Wellness Dimensions and Purposeful Living - Study Notes

Wellness concepts: purposeful living and dimensions

• Wellness has its own definition: purposeful, enjoyable living and lifestyle choices. It’s not just checking off a list of factors; it adds a sense of direction and intentionality.
• Purposeful means doing something with intent, on purpose. In class, the idea is that wellness is a purposeful movement—we are intentionally moving in a direction.
• Wellness involves both mindset and state of being: it’s about deciding to do healthy things and making those choices, not just following a diet or exercise plan.
• The belief behind wellness: actions contribute to personal health and the health of the world. It’s not about one rigid plan but making decisions that fit you and your context.
• There are no universal diet plans or one-size-fits-all routines implied by wellness. It emphasizes decisions, mindset, openness to possibilities, and figuring out what works in the context of health.
• The lecture introduces the dimensions (or “factors”) of health and wellness, which are revisited throughout the course. These dimensions help us view health as more than physical status alone.

Dimensions of health and wellness

• Your book identifies several dimensions; in this course we focus on a set of them that are considered important for good health.
• The slide notes there can be variation across sources: some lists have 7 dimensions, others 9, and some sources even list more. There isn’t a single “right” list; different authors emphasize different aspects.
• The dimensions highlighted in this course are:
  • Physical
  • Emotional
  • Spiritual
  • Social
  • Intellectual
  • Environmental
  • Occupational
  • Financial
• These eight dimensions are presented as a broad attempt to cover the major areas of people’s lives that influence health. By contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) framing is simpler and commonly cited as physical, mental, and social dimensions.
• The key message: health and wellness are evolving concepts across time, and different disciplines or teachers may emphasize different dimensions. The important idea is that wellness involves multiple areas that can affect one another.
• If a dimension is out of balance, it can influence other areas of life; you may not be your best self across the board.
• A common illustration is that health dimensions are interconnected and non-isolated (not strictly separate boxes).

Examples and activities by dimension (class discussions and examples)

• Physical wellness
  • Examples from the discussion: eating well, exercising, avoiding harmful habits, practicing safer sex, recognizing symptoms of disease, getting regular checkups, and avoiding injuries.
  • Quick action example proposed: drink some water today.
• Emotional wellness
  • Example activity: offering a compliment to someone or something to boost mood and social connection.
• Intellectual wellness
  • Examples: go to class, read a book, watch the news, attend an outside presentation or lecture.
  • Student suggestion: engage in class discussions and continue learning beyond required coursework.
  • Connection to broader cognitive health: eating well supports cognitive function (“food for thought”).
• Interpersonal wellness
  • Examples: check up on friends, start conversations, talk to strangers in appropriate contexts; expand your social network.
• Cultural wellness
  • Example: speak with people who differ from you; be open to and accepting of people who have different backgrounds or beliefs; learning about other cultures or perspectives.
• Spiritual wellness
  • Example: going to church or engaging in practices that align with your beliefs; openness to different spiritual beliefs.
• Environmental wellness
  • Examples: pick up litter, improve your living/learning environment (dorm, apartment).
  • Broader idea: being mindful of the environment as part of personal well-being.
• Occupational wellness
  • Example: pick up a shift or contribute to work responsibilities; consider how work life interfaces with health.
• Financial wellness
  • Example: getting a job or managing finances in a way that reduces stress and supports health overall.
• Additional contextual ideas shared in class:
  • Improving your living environment, exploring different religions or belief systems to find fit, learning more about your own culture, staying open to other beliefs, and promoting cultural understanding.
  • Personal cautions: avoiding substances if they’re not productive for you; trying new hobbies; exercising; maintaining routines that support wellness.

Interconnectedness and representations of wellness

• The two visual representations shown in class illustrate that wellness components are intertwined rather than strictly separate:
  • A continuum of wellness shows how different factors overlap, intersect, and influence one another, rather than existing in isolated segments.
  • A set of overlapping circles (Venn-like) demonstrates shared ground among dimensions; boundaries are blurred and one area can impact another.
• The core point: all dimensions weave together to form overall wellness, and progress in one can support improvements in others.

Common challenges in college settings

• Most challenging area of wellness for college students, on the speaker’s view:
  • Mental health: a huge issue on campuses; more awareness and more services are developing to support students.
• Other frequently challenging areas:
  • Financial wellness: often overlooked but can be a significant source of stress.
  • Emotional well-being: stress from academics, social life, and homesickness contributes to overall well-being challenges.
• The presence of campus and external stressors (academic workload, financial pressure, personal life) means students may experience fluctuations across multiple dimensions.

Class activity notes (wellness planning exercise)

• Students paired up (triads) for about five minutes to brainstorm concrete actions for each wellness dimension that are not just generic “exercise” labels but specific activities.
• Example discussions and clarifications:
  • Physical: proposed a concrete action like “go to the gym” was discussed as potentially overlapping with exercise; emphasis on identifying actions not already on the list.
  • Emotional: suggest compassionate actions, compliments, or support gestures.
  • Intellectual: attending classes and engaging actively; reading and seeking out extra sources of learning.
  • Interpersonal: initiating conversations with others; reaching out to friends.
  • Cultural: engaging with people from different backgrounds; learning about other cultures.
  • Spiritual: participating in religious or spiritual activities that align with personal beliefs.
  • Environmental: enhancing one’s living space and community environment; cleanliness and stewardship.
  • Occupational: taking on additional shifts or responsibilities at work to build experience and stability.
• The activity highlighted how wellness efforts are not just a checklist but a set of actionable, contextually meaningful steps that can be tailored to individual circumstances.

Takeaways and implications for practice

• Wellness is a dynamic, interconnected system, not a siloed checklist.
• The number and focus of dimensions may vary by source, but the overarching principle remains: better balance across multiple areas supports overall health and functioning.
• Understanding and applying the dimensions helps in evaluating personal health and designing personalized strategies for improvement.
• When advising or studying wellness, consider both personal context and broader social, financial, and environmental factors that can affect health outcomes.
• In academic settings, prioritize mental health, financial planning, and emotional support as central components of student wellness strategies.