According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the US Department of Health and Human Services (which is adapted from Swarbrick’s 2006 “A Wellness Approach”), wellness encompasses 8 mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental.
Each of these has a significant impact on your health and well-being. And many of them are being challenged and shifted during this pandemic and the social distancing measures! I’ve put together the below self-questionnaire / worksheet, with which I invite you to explore each dimension and how you are in relation to it in this moment.
For each dimension, I invite you to consider:
- How has my wellness in this dimension shifted in the last few weeks?
- How well am I maintaining my wellness in this dimension?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support myself in this dimension?
Even for folks who have built strong habits to maintain wellness in these dimensions historically, many of those habits may be upset by the recent circumstances. It is my hope that by looking at the dimensions of wellness in this way, you can make intentional decisions and take actions that support your health and well-being!
NOTE: Do not try to create new habits in every single dimension at once! Go through each of them, identify the ones that hold the most energy for you and feel like they’ll have the biggest impact in the immediate future. Start with one or MAYBE two, and go from there!
Physical Wellness
- How has my physical wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I caring for my body to stay healthy now and in the future?
- How well am I maintaining my physical wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my physical wellness?
Intellectual Wellness
- How has my intellectual wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I growing intellectually, maintaining curiosity about all there is to learn, valuing lifelong learning, and responding positively to intellectual challenges?
- In what ways am I expanding knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing my gifts with others?
- How well am I maintaining my intellectual wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my intellectual wellness?
Emotional Wellness
- How has my emotional wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I understanding and respecting my feelings, values, and attitudes?
- In what ways am I appreciating the feelings of others?
- In what ways am I managing my emotions constructively?
- In what ways am I feeling positive and enthusiastic about my life?
- How well am I maintaining my emotional wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my emotional wellness?
Social Wellness
- How has my social wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I maintaining healthy relationships, enjoying being with others, developing friendships and intimate relations, caring about others, and letting others care about me?
- In what ways am I contributing to my community?
- How well am I maintaining my social wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my social wellness?
Spiritual Wellness
- How has my spiritual wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I finding purpose, value, and meaning in my life?
- In what ways am I participating in activities that are consistent with my beliefs and values?
- How well am I maintaining my spiritual wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my spiritual wellness?
Vocational Wellness
- How has my vocational wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I preparing for and participating in work that provides personal satisfaction and life enrichment that is consistent with my values, goals, and lifestyle?
- In what ways am I contributing my unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding?
- How well am I maintaining my vocational wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my vocational wellness?
Financial Wellness
- How has my financial wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways am I managing my resources to live within my means, making informed financial decisions and investments, setting realistic goals, and preparing for short-term and long-term needs or emergencies?
- To what extent am I remaining aware that everyone’s financial values, needs, and circumstances are unique?
- How well am I maintaining my financial wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my financial wellness?
Environmental Wellness
- How has my environmental wellness shifted in the last few weeks?
- In what ways are my social, natural, and built environments affecting my health and well-being?
- To what extent am I aware of the unstable state of the earth and the effects of my daily habits on the physical environment?
- In what ways am I demonstrating commitment to a healthy planet?
- How well am I maintaining my environmental wellness?
- What action can I take or habit can I establish to support my environmental wellness?
