The 8 Dimensions of Wellness

Did you know that Emotional wellbeing and mental health are only one component of your bigger picture?

Life is complicated. As humans, we are multifaceted, unique, complex, and wonderful. Mental health therapists often help people in the realm of emotional wellness; however, seven other extremely important factors need to be considered for overall well-being.

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness

• Emotional

• Social

• Financial

• Environmental

• Physical

• Occupational

• Spiritual

• Intellectual

All of these dimensions are interrelated; they work together to give you resilience, strength, and confidence to survive difficult times when they do arise.

Taking time every year to evaluate what is going well and what is not going well is a great way to prevent long-term mental health complications such as depression, anxiety, and burnout.

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Evaluating your overall Well-being

Doctors' offices and clinics will often give you a depression and anxiety screening, but the problem with those screening/ s is that they aren't preventative, and only provide a snapshot of where you are. It doesn't look at your bigger picture.

Early detection and intervention through annual wellness checkups can be the difference between months of therapy and a few check-in sessions yearly to keep you on track. You do an annual checkup for your body and your physical health; why not do a preventative yearly checkup for your overall wellbeing?

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How to evaluate your wellness

There are a lot of resources available to you to examine your own overall wellness.

• Speak with a therapist - let them know you are looking to do some preventative care and establish a relationship with someone you can trust.

• Work with a wellness coach - It's quick, effective and insightful

• D.I.Y - you can do your own wellness evaluation. Set aside an hour twice a year and look at all 8 dimensions of wellness. Look at what is going well right now, what is not going well, and what you would like to improve. Stuck? - Reach out and schedule a wellness coaching session!

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Want to know more?

You can look forward to future articles where we break down each wellness category and what it entails, and little things you can do to improve your overall wellness.

Stay Happy and Healthy!

Post by Meghan Keough, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Wellness Coach