Your wellness affects every aspect of life. Linking wholeness to wellness is a strategy to maximize your health. Find out how you can do this by assessing your wellness and working on a plan to address areas that need improvement.
This article helps you identify and correct any imbalances in your overall wellness. We’ll explore the six aspects of holistic wellness. Next, we’ll provide a self-assessment questionnaire to help you evaluate your current state. Your score will guide you in creating a plan to address any areas that need attention. We’ll introduce tools for inner work that can help you improve in each area. Finally, we’ll delve into each dimension, showing you how to enhance and balance them.
Dr. Hettler of the World Health Organization (WHO) [1] outlines the six elements of health and wellness in the following way:
- Occupational
- Physical
- Social
- Intellectual
- Spiritual
- Emotional
Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. — World Health Organization (WHO)
Exploring Holistic Wellness Dimensions
We first learn that each dimension of our health is interconnected with the others. If one part changes, it can impact the others, often in surprising ways. The goal is to achieve the proper balance to be healthy and durable.
Wholeness is the condition of complete harmony and health. Each of the holistic wellness dimensions has its focus, but when they work together in balance, it gives us our ultimate state of wellness. A deficiency in one dimension affects the others, but an increase in one doesn’t always result in positive changes in the others. As we become whole and balanced, we attain our highest level of wellness.
Linking wholeness to wellness is all about making choices with your health as a priority. It’s more difficult than it should be. Each of the six aspects of holistic wellness dimensions has its challenges.
For example, many people work in jobs because they provide income, not because they are their ultimate career choice.
Another example is the daily struggle for our health. What we eat and how much is critical. But our culture is focused on selling us fast food rather than healthy, nutritious food. So, every day we are faced with making the right choices about what and how much to eat.
Let’s explore how each choice connects to the six key wellness dimensions and health. [2]
The Six Aspects of Holistic Wellness
We can frame each of these six aspects or dimensions according to the choices we make. [3]
1. The Occupational Dimension recognizes the need to achieve personal satisfaction in our work. It follows these ideas: Choosing a career that matches our values, interests, and beliefs is better than one that causes conflict. Focusing on functional and transferable skills is key for adapting to tech changes.
Most people overlook their work as an aspect of wellness until they have a bad day at work. When the stress of work overshadows their lives, they realize how work can affect their health.
2. The Physical Dimension urges us to take a holistic view of our bodies. It means focusing on exercise, diet, and nutrition. Physical wellness relies on these key ideas: pick healthy foods and drinks over just tasty ones. Focus on being functionally fit to increase your ability to enjoy a wider variety of life activities.
3. The Social Dimension promotes helping others and the community. It highlights how people depend on each other and nature. Social wellness is based on these ideas: helping our community is more important than just focusing on ourselves. We strive to live in harmony with others and our environment rather than to live in conflict.
4. The Intellectual Dimension recognizes one’s creative, stimulating mental activities. It values growing knowledge and skills. It also seeks to share its gifts. Intellectual wellness is based on the philosophy of stretching and challenging our minds.
Otherwise, we become unproductive. It’s easy to gravitate to passive entertainment. A healthy intellect learns to identify potential problems and choose courses of action. It uses data to make proactive decisions. It is better than procrastination, waiting, worrying, and contending with significant concerns later.
5. The Spiritual Dimension recognizes our search for spiritual meaning. It involves understanding the vastness of the universe and its natural forces. It urges us to seek our true path. It is a better choice than following the myths and superstitions of religion.
We should accept different positive philosophies. However, we must not ignore injustice, inequality, or prejudice. It is better to live each day in accordance with the universal values for all people and the environment than to be selfish and greedy. Of the six aspects of holistic wellness dimensions, this one has the most negative effect on the others.
6. The Emotional Dimension is being aware of and accepting feelings. It is the ability to control emotions and actions. It is a skill that helps people understand their feelings and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. It is the ability to manage stress and foster healthy relationships with others. Emotional wellness follows these tenets: It is better to know and accept our feelings than to deny them. An optimistic approach to life attracts more positive support than a pessimistic outlook.
Summary of the Six Holistic Wellness Dimensions
Now that we have an overview of a healthy way to frame these six key aspects of wellness dimensions, we can apply them to our own lives. The first step is to make an honest assessment of each dimension. If you understand your relationship to these dimensions, you can make the adjustments.
Now, it’s time to assess these principles. You might notice areas where you need more action or focus. Finding the right balance will take ongoing adjustments. [4] Here’s a link to the PDF version.
