Wellness refers to complete health, rather than just your physical health. Wellness is not only being free of disease, illness, or stress but also having a purpose in life, being emotionally healthy, taking an active involvement in your work and in your leisure time, having joyful relationships and being happy.1 Wellness involves all aspects of your life beyond your physical health. To enjoy fulfilled and happy lives, it is important to take care of your well-being and to invest time in your wellness.
Wellness Definitions
Mirriam-Webster defines wellness as: the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal
The Cambridge Dictionary defines wellness as: the state of being healthy
Dictionary.com defines wellness as: an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases
Wellness Synonyms
What are some synonyms of wellness? Some words with similar meanings are:
Wellbeing
Fitness
Wholeness
Healthiness
Soundness
Wellness encompasses the whole human being, their mind, body and soul, and all of the things that make a person whole. A healthy life is the result of wellness across all aspects of life, whether emotional, physical, spiritual, or other.
Integrating Wellness into Medical Practices
More and more primary-care-physicians offer wellness programs to provide holistic treatment. Focusing on the 8 dimensions of wellness can increase productivity, reduce healthcare costs, and increase earning potential. 87% of millennials and Generation Z’ers consider wellness programs as very important, so, medical practices need to integrate wellness programs to reach the majority of the current workforce.2 Many universities offer programs to increase college student wellness.
If you are searching for a doctor, you should ask if they provide wellness programs.
Why is Health and Wellness Important?
Wellness is important because it impacts the state of your physical health. For example, research shows that people who have mental disorders or are suffering from addiction tend to die years earlier than the general population.1 This is due to the negative impact of:
Smoking
Unhealthy weight
Substance use side effects
Lack of access to adequate health care
People with severe mental health disorders experience diabetes, hypertension, and obesity at 1.5 to 2 times the rate of the general population.1
Data shows that depression can increase the risk of stroke in women and trauma can negatively effect functioning and physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.1
For example, trauma could:
Change the physical structure of your brain
Impact your ability to communicate
Affect the way that you experience emotions
Impact your ability to sleep
Focusing on all 8 dimensions of wellness will help you improve the quality of your life, your health, and potentially extend your lifespan.
What is the SAMHSA Wellness Initiative?
SAMHSA stands for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA has a wellness initiative that “pledges to promote wellness for those with behavioral health conditions by motivating individuals, organizations, and communities to take action and work toward improved quality of life, heart health, and increased years of life.”1
For people who struggle with substance abuse disorders or mental health issues, many aspects of their lives might be thrown into disarray because of their physical and mental health problems. The stress of their lives prevents them from developing healthy habits. For this reason, the wellness initiative focuses on helping promote the wellness of those recovering or working through substance abuse and mental health issues.1
To overcome substance use disorders or mental health issues, it is vital to focus on the 8 dimensions of wellness, as often, substance use can be the result of problems within other areas of a person life.
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