Source link: https://narayanahealth.org/blog/health-and-well-being/
Health and wellness are closely associated with each other. We often misunderstand that health and wellness are one and use them interchangeably. But, they are not the same thing. Let’s find out the difference between the meaning of health and wellness.
Health is an achievable objective if one pursues a healthy lifestyle. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. A healthy and nutrient-rich diet and physical activities encourage physical health. Stress-free lifestyle will enhance our mental health. We should encourage ourselves to develop a connection with society, friends, and relatives. It promotes our social health.
Well-being or wellness is a way of our living or our lifestyle. It is a conscious, self-directed, and developing process through which people achieve their full potential. Wellness has seven dimensions that should be in harmony to achieve our well-being. We should not neglect any of these areas to achieve good health.
What are the dimensions of wellness?
Wellness has the following seven dimensions:
Physical wellness: It involves healthy eating and daily exercising. That can help us achieve our daily activities without physical stress or fatigue. We can achieve optimal physical health by combining beneficial physical activities and healthy eating.
Intellectual wellness: This dimension encourages creativity and acquiring new skills that further stimulate our mental activities. To attain intellectual wellness, we should analyze issues related to problem-solving, accustoming to the changes, and critical thinking.
Emotional wellness: A person is emotionally well if can manage feelings (sadness, love, fear, hope, joy, anger, or stress) and related behaviors in a good way.
Spiritual wellness: It includes the development of acknowledgement for human existence and the establishment of peace and harmony in our life.
Environmental wellness: This dimension teaches us how we should caress the earth’s resources (air, water, and land).
Occupational wellness: This is when a person maintains a personal and occupational life harmoniously.
Social wellness: It is the ability to connect and cooperate with other people.
How can we maintain good health and wellbeing?
A little effort daily can play a crucial role in staying healthy. For a healthy body, here are a few tips:
Healthy diet: A balanced and nutrient-rich diet is the foremost crucial component for good health and wellbeing. As what we eat has a direct impact on our health. With some modifications in our diet, we can prevent and treat some conditions (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol level, heart diseases, and stroke).
Some diet modifications are:
Avoid processed and packaged food as they contain excessive salt, sugar, and calories.
We should include copious amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables in our meals.
We should add dairy products, poultry products, lean meat, and fish to our diet to fulfill our daily protein and essential nutrients requirements.
Regular exercise: A habit of daily exercise or exercising five days a week for 30 to 40 minutes shows significant benefits. Routine physical activities make you feel energetic and happy. It also helps in weight control and prevents many chronic diseases. We should include any exercise (yoga, aerobics, swimming, walking, jogging, or cycling). It also helps us deal with mental problems (depression or anxiety).
Keep a tab on weight: Maintaining a healthy weight improves our health and overall wellbeing. An overweight person may have increased chances of many health conditions:
-Type 2 diabetes
So, we should keep an eye on our weight and take appropriate steps to achieve a healthy weight.
Control on bad habits: Smoking, overconsumption of alcohol, and substance abuse, are harmful habits. They can cause numerous conditions, including heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), liver cirrhosis, fatty liver, mental disorders, mishap accidents, and many cancers. So the sooner you quit, the better your health and wellbeing are.
Safe sex practice: safe intercourse prevents unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV, HPV infection, and many other diseases. It is also beneficial for emotional and physical health.
Skin and health care: we should take care of our skin and hair as they improve our confidence and overall well-being and prevent many conditions. Preventing our skin from direct sun rays damage protects us from man skin conditions such as acne, blemishes, and skin cancer. Good hair conditions improve our self-esteem and confidence.
Good ambience: Our surrounding has an impression on our health and wellbeing. A person cannot stay healthy without interacting with others and society. Communication with others reduces stress, depression, and mental and physical illness.
Proper sleep routine: Good well-rested sleep helps our body to rejuvenate and energetic to function appropriately. A good sleep (at least 6 to 8 hours) regulates the hormones which control our mood and emotions. So, make sure you take sufficient relaxing sleep.
Routine health check-up: Annual health check-up gives a head-up for any illness. So we can take proper preventive and early steps to improve our health.
With a simple change in our daily lifestyle, we can improve our health and overall wellness. We cannot achieve good health overnight. Practicing good health and wellness is a constant daily practice. On this World’s Health Day, let’s pledge to improve our health and wellness.
