Define wellness

It is often used to describe the overarching approach of many alternative or complementary medicine disciplines as well as a general approach to living a healthy, full life. Instead of simply looking at specific issues, whether they are health complaints like a chronic or acute illness, lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, or weight gain, a holistic approach to wellness takes every aspect of a person’s life into account in order to find a place of healing, balance, and positive energy. In this guide to holistic wellness, we will explore what a holistic approach to wellness truly is, why it’s important, and how you can work towards achieving it. Holistic wellness Holistic wellness strives to bring a person’s mind, body, environment, and spirit into balance. The two most common ways to think of holistic wellness are as a medical approach to wellness (also called holistic medicine) that promotes overall health, and more generally, as an integrative lifestyle practice that strives toward overall wellness. Integrative health approach and lifestyle concept in one As an integrative health approach, holistic wellness solutions center on treating the whole person in order to prevent and treat health issues while also promoting general wellness. As a lifestyle concept, holistic wellness is all about achieving optimal health in mind, spirit and physical wellness through a variety of methods that revitalize the whole person while also addressing specific issues or problems. Optima...

Recent Examples on the Web Why Trust Verywell Health Shannon Ullman is a writer who specializes in health and wellness, writing for sites like Insider Inc. and MindBodyGreen. — Shannon Ullman, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2023 Today’s Rich Witch dwells in a Venn diagram of the wellness, spiritual, and New Age movements and the lifestyles of the one percent (hello, Gwyneth). — Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, 28 Apr. 2023 Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that can help promote mental and physical wellness. — Liz Seegert, Fortune Well, 26 Apr. 2023 Overall, California Gold Nutrition Colostrum is an excellent choice for those looking to boost their overall health and wellness. — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2023 It has been shown that TIC has the potential to improve patient engagement, increase treatment adherence, improve health outcomes and promote a culture of provider and staff wellness. — Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2023 The sentiment reflects a subtle but significant shift in the beauty business, which experts say has become synonymous with wellness. — Jaclyn Peiser, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Apr. 2023 This means pharmaceutical executives and marketers can use their platforms (i.e., voices) to explain that their company purpose centers around patients' health and wellness, not around dollar signs. — Sue Manber, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 At the Spa, therapies and treatments incorporate indigenous plants, botanicals and herbs from the resort garden, as well as ...

When you hear the term “wellness,” what comes to mind? At a high level, wellness refers to healthy habits we partake in on a regular basis. From the food we choose to nourish our bodies with to the physical exercise we put our bodies through and even mental health practices like meditation, wellness is the act of keeping our mind and body well. While social media and the age of the internet have made wellness more mainstream, wellness is actually a concept rooted in ancient history. In fact, the first holistic practices can be traced back to ancient civilizations in the East and West. These early practices focused on natural remedies and preventative care, which have grown and evolved into the wellness movement and holistic health practices we’re familiar with in the present day. Why are the multiple dimensions of wellness so essential to know and practice today? In this article, we’ll explore the components of wellness, why it’s important and how to adopt effective wellness practices that improve your overall health and wellbeing. What does wellness mean? According to This includes the type of exercise you incorporate, your decisions regarding your nutritional health, and the amount of sleep you get per night. Environmental wellness The environment you choose to live and exist in impacts your overall health. This includes how you keep your home and office and the natural environments you visit and the habits you exhibit that impact it—for example, your relationship with t...

WHAT IS WELLNESS? Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. The key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine. With their focus on holistic and natural approaches, self-healing and preventive care, these movements have provided a firm foundation for wellness today. Wellness-focused and holistic modalities have gained more visibility since the 1960s/1970s under the writings and thought leadership of an informal network of US physicians and thinkers (such as Halbert Dunn, Jack Travis, Don Ardell, Bill Hettler, and others). As these have evolved, proliferated, and gone mainstream, they have informed the healthy-living, self-help, self-care, fitness, nutrition, diet and spiritual practices that have become a flourishing wellness movement in the 21st century. Defining Wellness The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. There are two important aspects to this definition. First, wellness is not a passive or static state but rather an “active pursuit” that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work toward an optimal state of health and wellbeing. Second, wellness is linked to holistic health—that...

Although we've just defined wellness, what people mean when they say wellness is slightly different.Within the wellness field, we tend to think of wellness as somewhere between physical health and mental well-being. Usually when people are referring to "health", they mean physical health, and when people say "well-being", they are referring to mental health. Wellness is a somewhat broader term that generally includes both physical health and mental well-being as well as other dimensions like spirituality. Want to learn a bit more about your wellness? Take our ​Video: The Eight Dimensions of Wellness Environmental wellness means that we live in balance, connection, and synergy with our surroundings. This means that where we live is calm, safe, non-toxic, and supportive of our health and well-being. It's important to remember that our environment contributes to our wellness, but we also have some control over our environment. ​To improve our environmental wellness, we might opt to get an air filter or Physical wellness Physical wellness usually includes diet, exercise, and sleep. Nutrition is perhaps one of the most talked about areas of wellness. Indeed, it's important to learn about which foods to eat for greater wellness and which foods contribute to ill-health. Exercise is another big topic. Exercise is not only good for physical wellness, it contributes to better emotional wellness as well. So try to get at least a bit of exercise every day. Video: On nutrition and well...

What is wellness? Throughout time and across cultures, the term “wellness” has been defined and applied in many ways. The National Wellness Institute encapsulates these interpretations by acknowledging that: • Wellness is a conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving one’s full potential. • Wellness encompasses lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment. • Wellness is positive, affirming, and contributes to living a long and healthy life. • Wellness is multicultural and holistic, involving multiple dimensions. “Wellness is functioning optimally within your current environment.” Mindfully focusing on wellness in our lives builds resilience and enables us to thrive amidst life’s challenges. NWI promotes Six Dimensions of Wellness: Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Occupational, Spiritual, and Social. Addressing all six dimensions of wellness helps individuals understand what it means to be holistically W.E.L.L. by focusing on their Whole Person, Environment, Lifestyle, and Learning. Developed by Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute (NWI), this interdependent model for the Six Dimensions of Wellness provides the categories from which NWI derives its resources and services. Multicultural Competency A society that truly applies a wellness approach as a pathway to optimal living is by nature inclusive and multicultural. The Mission of the National Wellness Institute (NWI) Multicultural Competency Committee is to su...