Introduction to Health (Falcone)

What is Wellness?

Wellness is being in good physical and mental health. Because mental health and physical health are linked, problems in one area can impact the other. At the same time, improving your physical health can also benefit your mental health, and vice versa. It is important to make healthy choices for both your physical and mental well-being.

Remember that wellness is not just the absence of illness or stress. You can still strive for wellness even if you are experiencing these challenges in your life.

What are the Nine Dimensions of Wellness?

Learning about the Nine Dimensions of Wellness can help you choose how to make wellness a part of your everyday life. Wellness strategies are practical ways to start developing healthy habits that can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health.

The Nine Dimensions of Wellness are:

1. Emotional: Coping effectively with life and expressing emotions in an appropriate manner.
2. Environmental: Occupying pleasant, healthy, and safe environments that support well-being; positively impacting the quality of our surroundings (including protecting and preserving nature).
3. Financial: Achieving satisfaction with current and future financial situations; handling finances wisely.
4. Intellectual: Recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills; being open-minded.
5. Occupational: Personal fulfillment and enrichment from one’s work and/or responsibilities.
6. Physical: Recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and adequate sleep; avoiding unhealthy habits.
7. Social: Developing a sense of connection, belonging, and sustained support system; having positive relationships.
8. Spiritual: Having a sense of purpose and meaning in life; establishing peace, harmony, and balance in our lives.
9. Cultural: The way you interact with others who are different than you; understanding and celebrating our differences.

Healthy People 2020

In December 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2020, which has four overarching goals:

• Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death;
• Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups;
• Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all; and
• Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.

Healthy People 2020 tracks approximately 1,200 objectives organized into 42 topic areas, each of which represents an important public health area. At the time of the December 2010 launch 911 objectives were measurable with baseline data and established targets. A few objectives that have achieved high levels of success are being tracked without a target for informational purposes. Targets will be set during the decade for these objectives if warranted. The rest of the objectives did not have baseline data and were considered developmental. Targets for the developmental objectives will be set when baseline data become available. Healthy People 2020 also includes a new Foundation section which addresses several important health topics: General Health Status, Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being, Determinants of Health, and Disparities.