Wellness consciousness is the ability to make healthy choices to promote success and well-being. It involves the integration of seven dimensions: spiritual, emotional, physical, social, environmental and financial.
This study focuses on the influencing mechanism of health consciousness on home-based exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic through the mediation of health life goal and perceived behavioral control.
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness includes having a personal set of morals and values that provide a sense of meaning and purpose. It can also include exploring philosophical or existential questions about life, death and the nature of reality.
Activities like writing in a journal can help to cultivate spiritual wellness by allowing individuals to explore their thoughts and feelings more deeply, while also helping them to find a sense of inner peace and a connection with the universe as a whole. Likewise, volunteering and acts of kindness can serve as spiritual wellness practices by providing a feeling of connectedness and giving back to others.
Yoga and meditation can also be considered spiritual wellness practices as they encourage a meditative state of mind that helps people to focus on the present moment, while promoting a holistic body-mind connection.
Physical
Physical wellness is a commitment to care for the body through good nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep/rest, and effective hygiene. It also includes being aware of one’s body’s signals and seeking medical attention when appropriate.
Being physically well contributes to emotional and spiritual wellness as it can alleviate stress, promote positive mood, and enhance self-esteem. Maintaining a physically healthy lifestyle is key to overall wellbeing and may help prevent or delay disease and other health problems.
Wellness encompasses many dimensions and is interdependent with each other; neglecting any dimension over time can have adverse effects on our health and quality of life. As leaders in education, schools and libraries can provide valuable opportunities to explore holistic physical wellness with students, helping them build a lifetime of healthy habits and become knowledgeable about their own health.
Social
When it comes to wellness, you probably think of nutrition, daily exercise and a healthy sleep schedule. However, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines another dimension of wellness: social well-being.
This is about a sense of connection, belonging and having a supportive network, which contributes to emotional wellness. It also includes showing respect for others, prioritizing breaking the bonds of negative relationships and contributing to society and your community.
Babita Spinelli, a psychotherapist in private practice, notes that maintaining healthy relationships with family and friends is one of the best ways to improve social wellness. She adds that other strategies include joining a fitness club, participating in group discussions and volunteering. You can even connect with others online through Peloton, a company that allows users to track their heart rate, monitor workouts and talk to other participants while they ride.
Environmental
Environmental wellness encompasses all of your surroundings including your home, work or volunteer location, community and planet. It includes respect and preservation of your environment as well as understanding how your choices affect the health of the natural world.
Studies have shown that individuals’ environmental consciousness is linked to several clusters of specific pro-environmental behaviors, such as sustainable food consumption, recycling, green purchasing and energy saving. However, it has been difficult to assess the role of individual health-related behaviors in this relationship.
Creating environments that are healthy and supportive of your physical and mental well-being is one of the most important aspects of environmental wellness. This may include arranging your home to maximize natural light and comfort or creating an efficient workspace at work. It also means spending time outdoors in nature, which is known to reduce stress and improve mood.
Financial
Financial wellness includes a feeling of satisfaction with your current and future financial situation. It includes budgeting, savings, investments and goal-setting.
It can also include debt management and long-term financial goals like saving for a down payment on a home or retirement. It’s important to recognise that your emotions about money are unique and may be influenced by other factors such as your social environment and personality.
Financial therapists, who have backgrounds in both finance and mental health counseling, help people cultivate financial security and a healthy relationship with money. They encourage people to start with a “money awareness” assessment, such as the one available on PCOM’s website. Then they can move on to developing and implementing long-term financial plans. They can also offer strategies for dealing with financial stressors and moving up the pyramid of financial wellness.
