Building a Balanced Life: Insights from the 8 Dimensions of Wellness

What are the 8 Dimensions of Wellness?

Over the next 8 weeks, we will be looking at each of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. The 8 Dimensions of Wellness are distinct areas that, when viewed together, form a holistic framework for health and well-being. Having a holistic view of wellness enables us to address the multiple aspects of our lives that are essential to our health. This model also shows that we cannot simply prioritize one realm of our well-being. Wellness is most attainable when the many different aspects of our lives work together to help us focus on living life fully.

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness

Emotional wellness: Building healthy and effective coping strategies and establishing healthy, supportive relationships. 

Financial wellness: Establishing functional and supportive strategies for both current life and future goals to reduce stress and increase stability. 

Social wellness: Engaging in close, strong relationships, making new friends, and connecting with a community to find a sense of belonging.Spiritual wellness:  Finding a sense of purpose and engaging in activities that align with your beliefs and values.

Occupational wellness: Developing satisfying and enriching ways to relate your work to your beliefs, values, and growth.

Physical wellness: Caring for your body through sleep, physical activity, nutrition, medical care, etc.

Intellectual wellness: Engaging in lifelong learning and stimulating mental activities.

Environmental wellness:  Living in safe, supportive surroundings that promote well-being.

The Importance of Being Well-Rounded

A key factor of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness is that it can direct intentional effort to improve overall well-being one dimension at a time. Self-neglect in one dimension can affect all dimensions, leading to a decline in your overall well-being. Luckily, even though you need to put effort into each of them, it doesn't matter how much you put into each, as they don't need to be equally balanced. As Debbie Stoewen states, “We should aim, instead, to strive for a 'personal harmony' that feels most authentic to us.” People are unique, so whatever you prioritize should best reflect who you are.

The Wellness Ocean

Just like an ocean, wellness is dynamic - constantly changing. Some days can be perfectly calm, and some days can be rough and choppy. The differences between everyone's oceans are what make the 8 Dimensions of Wellness so important. The 8 Dimensions of Wellness are highly personal, allowing you to customize your approach to flourish truly.

Stoewen D. L. (2017). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 58(8), 861–862. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5508938/.

Scout Gomez

Scout is an undergraduate intern for Flourish Counseling & Wellness. Scout is currently a third-year student at Colorado State University, majoring in psychology and minoring in political science.

She hopes to continue her education in the future in a postgrad setting and eventually wants to become a licensed therapist.