What is classified as wellness? Understanding the Holistic Approach

September 29, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, but wellness is a proactive, active process of making choices toward a more successful existence. To truly answer the question, "What is classified as wellness?", one must consider a multi-dimensional and holistic framework that encompasses far more than just physical health.

Quick Summary

Wellness is a holistic and active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of well-being across multiple interconnected dimensions, including emotional, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual health. It is a conscious, continuous, and self-directed process aimed at achieving one's fullest potential.

Key Points

Multi-Dimensional: Wellness encompasses eight key dimensions: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, environmental, and financial.
Proactive vs. Reactive: Wellness is a proactive, intentional process, while health is often reactive to illness.
Interconnectedness: The eight dimensions are interconnected; issues in one can affect others.
Individualized Approach: Wellness is a personalized journey focused on harmony, not perfect balance.
Holistic Framework: A holistic view shifts focus from illness management to promoting positive actions and empowerment.

The Core Concept of Wellness

Unlike the reactive concept of health, which often focuses on the absence of disease, wellness is a proactive and aspirational journey. It is a state of mind, body, and spirit that you actively cultivate through conscious choices and intentional habits. This multi-dimensional perspective recognizes that no single area of our life operates in a vacuum, with a deficit in one dimension potentially impacting others.

The Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is commonly understood through eight interconnected dimensions, first identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Achieving true well-being involves attending to all these areas to foster personal harmony.

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness is the ability to cope effectively with life’s challenges, build satisfying relationships, and maintain a positive outlook. It involves understanding and managing your emotions constructively and having resilience.

Improve emotional wellness by:
- Journaling to process feelings.
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation.
- Setting healthy boundaries.

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness involves nurturing your body through physical activity, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and responsible health habits. It's about maintaining a healthy body for optimal functioning.

Improve physical wellness by:
- Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly.
- Eating a balanced diet.
- Prioritizing 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.

Intellectual Wellness

Intellectual wellness encourages creative and mentally-stimulating activities to expand knowledge and skills. This dimension is about lifelong learning and critical thinking.

Improve intellectual wellness by:
- Reading for pleasure.
- Learning a new skill.
- Engaging in respectful debates.

Social Wellness

Social wellness is the development of a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system. It involves building and maintaining healthy relationships.

Improve social wellness by:
- Joining a club or volunteer group.
- Keeping in touch with supportive friends and family.
- Practicing active listening.

Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness is having a sense of purpose and meaning in life. It involves developing a personal belief system and living in line with your values and ethics.

Improve spiritual wellness by:
- Practicing mindfulness and self-reflection.
- Connecting with causes aligned with your values.
- Journaling to explore your purpose.

Occupational Wellness

Occupational wellness focuses on finding personal satisfaction and enrichment from one’s work or daily activities. It's about aligning your career goals with your personal values and skills.

Improve occupational wellness by:
- Building positive relationships with colleagues.
- Setting clear work/life boundaries.
- Creating a career development plan.

Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is the appreciation of your surroundings and your impact on them. It includes creating pleasant environments and respecting nature.

Improve environmental wellness by:
- Spending time outdoors.
- Optimizing your workspace.
- Practicing sustainable habits.

Financial Wellness

Financial wellness consists of finding satisfaction with your current and future financial situations. It's about managing your finances to minimize stress and achieve goals.

Improve financial wellness by:
- Creating a budget.
- Prioritizing paying off debt.
- Setting financial goals.

Health vs. Wellness: A Comparative Look

Health and wellness are distinct yet complementary. The table below highlights key differences.


Aspect	Health	Wellness
Focus	Absence of illness and treatment.	Proactive choices for success.
Approach	Often reactive.	Proactive and growth-oriented.
Nature	Objective metrics.	Subjective feeling about quality of life.
Scope	Often compartmentalized.	Holistic and multi-dimensional.

Strategies for Cultivating a Wellness Lifestyle

Cultivating wellness is an intentional, ongoing process. Small, consistent habits build positive change. The key is to find what works for you, as wellness is individualized. By focusing on positive actions, you empower yourself to manage stress. For more strategies, explore resources like the NIH's Your Healthiest Self: Wellness Toolkits.

Conclusion

What is classified as wellness is an active, conscious, multi-dimensional process for a fulfilling existence, not just the absence of disease. By addressing the eight dimensions—physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, environmental, and financial—you foster a holistic sense of well-being. Embracing this view empowers you to enhance your quality of life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Health is a state of well-being and absence of disease, while wellness is an active, intentional process towards a successful existence. Health is a state, wellness is a lifestyle.

The eight dimensions are emotional, physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental, all interconnected aspects of well-being.

Yes, wellness focuses on harmony across all aspects of life. You can pursue emotional, social, and spiritual well-being even with a chronic illness.

Focusing on all dimensions is crucial because they are interconnected. Neglecting one area can negatively impact others, while a holistic approach supports resilience.

No, wellness is not just for those without problems. It provides a framework for managing stress and building resilience, regardless of circumstances.

Start by identifying areas to improve within the eight dimensions. Begin with small, consistent habits like prioritizing sleep or journaling.

Emotional wellness is the capacity to handle stress, cope with challenges, and build satisfying relationships by understanding and managing emotions constructively.