How do you define wellness and wellbeing? A Guide to Holistic Health

September 24, 2025 •

3 min read

According to a 2021 Gallup study, only 4% of U.S. adults are thriving in physical well-being alone, highlighting the importance of understanding a more holistic approach to health. So, how do you define wellness and wellbeing, and what are the key differences between them?

Quick Summary

Wellness is an active, mindful pursuit of a healthy lifestyle across several dimensions, while wellbeing is a broader, more holistic state of happiness, contentment, and overall life satisfaction. The various dimensions of wellness contribute to your overall state of wellbeing, making it a more encompassing concept.

Key Points

Wellness is an active pursuit: It is the conscious, continuous process of making healthy choices in life, encompassing various dimensions like physical, emotional, and social health.
Wellbeing is a holistic state: It describes the overall quality of life, contentment, and satisfaction experienced, encompassing how you feel about your life as a whole.
Wellness contributes to wellbeing: The proactive efforts you make in each dimension of wellness build toward and enhance your overall state of wellbeing.
Dimensions of wellness are interconnected: All aspects of wellness, including physical, emotional, and financial, are interdependent. Neglecting one can negatively impact others and your overall wellbeing.
Mental and physical health are linked: Lifestyle choices such as exercise, diet, and sleep have a profound impact on both physical health and emotional wellbeing.
It's a journey, not a destination: Both wellness and wellbeing are dynamic processes. Consistency in your practices and a holistic perspective are key to sustaining a healthy and fulfilling life.

Understanding the Core Concepts of Wellness and Wellbeing

While often used interchangeably, 'wellness' and 'wellbeing' are distinct but deeply interconnected concepts fundamental to a fulfilling life. Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence. It involves a conscious, self-directed, and continuous effort to achieve your full potential. Wellbeing, on the other hand, represents a more holistic state of overall quality of life, happiness, and satisfaction. It is the subjective feeling of being content and fulfilled.

The Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is typically understood through multiple dimensions, all of which are crucial for overall health. For a detailed look at these dimensions, see {Link: Physiopedia https://www.physio-pedia.com/The_Concept_of_Wellness}.

The Broader Scope of Wellbeing

Wellbeing is the overarching goal that wellness practices help you achieve. It is a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. While wellness is a key element, wellbeing takes a broader view of how all aspects of your life are intertwined. Gallup's research highlights five key elements of wellbeing: Career, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community.

Comparison: Wellness vs. Wellbeing

The table below summarizes the key distinctions:


Feature	Wellness	Wellbeing
Core Concept	Active process of healthy choices.	Holistic state of happiness and satisfaction.
Focus	Lifestyle choices and preventive measures.	Overall life satisfaction and purpose.
Relationship	A contributor to wellbeing.	The broader goal that wellness helps achieve.
Measurement	Health metrics, habits.	Subjective feelings of happiness and satisfaction.

How to Improve Both Wellness and Wellbeing

Improving your wellness dimensions is a direct way to enhance your wellbeing. Strategies include:

Prioritize Your Physical Health

Regular Exercise: Aim for consistent physical activity to improve mood and energy.
Balanced Diet: Focus on whole foods for positive physical and mental health impacts.
Quality Sleep: Get 7-9 hours per night for better mood, focus, and health.

Nurture Your Mental and Emotional State

Practice Mindfulness: Use techniques like meditation to manage stress.
Manage Emotions: Cope with feelings through journaling or talking with others.
Challenge Negative Thoughts: Replace negative self-talk with positive perspectives.

Strengthen Your Social Connections

Invest in Relationships: Spend time with friends and family; social connection reduces stress.
Engage in Your Community: Volunteer or join groups to build connections and belonging.

Find Your Purpose

Explore Spiritual Growth: Reflect on values and beliefs to connect with something meaningful.
Learn New Skills: Pursue hobbies or education for mental challenge and accomplishment.

Fostering a Proactive Approach to Health

Wellness and wellbeing are both crucial for optimal health. Focusing solely on physical wellness while neglecting social connections, for example, can still result in poor overall wellbeing. Conversely, individuals managing chronic illness can achieve high wellbeing by focusing on other wellness dimensions like stress management and social support. A holistic view, recognizing the interconnectedness of wellness dimensions and their contribution to wellbeing, is key. The choices you make are foundational to your future experience.

For additional resources on lifestyle strategies for mental health and wellbeing, the American Psychiatric Association offers patient information.

Conclusion

Wellness is the proactive effort, and wellbeing is the resulting state of flourishing. By actively engaging in healthy habits across all dimensions of wellness, you build a foundation for a life of greater happiness, purpose, and satisfaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main difference is perspective: Wellness is the active, intentional process of making healthy lifestyle choices, while wellbeing is the holistic outcome or state of overall happiness, satisfaction, and flourishing that results from those choices.

Yes. A person can engage in many wellness activities, such as regular exercise and healthy eating, but still have low wellbeing due to dissatisfaction in other areas, such as poor social connections or financial stress. Wellbeing requires a holistic balance across all aspects of life.

Common dimensions include physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental wellness. Paying attention to all these areas is essential for balanced health.

You can improve your wellbeing by focusing on the dimensions of wellness. This includes prioritizing physical health, managing stress, nurturing social connections, and finding a sense of purpose and meaning in your life.

Wellbeing encompasses mental health, but it is broader. Mental health is a component of wellbeing, which also includes physical, social, financial, and other aspects of a fulfilling life.

Adequate, quality sleep is a critical component of physical wellness. A lack of sleep can negatively impact mood, energy, focus, and overall physical health, which in turn diminishes your sense of wellbeing.

Yes. A person can manage a chronic illness while still cultivating a high level of wellbeing. By focusing on emotional resilience, social support, and other dimensions of wellness, they can lead productive, meaningful, and fulfilled lives.

A strong sense of purpose, often linked to spiritual and occupational wellness, is a key component of overall wellbeing. Feeling that your life has meaning contributes significantly to happiness and satisfaction.