According to Dr. Bill Hettler, wellness is comprised of six dimensions: occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. To be considered "well", one must strive to enhance areas of his life that take away from overall happiness and (ultimately) peace. This model proposes the following tenets for living a healthy, balanced life.
Occupational Wellness:
• It is better to choose a career which is consistent with our
personal values, interests, and beliefs than to select one
that is unrewarding to us.
• It is better to develop functional, transferable skills
through structured involvement opportunities than
to remain inactive and uninvolved.
Physical Wellness:
• It is better to consume foods and beverages that enhance
good health rather than those which impair it.
• It is better to be physically fit than out of shape.
Social Wellness:
• It is better to contribute to the common welfare of our
community than to think only of ourselves.
• It is better to live in harmony with others and our
environment than to live in conflict with them.
Intellectual Wellness:
• It is better to stretch and challenge our minds with
intellectual and creative pursuits than to become selfsatisfied
and unproductive.
• It is better to identify potential problems and choose
appropriate courses of action based on available
information than to wait, worry, and contend with major
concerns later.
Spiritual Wellness:
• It is better to ponder the meaning of life for ourselves and
to be tolerant of the beliefs of others than to close our
minds and become intolerant.
• It is better to live each day in a way that is consistent
with our values and beliefs than to do otherwise and feel
untrue to ourselves.
Emotional Wellness:
• It is better to be aware of and accept our feelings than to
deny them.
• It is better to be optimistic in our approach to life than
pessimistic.
For more information on how to find balance and achieve wellness in your life, visit the following link: http://www.nationalwellness.org/pdf/SixDimensionsFactSheet.pdf
Be good to yourself! More next time...