The Wellness Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Here’s a Holistic Wellness Self-Assessment. It has questions for each of the six dimensions. Each question can be rated on a scale of 1 to 5, where:
1 = Strongly Disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly Agree
1. Physical Wellness
1. I engage in physical activity or exercise at least 3 times a week.
2. I get 7–9 hours of restful sleep most nights.
3. I maintain a balanced and nutritious diet.
4. I visit a healthcare provider for regular check-ups.
5. I avoid harmful substances (e.g., tobacco, excessive alcohol).
2. Emotional Wellness
6. I am aware of my emotions and able to express them constructively.
7. I have effective ways to cope with stress.
8. I am comfortable asking for help when I need emotional support.
9. I bounce back after setbacks or failures.
10. I take time to reflect on my feelings and mental well-being.
3. Intellectual Wellness
11. I engage in activities that stimulate my mind (e.g., reading, puzzles, classes).
12. I am open to learning new ideas, skills, and perspectives.
13. I pursue creative or mentally challenging activities regularly.
14. I take time to explore new interests.
15. I enjoy solving problems or thinking critically.
4. Social Wellness
16. I have a supportive network of friends and/or family.
17. I communicate effectively and listen well to others.
18. I participate in group activities or community events.
19. I feel a sense of connection and belonging with others.
20. I maintain healthy and respectful boundaries in relationships.
5. Spiritual Wellness
21. I feel a sense of purpose and direction in life.
22. I engage in spiritual or reflective practices (e.g., meditation, prayer).
23. I live in a way that is consistent with my core values and beliefs.
24. I feel at peace with myself and the world around me.
25. I take time to explore questions about meaning or purpose.
6. Occupational Wellness
26. I find meaning and satisfaction in my work, studies, or daily responsibilities.
27. I have a healthy work-life balance.
28. I feel competent and confident in my role.
29. I set career or professional development goals.
30. My values align with my work or occupational pursuits.
Scoring Guide
Score for Each Dimension: Add your scores for the five questions in each category (maximum score = 25 per dimension).
Total Wellness Score (Optional): Add all six dimension scores (maximum score = 150).
Interpreting Scores (Per Dimension)
21–25: Thriving
16–20: Doing Well
11–15: Needs Attention
5–10: At Risk
Once you take the assessment, you will know what you need to work on. Let’s look at the tools to help you address any deficiencies. Let’s next look at the tools and practical strategy for realigning the balance of our health and wellness.
Tools and Strategy For Linking Wholeness to Wellness
The strategy for linking wholeness and wellness is to create a plan that supports our body, mind, and soul. We should make healthy choices for our bodies. We also need to keep our minds active and calm. Lastly, we must understand and manage our emotions.
When all parts are working well together, a person can feel more balanced, strong, and healthy. Focusing on the whole person helps improve overall wellness. Our health and wellness have an exciting relationship with our awareness and consciousness. Sometimes, we find either direct or inverse relationships, and sometimes, there is a correlation.
Know thyself. ― Socrates
There are several inner work tools that we can use to address our health. Linking wholeness to wellness is a process. We need to learn about ourselves and identify any deficiencies. Then we need to find the tools we need to address that aspect of wellness. The tools for inner work fall into four categories:
1. Analytical Tools to enhance critical thinking
Many people overlook the importance of logic and rational thinking when it comes to spirituality. But this is a mistake. We need to think clearly when assessing choices in this arena. Religion and spirituality are ripe with misleading teachers and teachings. Being able to spot misleading and illogical arguments and fallacies is essential.
2. Meditative processes
Meditation is one of the primary tools for linking wholeness to wellness. There is a progression in meditation, starting with the basic two-step mindfulness practice. Japa, or Transcendental Meditation (TM), helps us achieve the 4th state of pure consciousness. This state brings deep, restful alertness.
3. Awareness Tools and Techniques
Expanding the bandwidth of consciousness is critical for personal growth and development. There are many tools here that help enhance the capabilities of the mind. The lucid dreaming method and memory palace technique are examples.
Tools that help restore and revitalize us are essential for overcoming physical and mental boundaries. Pejut, Reiki, and Shiatsu are examples of healing methods that help us normalize and become healthy.
With the knowledge of the tools and where you need to focus, let’s look at what realigning and rebalancing look like for each of the six dimensions.
Addressing Each of the Six Aspects of Holistic Wellness
Understanding The Occupational Aspect of Wellness
What we do to earn a living can be an entry point to spiritual exploration, even if it is not a career option that provides fulfillment. Learn to use work habits to focus your intent and build your personal power.
If you can choose a career, you are lucky. If you have this option, share your knowledge and gifts to help others.
Corporate culture consumes much of our time and energy. It leaves little time for other dimensions that make life meaningful. People come to us for advice on how to reduce stress and carve out time to improve their health and wellness. You can learn to enjoy your work more (see the above reference to Japa/TM meditation). The Japanese Tea Ceremony shows how to discover spiritual meaning in a simple, everyday ritual. [5]
Dealing with The Physical Dimension
Our physical health and wellness directly impact our ability to engage in all activities. The quality of health and well-being is often a critical element in determining readiness to learn. The state of emotional stability, being vibrant, resilient, and durable, is an asset of the physical path. Having these qualities is essential, especially for the more physical processes. There are, of course, exceptions.
