Wellness is actively behaving in a positive way and attitudes that
support achieving your life goals and the norms of what is
considered wellness. A healthy mind and body help us tackle daily
activities and form healthy relationships. Wellness also entails our
spiritual connection and living in a way toward our eternal goal. b
Being our
best
means a holistic approach in many areas of our life,
as often one affects the other.
Wellness impacts daily life from when you wake up and start
making decisions to when you go to sleep- another decision
affecting your well-being. Being aware of choices and their
consequences affects our wellness and adaptability (Haybron,
2013). Contributing to your community through volunteering or
your job contributes to wellness and satisfaction (Kirkland, 2014).
Giving time to improve your environment increases community
wellness while making meaningful connections. b Wellness impacts
our interactions with others and our lifestyle.
Our readings had core points in defining wellness and variations.
Optimal functioning, state of mind, environment, and self-
responsibility were a few. All were important points, although
different views had some categorical conflicts. Wellness could not
be defined from one viewpoint. Collectively, a definition of
wellness could be deduced. Haybron explained the sum of
humans’ characteristics: being authentic, aware, and active (2013).
Being happy alone does not result in wellness, although well-being
can contribute to happiness (Haybron, 2013). Kirkland described
how wellness could shift and change societal ideas (2014).
Combining individualistic ideas of self-care while explaining lower
and higher levels of wellness we strive to obtain (Kirkland, 2014).
Being well is not only a healthy body, especially as time has
changed from plagues and we have progressed in preventive
medicine, but our responsibility to ourselves and others (Kirkland,
2014).
Wellness in psychology is instrumental in understanding behaviors
and thoughts and their effects. Physical health affects mental well-
being and vice versa. Encouraging individuals to improve,
maintain, and manage their lives in a meaningful way impacts their
wellness. Finally, wellness can connect to social justice in
opportunities for all.
In education, we see an emphasis on
healthy
lunches, employee
wellness programs, inspirational emails, and reminders for self-
care and avoiding burnout. Also, special education
accommodations are implemented to aid in students’ success and
to overcome challenges, lead to more positive attitudes, and
promote positive experiences and capabilities. b Finally, social
wellness is encouraged with positive interactions, structure, and
modeling. Wellness can be used in life by making decisions on how
we think, act, and interact. Using what we know, societal
interpretation, and comparison, we can actively work toward ideal
functioning (Kirkland, 2014).
References
Haybron, D. M. (2013). Beyond happiness: well-being.
Happiness: A Very Short
Introduction
, 77–90. https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199590605.001.0001
Kirkland, A. (2014). What is wellness now?
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
,
39
(5), 957–970. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-2813647
