REVIEW: The six dimensions of wellness and what they all mean
Physical Health: Developing good physical health means recognizing the need for regular physical activity,
good nutrition, adequate sleep, etc., and doing something about it! It also means avoiding behaviors that
negatively affect your body like tobacco, drugs, and excessive alcohol consumption.
In other words having good physical health means: Recognizing the needs of your body and taking care of it!
Social Health: Developing good social health requires you to first recognize that you share this world with
others. Once you do that, developing good social health means learning how to successfully interact with people
at school, at home, and within your larger community. These skills might include listening, resolving conflicts,
etc.
In other words having good social health means: Paying attention to the relationships in your life and
making sure those relationships are appropriate, respectful, balanced, and positive.
Emotional Health: Developing good emotional health means becoming aware of your feelings, accepting those
feelings as important and real, and then learning how to manage your feelings in positive ways. The ultimate
goal in developing emotional health is to feel positive and enthusiastic about yourself and life! In order to
achieve this energy and self-confidence, you need to be able to do things like manage anger, deal with stress,
etc.
In other words having good emotional health means: Recognizing and attending to your feelings.
Intellectual Health: Developing good intellectual health means growing your knowledge and stimulating your
mind by learning and experiencing new things. By exposing yourself to new ideas and ways of doing things, you
might discover new interests and abilities. By opening yourself up to the world around you, you become
increasingly aware of your talents and what inspires you. You also become more able and ready to share your
gifts with others. You may develop your intellectual health by reading books, asking questions, etc.
In other words having good intellectual health means: Consistently learning new things, expanding your
worldview, and discovering!
Spiritual Health: Developing good spiritual health means recognizing that your life has a purpose! Right now,
you’re purpose is to learn and discover who you are going to be in this world. In order to figure that out, you
need to know what you care about, what you believe, and what you value. You might believe in things like
fairness, courage, honesty, etc.
In other words having good spiritual health means: How well you know and understand what you value and
what you believe.
Environmental Health: Developing good environmental health means first recognizing that you take up space
and then becoming responsible for the way that space looks and feels. At home it may mean organizing your
room or talking with your siblings rather than yelling at them. At school it may mean taking care of your locker
and the hallways. It may mean standing up for someone who is being picked on at recess or making sure you put
waste in the trash. In the world, it may mean walking instead of driving to reduce pollution in the air we all
breathe, recycling so that less landfills are needed and the earth is better taken care of etc.
In other words having good environmental health means: The relationship you have with the space around
you!
Instructions:
Think about your own personal wellness wheel. What does it look like right now? What dimensions are full
and thriving? Which are in need of some attention?
Next, complete the following two steps:
1. Using an 8x11 piece of paper, draw the outline of your wheel and label each dimension. This will be the
front cover of your notebook for the year, so use color, be neat, review your spelling, and take pride in it!
Example:
2. On a separate piece of paper, explain your drawing. Explanations should be ½ a page to 1 page in length,
handwritten or typed, and single spaced.