PERSONAL WELLNESS: Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellbeing

1
PERSONAL WELLNESSTaking Charge of Your Health
and Well-being
2
What Is Wellness?

• Good health has traditionally been viewed as
  freedom from disease thus, if you were not sick,
  you were considered healthy. While the absence of
  illness is one part of being healthy, it doesn't
  indicate whether you are at an optimal level of
  physical and psychological health.

3
What Is Wellness?

• Your overall state of health is closely
  associated with your lifestyle choices, and
  includes such health essentials as good
  nutrition, proper weight control, exercise,
  stress management, and controlling risk factors
  such as smoking, alcohol and drug use.

4
Major Causes of Death
National Wellness Institute
5
What Is Wellness?

• Research shows that Americans who take care of
  themselves and manage their lifestyles are
  healthier, more productive, have fewer absences
  from work, and make fewer demands for medical
  services. The secret is not in medical care,
  but consistent self-care in which you adopt
  habits and behaviors that promote better health
  and an improved quality of life.

6
What Is Wellness?

• Wellness is not the mere absence of disease.
  It is a proactive, preventive approach designed
  to achieve optimum levels of functioning. A
  wellness oriented lifestyle also involves the
  recognition that you have physical, social,
  psychological, and spiritual needs, with each
  dimension being necessary for optimal levels of
  functioning.

7
Wellness Continuum

• Traditional Approach Wellness Approach
• Problem
  Health Promotion/
• Disability Identification
  Education Wellness ------------------
  ------------------------
• Treatment Risk
• of Disease
  Reduction

8
Traditional VS WellnessApproaches To Health
Care

• Traditional Model
• Primary Goal
• Identify and correct
• problems
• Dominant Message
• Be responsible have regular check-ups

• Wellness Model
• Primary Goal
• Risk reduction and
• health promotion
• Dominant Message
• Reduce risks you are
• responsible for your
• quality of life

9
Traditional VS WellnessApproaches To Health
Care

• Traditional Model
• Change Method
• Treatment of health problems
• Change Agent
• Health care providers

• Wellness Model
• Change Method
• Information, education,
• and lifestyle change
• Change Agent
• You seek appropriate health care providers for
  treatment

10
Traditional VS WellnessApproaches To Health
Care

• Traditional Model
• Target
• Health problems
• Duration of Intervention
• Until the problem is corrected

• Wellness Model
• Target
• Lifestyle changes
• Duration of Intervention
• Part of daily lifestyle

11
Wellness Dimensions

• The National Wellness Institute, located at the
• University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point,
• divides wellness into six dimensions

12
Wellness Dimensions

• Social
• This emphasizes the interdependence with
• others, making friends and having meaningful
• relationships. Happier, satisfying and stable
• relationships with others and a stronger
• community are some potential results.

13
Wellness Dimensions

• Physical
• This measures both how one maintains
  cardiovascular
• fitness and strength, and behaviors that help one
  to
• prevent or detect early illnesses. Also measures
  the
• degree to which one chooses foods which are
• nourishing and balanced. Exercise, nutrition and
  
• safety encourage not only freedom from illness
  but
• also feelings of vitality, energy and enthusiasm.

14
Wellness Dimensions

• Intellectual
• This measures the degree that one engages in
• creative, stimulating mental activities. An
  intellectually
• well person uses the resources available to
  expand
• his/her knowledge to improve skills along with
• expanding potential for sharing with others.
  Benefits
• include improved job performance, better problem
• solving, more knowledge and a better chance at
  being
• successful in life.

15
Wellness Dimensions

• Occupational
• This measures the satisfaction gained from
• one's work and the degree to which one is
• enriched by the work. The satisfaction gained
• is related to individual attitudes about work, a
• sense of direction and goals, and a feeling of
• achievement.

16
Wellness Dimensions

• Emotional
• This measures the degree of awareness and the
• acceptance that one has of one's feelings. This
• includes the extent to which one feels positive
  and
• enthusiastic about one's self and life. It
  measures the
• capacity to appropriately control one's feelings
  and
• related behaviors, including the realistic
  assessment of
• one's limitations, and the capacity to cope with
  stress.

17
Wellness Dimensions

• Spiritual
• This measures one's ongoing involvement in
• seeking meaning and purpose in human
• existence. It includes a deep appreciation for
• the depth and expanse of life and natural
• forces that exist in the universe.

18
Personal Wellness

• Wellness, a positive approach to life and
• health, maximizes the individual's potential. It
• involves the whole person - physically,
• emotionally, and on a psychological basis.
• A personal wellness lifestyle is associated with
• good physical health, emotional stability,
• improved personal relationships, as well as
• increased career satisfaction.

19
Campus RecreationCounseling CenterStudent
Health Services
Personal Wellness
Division of Student Affairs