Many people think of health as being the absence of physical disease. Wellness is a term used to describe an expanded concept of health. Your genes, your age, and other factors beyond your control determine some aspects of your health. But true wellness is largely determined by the decisions you make on how you live your life. At Shirley Rd Chiropractic we believe that your level of wellness is a reflection of your ability to live life fully, with vitality and meaning.

One of the best definitions of health comes from Dorland's Medical Dictionary. It states:

Health is a state of complete physical, chemical, emotional and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.

No matter what your age or health status, you can optimise your health. Wellness is not a static goal but a dynamic process of change and growth. To understand this concept is to be on the right road to great health.

The World Health Organization defines Wellness as a balance of the following 6 dimensions.

1. Physical Wellness

Optimal physical health requires eating well, exercising, avoiding harmful habits, making responsible decisions about sex, getting regular health check ups, and taking steps to prevent injuries at home, on the road, and at work. The habits that you develop and the decisions you make today determine not only how long you live but also the quality of those years. The average life expectancy in our society is now 76.1 years. Statistics suggest that people should expect poor health to limit their activities and cause distress during the last 15% (12.2 years) of their lives. In other words we now live longer unhealthy lives.

2. Emotional Wellness

Optimism, trust, self-esteem, self acceptance, self confidence, self control, satisfying relationships, and an ability to share feelings are just some of the qualities and aspects of emotional wellness. Emotional health is a dynamic state that fluctuates with your physical, intellectual, spiritual, social, and environmental health.

3. Intellectual Wellness

The hallmarks to intellectual health include an openness to new ideas, a capacity to question and think critically, and the motivation to master new skills, as well as a sense of humour, creativity and curiosity. An active mind is essential to overall wellness.

4. Spiritual Wellness

To enjoy spiritual wellness is to possess a set of principles or values that give meaning and purpose to your life. Spiritual wellness involves the capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, altruism, joy and fulfilment. It is an antidote to cynicism, anger, fear, anxiety, self-absorption, and pessimism.

5. Social Wellness

Satisfying relationships are basic to both physical and emotional health. We need to have mutually loving, supportive people in our lives. Developing social wellness means learning good communication skills, developing the capacity for intimacy, and cultivating a support network of friends and/or family members. Social wellness requires participating in and contributing to your community, country, and planet.

6. Planetary Wellness

It is becoming more apparent that personal health depends on the health of the planet. Good health can depend on the safety of our food supply, to the level of violence in our society. Other health threats include UV radiation from the sun, air and water pollution, first and second hand tobacco smoke etc. Wellness requires learning about and protecting yourself from such hazards.

Each of us has the option and the responsibility to decide what kind of future we want. That future can be characterized by zestful living, or one marked by symptoms and declining energy.

Reference:
1. Hassman et al (2000) Preventative Medicine 30: 17-25.