount of relationships (not too little or too many)?
- Do your relationships positively impact you?
- Do you find it easy for your to build and maintain relationships?
- Do you contribute to your community?
#3. Spiritual – your spiritual health is measured by asking yourself (not necessarily religion related)
- Do you believe you have found your life’s purpose?
- Do you participate in activities that align with your life purpose?
- Do you enjoy the activities that align with your life purpose?
- Do you follow a set of values and beliefs that align with your own?
#4. Financial – your financial health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you think you are financially stable?
- Are there ways you can save more money?
- Do you spend money on things that you do not necessarily need?
- Are you conscious that everyone has their own financial situations and needs?
#5. Vocational – your vocational health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you find yourself satisfied with your career?
- Do you enjoy going to work everyday?
- Does your career align with your life goals and values?
- Can you see yourself remaining within your career for the rest of your work life?
#6. Physical – your physical health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you value your body?
- Do you take the proper actions to fuel your body with the right foods?
- Do you limit alcohol consumption and primarily drink water?
- Do you participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day?
#7. Intellectual – your intellectual health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you find yourself curious on different topics?
- Are you eager to learn new things?
- Do you find yourself expanding your knowledge whenever you can?
- Do you value the life long lessons that you can continue to learn throughout life or do you believe that you have all the knowledge that you need?
#8. Environmental – your environmental health is measured by asking yourself
- Do you understand that your everyday actions impact the environment?
- Are you conscious of your plastic, energy, and water consumption?
- Do you understand that your health is influenced by nature?
- Do you actively seek out time in nature at least once a day?
Now that you understand each of the eight dimensions and what they are measuring, it is time to assess and really ask yourself…how is your health? Go through each of these eight dimensions, answering each question, and begin to rate them from 1 – 10; 1 being you think this dimension is neglected in your life and 10 being you think that this dimension is as perfected as it can be.
Once you figure out each dimension’s rating, put all of the ratings side by side and begin to envision your wheel. You should have eight ratings total. Look and see if your wheel is balanced or is it going to struggle when it comes time to roll? Ultimately, this realization should help give you a complete understanding and visualization to where your health is currently at and then allow you to begin to make plans and changes to balance out your wheel.
Remember health is not as simple as we may think it is. Therefore, make it a priority to balance and maintain your eight dimensions of health and wellness this year.
