Consolidated 6-part Wellness Framework

While my original intention was to slowly develop 8 components of wellness, introducing each with its own blog post, I realized that I didn't have 8 components of wellness to introduce.  I have noticed redundancies in others' frameworks that I've previously studied.  So over the past few days I have considered each area of wellness as I see it, how to group certain ones together, and how effectively I could describe and discuss different categories.  The result is a framework of 6 components:

1. Physical Wellness
2. Social Wellness
3. Emotional Wellness
4. Environmental Wellness
5. Intellectual Wellness
6. Financial Wellness

These components are consistent with the framework that I developed while in relevant committees at the university, but are consolidated based on the level of importance that I belief each area of wellness has.  I have combined emotional wellness and spiritual wellness, for example, as well as financial wellness and professional wellness.  This 6-part framework will make it easier for individuals to improve different aspects of their personal wellness without either over burdening them with unnecessary overlap. 

As discussed previously, physical wellness is comprised of exercise, nutrition, and sleep - all of which are equally important.  I have also begun to describe one aspect of social wellness, that there are many benefits that we get out of intimate, human-to-human interactions, which we do not get from texting and emails.  While I will discuss each of these activities further in future posts, the implied general recommendation for now is to exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and try to interact with people on a human level (or "upgrade your interactions," as I like to say).

To build on this previously discussed notion of social wellness on a human-to-human level, however, there is a community component to it.  In order to maximize your well being, you should strive to be an active member of your community, however you define your own community.  Whether it is your neighborhood, school district, or city, the area that you are physically a part of is a dynamic entity that reflects the actions and involvement of its residents.  Participating in neighborhood meetings, voting on relevant issues, and having an active hand in improving your community can bring great joy and fullfillment.

There are many ways to become more active in your community.  You can help organize block parties, patronize yard sales, and petition local government on issues important to your area.  You can also start a public garden, run a canned-food or fundraising drive for local charities, or volunteer for after-school events to help children in your area.  You can read more about how community gardens improve quality of life, volunteering your time can benefit you, and charitable contributions can improve your overall wellness.

 It is not always easy to determine how you can best contribute to your community, improving the quality of life for yourself and for those around you.  It is certain, however, that some effort is better than no effort at all.  If you have one hour per week or one afternoon per month, you have the opportunity to be involved, contribute, and improve.  Your community will thank you for your interaction, and your personal social wellness will be upgraded.