You want a balanced, healthy lifestyle so that we can live your best life inside and out. But what exactly does that mean, and how can you get there? The wellness wheel is a tool that was a created to help define what a well rounded healthy lifestyle includes; it has been tweaked and added to since it’s initial creation in the 70’s. The most up-to-date wellness wheel has eight categories: Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, Social, Physical, Environmental, Occupational, and Intellectual.
Each category of wellness is intertwined with one another, which is why I really preach an integrative health experience where we look at all aspects of wellness. So playing devil’s advocate, without fulfilling one health component we cannot fully meet the others. Which I would say is one of the biggest challenges women struggle with in regards to meeting their goals. For example, if you feel like you’ve tried “everything” to be healthy and meet X-Y-Z goal, you’re probably lacking with meeting this goal due to the imbalance of other dimensions of wellness.
My dear– you can’t just focus on just one aspect of the wellness wheel to “be healthy” or “meet your goals.” So let’s break down each category in the wellness wheel, what it means, and start to think about how to apply them in balance to your every day life.
The 8 Pillars of the Wellness Wheel
Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness has a powerful effect on your overall wellbeing and is defined as being able to manage stress, have confidence and conviction in your decision-making, and understanding and coping with your feelings while ultimately processing your emotions in a more positive mindset and confidence in our decisions and feelings.
Spiritual Wellness
Expanding your sense of purpose and being able to define your own beliefs and values. Having spiritual wellness includes finding confidence in the meaning of your life.
Financial Wellness
You must be able to understand and manage your finances means and being able to plan for the future financially from multiple aspects of life. Having financial wellness includes health-related finances and investments.
Social Wellness
Social wellness is being able to connect with others around you. You are succeeding in social wellness by having a sense of community and groups to build support systems and networks. Remember, being able to have relationships with others and managing them in a healthy way (such as setting healthy boundaries) is crucial for a balanced lifestyle.
Physical Wellness
This one feels pretty straight-forward, huh?😉 Our physical wellness, yes, includes regular movement and exercise for longterm health. This ALSO means respecting our body and boundaries by recognizing when our body needs rest and allowing our body to heal.
Environmental Wellness
For this category the goal is to be aware and take care of the environment around you through sustainable practices and processes. Despite our best efforts, some environments can be more nurturing and healthy versus others being more hostile and toxic.
Occupational Wellness
In this category, the biggest struggle I see is either hating your job, or not having set boundaries with work. Instead, you want to focus on a healthy balance between work and play. When it comes to the job itself, having occupational wellness means having enrichment and enjoyment in your work on a day-to-day basis.
Intellectual Wellness
You should recognize your creative abilities and expand your knowledge and skills. Allow yourself to be open for every opportunity or idea that comes your way, and not being closed off to one-way of thinking or reacting to situations. Be creative, curious, and challenge yourself to new ideas and concepts.
I challenge you to look and reflect internally after reviewing each category. This may be a good journaling opportunity.
- How balanced is your wellness based on the wellness wheel?
- What pillars of the wheel are thriving and what ones need improvement?
- Once you identify what areas are missing or lacking — what can you do to take action steps towards filling this area?
