In my opinion, the term
wellness
is the comprehensive approach an individual or a
collective group of people (ie family, organization, community) takes to thrive, both
on a singular level (for the individual) and collectively. In our reading, Kirkland takes a
view with a wide lens to define wellness, calling on the opinions experts in health,
wellness coaches, nations as a whole (the United States), and cultural morals,
asserting that the definition also changes as society changes (Kirkland, 2014).
Kirkland discussed the Healthway Well-Being Index Composite Score, which looked
at the following metrics as related to wellness for six categories: life evaluation,
emotional health, healthy behavior, work environment, and basic access (Kirkland,
2014). I found this approach very interesting, because in building a rating system, it's
easier to craft a more complete definition of wellness.
Wellness has become a very popular topic in my profession over the last few years. I
am a career firefighter, and with that we are exposed to terrible emergency calls,
work long shifts, and are often sleep deprived. Please don't mistake it, I absolutely
love my job and consider myself an incredibly lucky man to have such a great career,
but it can weigh heavily on an individual if they don't use tools to combat the natural
stressors that come with the profession. Rigorous exercise, a clean diet, ample sleep
on my days off, meditation, and meaningful relationships with family, friends, and
coworkers are the aspects of my life I cherish and turn to, which all are aspects of
wellness in my opinion. Actively seeking wellness is the first step in making the
various aspects of wellness habits in ones life. Allotting time each day for exercise,
limiting screen time, eating a balanced diet, and taking walks in nature may start off
as forced habits, but I've noticed over the years my body and mind crave these
activities as resets for the stressful life I appear to have to an outsider.
References:
Kirkland, A. (2014). What Is Wellness Now?
Journal of Health Politics, Policy & Law
,
39
(5), 957–970. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1215/03616878-2813647
