Wellness consciousness refers to people’s conscious efforts to pursue their health and wellness. It encompasses the eight dimensions of well-being: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional/Mental, Intellectual, Social and Environmental.
This study confirms that the positive effect of health consciousness on home-based exercise was mediated by health life goal and perceived behavioral control.
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness is a deep sense of meaning and purpose that guides your life. It may be tied to your religious faith, beliefs, ethics and morals or a sense of connection with nature. It’s different for everyone and can be enhanced by engaging in practices like meditation, prayer, journaling, spending time outdoors or practicing mindfulness.
It can also include a belief in something bigger than yourself and a sense of belonging to humanity. Other qualities that characterize spiritual wellness include compassion, empathy and gratitude.
While often overlooked, maintaining a healthy spirituality can have a profound impact on your mental and physical health. Setting small goals and establishing new routines can help you get started, whether it’s trying out a new form of meditation or committing to journaling each day. Getting support from friends and family can also be helpful in keeping you accountable and boosting your motivation. Ultimately, it’s important to find an approach that resonates with you and your soul.
Physical
Physical wellness involves an individual’s ability to participate in daily activities without suffering from physical fatigue or stress. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly, as well as ensuring adequate rest and sleep contributes to the maintenance of physical wellness.
Regular health check-ups and screenings are important to maintaining physical wellness, as is listening to one’s hunger cues, staying hydrated, sleeping 7 to 9 hours per night, practicing safe sex, and making responsible choices with alcohol, nicotine, and drugs. Getting enough sleep helps reduce stress, boosts energy levels and cognitive functioning.
Juggling professional and academic life responsibilities, as well as personal responsibilities can be challenging at times, especially when you are dealing with physical and emotional fatigue. This can affect your ability to deal with other aspects of wellness such as emotional and spiritual wellness. This is why it is so important to find balance in the different dimensions of wellness, and to support each dimension.
Emotional
Emotional wellness includes awareness, acceptance, and healthy processing of emotions. People with strong emotional well-being have an optimistic outlook on life, are able to adapt to challenges and change, and are resilient during difficult times.
They are self-aware and know how to recognize when they are feeling stressed, allowing them to utilize healthy coping strategies such as exercise, meditation, deep breathing, journaling, and music. They also make time to nurture their relationships by connecting with others in person or through virtual communication and activities.
They feel grateful for the good things in their lives, instead of focusing on what they do not have. They also have an inner calmness that allows them to be present in the moment.
Social
Social wellness, also known as social health or well-being, is the ability to connect with friends and family, build strong relationships and support systems and feel connected to and supported by your community. Socially healthy individuals have a network of friends and family who offer emotional support, as well as a sense of belonging and an awareness and respect for their own feelings and those of others.
Social wellness can be challenging to cultivate because it’s easy for daily responsibilities to get in the way, but there are many ways to improve social well-being. For example, you can meet friends in person or make a habit of booking regular catch-up calls. Joining a group or organisation based on your interests can also help you meet people and build connections with like-minded individuals. Another great way to boost your social wellness is by volunteering in your local community. This has been shown to increase self-esteem and improve overall wellbeing.
