Wellness in the individual perspective, it is a person's ability to pursue their goals and
flourish despite their circumstances. It's a person's motivation to thrive both physically and
mentally as they navigate the world around them. A person's actions and habits are closely
related to their welfare. Lifestyle relates to how people age, and how people age is tied to
wellness. Which aligns with Ardell's definition of wellness "self-responsibility, nutritional
awareness, physical fitness, stress management, and environmental sensitivity" and
Berkeley's Wellness letter that defines wellness as "optimal physical, mental, and emotional
wellbeing, a preventive way of living that reduces-sometimes even eliminates-the need for
remedies" (Kirkland, 2014, p. 960). Wellness relates to a person's wellbeing and how they
navigate their circumstances to achieve better outcomes. Community health is closely
related to personal wellness. The social and economic environment of individuals may have
an impact on self-motivation. It relates to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs that applies to
individuals, communities, and countries. Maslow's theory of motivation explains when first
a person basic needs such as food, water, shelter, safety, etc. are met; and then their physical
needs, such as relationships with family, friendships, partners, etc. are met; and finally a
person's self-actualization such as what they aspire to be, their achievements, their
creativeness, etc. are met, they are in a sense in a state of wellbeing and are positioned to
excel and have positive outcomes as they are more motivated to make better choices toward
continued wellness (Woodside & McClam, 2019). Community health thrives when leaders
advocate for better resources and close inequality gaps to prevent community health
declines.
In healthcare administration, leaders oversee operational tasks so that employees can
focus on patients; so that employees can focus on improving patient and community health.
These factors are vital to reducing healthcare costs which is a critical aim in the U.S. for
health care system reform. Shanafelt et al. (2021) write, "Leaders who wish to cultivate well-
being, professional fulfillment, and vitality in their team and team members must also
recognize the importance of nurturing these qualities for themselves." Leaders have a
responsibility to initiate healthy behaviors for themselves. They are also responsible for
initiating holistic well-being programs so to cultivate and motivate healthy behaviors in the
workplace and ensure employees stay physically and emotionally healthy and learn healthy
behavioral habits so to improve employee health outcomes.
References
Kirkland. A. (2014, October). What Is Wellness Now? J Health Polit Policy Law 1; 39 (5):
957–970. Retrieved from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1215/03616878-
2813647
Shanafelt, T., Trockel, M., Rodriguez, A., & Logan, D. (2021, April 27). Wellness-centered
leadership: Equipping health care Leaders to cultivate physician well-being and
professional fulfillment. Acad Med ;96(5):641-651. Retrieved from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8078125/
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2019). An introduction to human services (9th Edition).
Cengage Learning US. Retrieved from:
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
