Health Is the Whole Body, Mind, and Soul

You count grams of fat and fiber, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, drink green tea and jog four times a week. But you spend most of your time at a high-stress job, have few close relationships and feel that your life lacks meaning. The good things that you do for your body may help increase your resistance to stress and illness, but they only reflect part of a much larger picture.

Health is more than having a body that works properly. It includes physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual and even occupational/vocational dimensions. When these dimensions are working in harmony, they contribute to a sense of well-being and satisfaction. Doctors Donald Tubesing and Nancy Loving Tubesing are pioneers in the field of wellness. In their book, Seeking Your Healthy Balance, they explain that health involves all of mind and emotions, your connections with other people, your sense of hope, your satisfaction with work, as well as your body.


The Six Dimensional Model of Wellness
So how do you take care of your whole self? The National Wellness Institute embraces the Six Dimensional Model of Wellness developed in 1979 by Dr. Bill Hettler. The chart below, based on Hettler's model, can provide you with some guidance.

The Six Dimensional Model of Wellness
Category	Development
Physical: Achieving personal fitness and health goals through nutrition, physical activity, safety and self-care	Engage in aerobic exercise at least three times per week, 30 minutes per session. Eat a healthful diet. Stop smoking. Learn to recognize early signs of illness. Get adequate rest and sleep. Use alcohol in moderation, if at all. Use safety precautions whenever possible. For example: Helmets, seat belts Smoke alarms Safe driving See your doctor regularly.
Emotional: Maintaining good mental health, a positive attitude, and high self-esteem; responding with resiliency to emotional states and everyday life	Spend time with friends and family discussing important personal concerns, and providing mutual support. Participate in personal growth activities, self-esteem workshops, or support groups. Read a self-help book that interests you. Practice positive thinking.
Spiritual: Getting in touch with your deeper self and the spiritual dimension of your life, developing faith in something larger than yourself, finding meaning and purpose	Explore your spiritual core by asking yourself questions such as: Who am I? What is the purpose of (my) life? Look for inspiration from uplifting books, movies, TV, spiritual gatherings, soothing music, nature, beauty, meditation or prayer. Spend quiet time alone on a regular basis Practice being fully present in the moment. Practice acceptance of self, others, life, and detachment from outcomes. Look for deeper meanings to patterns and problems in your life. Allow yourself to deeply feel grief and pain. Practice appreciating the depth and expanse of life and the universe. Identify your values and beliefs.
Intellectual: Having curiosity and a strong desire to learn; solving problems; thinking independently, creatively and critically	Take a class or workshop on a subject that interests you. Seek new experiences on a regular basis (try new foods, travel to new places, learn about new cultures). Read informative literature and watch educational TV. Get involved in a creative project or use your creativity to solve problems. In your spare time, work on puzzles and intellectually challenging games such as scrabble and chess.
Occupational/vocational: Engaging in or preparing for work in which you will find personal satisfaction and enrichment	Identify your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Develop a personal mission and goals. Find ways to learn new skills. Develop new occupational or vocational interests. Find ways to use your strengths in work or avocations that contribute to your enjoyment and need for meaning.

According to the National Wellness Institute, the Six Dimensional Model of Wellness is beneficial for the following reasons:

Human Beings Are Multidimensional
All aspects of a person (body, emotions, thoughts, relationships, beliefs, values, activities) affect his functioning as a whole. Further, these individual aspects affect each other. For example, a person who is not utilizing his interests on the job (occupational dimension) may experience boredom and negativity (emotional dimension). A sense of futility (spiritual dimension) results, which causes others to avoid him (social dimension). This increases his frustration (emotional dimension) and can lead him to overeat and become obese (physical dimension).

Most Modern Health Threats Are Not Physical
Although we think about health in physical terms, most health threats today are not physical, writes Brian Luke Seaward, PhD, in his book Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water: Reflections on Stress and Human Spirituality. Instead, they are emotional (feeling overwhelmed, bored, worried, or guilty) or spiritual (assessing relationships, values and one's purpose in life).

Health Is More Than the Absence of Disease
The multidimensional approach is oriented toward maximizing individual potential and functioning. It defines health as balance and complete well-being, being all that you can be, not merely as the absence of symptoms and disease.

Unfortunately, today's medical care is largely based on a disease model of health. You may be able, however, to find doctors who specialize in integrative medicine. This is a practice that places the patient, not a disease, in the center.

Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World
But life can be so busy and complicated these days. Who has the time to address all these dimensions? Many wellness experts suggest numerous opportunities to find more balance. Strategies may include:

Finding Single Activities That Meet Multiple Wellness Needs
For example, taking a daily walk with your spouse and children can fulfill needs for physical activity, emotional bonding and relationship enhancement. And, if you use the time to discuss ideas and career aspirations, your family walk could also contribute to intellectual and occupational needs.

Clarifying Your Values and Priorities
Take time to know the deepest purposes for which you live, and use them to set goals and make decisions. For example, you may find that you'd prefer more time with your family rather than a bigger paycheck. Don't wait for a crisis to show what really matters to you.

Identifying Areas Where You Want More Balance
Using your values and the Six Dimensional Model of Wellness, identify your current wellness deficits and develop a few goals that will help you find more balance.

Being Realistic and Flexible
Perfect balance in all dimensions is not possible in an ever-changing world. There will be times when you're overextended, lonely, angry and tired. Over the years, you'll need to make adjustments until you find a balance that enhances your quality of life.

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RESOURCES:

National Wellness Institute
http://www.nationalwellness.org

National Mental Health Information Center
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Mental Health Association
http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/index.asp

Mental Health Canada
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/

REFERENCES:

California State University website. Available at: http://www.calstate.edu/.

Seaward BL. Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc; 1997.

Six dimensions of wellness. National Wellness Institute website. Available at: http://www.nationalwellness.org/index.php?id=391id_tier=381. Accessed June 16, 2008.

Tubesing DA, Loving Tubesing, N. Seeking Your Healthy Balance: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Whole Person Well-Being. Duluth, MN: Whole Person Associates; 1991.

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This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
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