Basic mindfulness meditation techniques can help reduce the stress of a hectic lifestyle. Even better are more advanced techniques like Japa Meditation and Shamanic Journey.
Handling The Social Aspect of Wellness
Spiritual exploration is an individual path. The social dimension seems to conflict with this principle, but it is not. Walking your own path doesn’t mean always walking alone; we also need time alone to think. It’s important to help others learn and overcome roadblocks on their path, which will enrich your own. You’ll never understand a method better than by teaching it and helping others.
You’ll also face your own “dark night of the soul” at some point, and having friends, you can talk to help in those hard places. Yes, you’ll still be forging a path of your own, but you’ll go farther when you have partners along the way.
You may even find a teacher. A good teacher has a precise way of assessing readiness to learn. Look for a teacher interested in teaching processes, not in making followers. If the universe brings a teacher into your life, listen to them.
The Intellectual Skillset Dimension
Enhancing your critical thinking skills is not just valuable; it is essential. It will help you avoid many problems. Spotting errors in an argument will save you a lot of time and heartache. We also recommend the use of the Enneagram Personality Profile, which will help you understand your personality.
If you belong to a tradition that controls or bans what you can read, then you’ve got a problem. Religious belief has an inverse relationship with one’s ability to explore ideas and processes. The more rigid the belief system, the more it affects one’s use of reason and common sense.
When you think about it, it makes sense. The greater the number of boundaries, the more roadblocks you create, and the harder it will be. It’s not impossible to have both closely held religious beliefs and use techniques outside the paradigm. It means you will encounter more conflicts. You will be more likely to run into things that conflict with your belief system. Attempting to reconcile conflicting ideas causes what psychologists call “cognitive dissonance.” It is a significant hindrance to maximizing your health.
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term. It refers to the discomfort we feel when facing conflicting information. If you’re facing this, we suggest you do more research. Find the specific areas of conflict. Then, create a plan to address or reduce the conflict.
Recalibrating the Spiritual Dimension
This aspect of wellness creates the most confusion of all six factors. This is because people confuse religious beliefs with spirituality. Religion and spirituality are two different things. Spirituality is about the things of the spirit, our awareness, and consciousness. Religion is about the belief in myths and superstitions. They are not even close to being similar, yet religion uses spiritual language to sell people on its doctrines.
Recalibrating your mindset about spirituality is about using tools to understand your mind and spirit. Once you have the right mindset and get past the groupthink tactics of religion, then things will fall into place spiritually. Spirituality is the glue that holds the other holistic wellness dimensions together.
Managing the Emotional Dimension
There is a correlation between your emotional health and your ability to learn. To learn advanced spiritual technologies requires good health. The practice of these methods is what we call spiritual exploration. It’s a well-rounded method for studying awareness and consciousness. It involves physical, mental, and spiritual healing aspects. We involve our emotions on these levels.
Our emotions are a barometer of our total health and wellness. Some of the best tools for assessing our emotional state are the simplest. The spiritual journal for recording thoughts, dreams, and experiences is indispensable.
The Enneagram Personality Profile is another one of the core tools we recommend and use. It is a tool for understanding the mechanisms of personality and instinct. It’s also a doorway leading us through various intellectual exercises to the Observer. The person we are talking to is inside our heads.
Inner work often brings to light aspects of ourselves that typically remain hidden. Inner work can be stressful. You may feel emotionally drained or raw when completing sessions that delve into the psyche. It’s a normal reaction. As we saw above, with intellectual and spiritual dimensions, it is quite probable that we will encounter some roadblocks in our path.
The process of spiritual exploration can be an emotional merry-go-round. We learn something new about ourselves. This new awareness uncovers a roadblock or a hidden wound.
Final Thoughts on the Six Key Aspects of Wellness Dimensions
We’ve looked at the six dimensions of holistic wellness. These include occupational, physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, and emotional wellness. Each dimension connects to the others in meaningful ways. It shows how important it is to balance these areas for better health and well-being.
By using self-assessment and practical tools, people can spot areas to improve. It helps them make wise choices for better overall wellness. The article highlights the importance of mindfulness, spiritual growth, and emotional awareness. These elements help create a balanced and fulfilling life.
Although we travel our “own path,” we should not travel alone. You’ll need partners to help you from time to time for healing and encouragement. We can help you find these people and assist you as a “virtual” partner. The path of wholeness to wellness is an ongoing process of life. The key is balancing the six aspects of holistic wellness dimensions.
References
- Dr. Hettler and the World Health Organization.
- The Convergence of Well-Being, Science, and Spirituality, Psychology Today.
- Multiple Dimensions of Wellness: Development and Psychometric Properties, SpringerLink
- Six Dimensions of Wellness, National Wellness Institute
- The Self-Care Wheel: Wellness Worksheets, Activities & PDF, Positive Psychology