Wellness refers to the individual as a whole, being conscious towards
their mental and physical health to create the best human experience
within one’s life. Compared to the definition presented in the Module
One resource article,
What Is Wellness Now?,
“Wellness is prevention,
but not the curing or treatment of any acute condition or specific health
event” ( Kirkland, 2014). Wellness as an entity is viewed in this article
through the lens of the term as a buzzword, beliefs about wellness over
time, and wellness as utilized by large corporations.
Wellness as a buzzword is compared in this article to the term feminism,
in that it calls for health as more than just absence of a disease and
should be considered top public and government priority (Kirkland,
2014). The appeal of this term comes from its “ability to float above
criticism over inconsistent personal details of meaning different things,
it means different things to different stakeholders using the term, in
order to be viewed as an uncontroverted good” (Kirkland, 2014). Which
also influences how it is utilized by large corporations as incentives in
the workplace. There have been multiple definitions of wellness
overtime, and throughout this article the same definition maintains its
prominence. That wellness is an absence of disease, being cured from
disease, and essentially only physical attributes of good health.
However, I argue that wellness is not a one-sided coin and in fact is
most likely represented by a dice with many sides. My understanding of
wellness is that it encompases various aspects of someone's life, their
home and work environment, their physical health, their mental health,
relationships, etc…All aspects that influence how people live their lives
and the narratives they provide.
I believe that wellness holds a tremendous amount of influence within
the field of psychology. Especially surrounding mental health
counselors, something that I would like to do. There has always been
stigma, like everything else, about therapy and seeking help. However,
you don’t need to wait for a midlife crisis before making the choice to
take care of yourself mentally. With everything that people go through
day-to-day, it is so important to make sure the thing powering us
through it all (our mind, our brain, our narrative), is functioning to its
best ability. And in that, psychology is very much a part of wellness as it
is a part of psychology. I can use my definition of wellness in my life by
listening to the signals my body gives me, listening to sore muscles,
listening to my feelings, etc.. Our bodies give us indicators when we are
worn out or are not accessing important stimuli to fuel our functioning.
Listening to these signs can help make sure I feel less burnout, and more
of an excitement of life.
Reference:
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
