Wellness & Well-being

The terms "wellness" and "well-being" often get confused because they go hand in hand. Wellness helps create a strong base for a balanced and meaningful life, while well-being allows you to enjoy wellness activities. For example, if you have a strong sense of purpose, you're more likely to make healthier choices.

Even though they work together to help you live a healthier life, they are different ideas. Knowing how they differ can help you make better choices about your health and life.

What is wellness?

Wellness is about the daily choices you make that can help improve your health and quality of life. It focuses on preventing problems and living better. Wellness means being intentional about your lifestyle to promote health and avoid sickness.

Different Types of Wellness

There are five main types of wellness:

• Physical wellness: This includes exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, getting good sleep, and avoiding harmful habits.
• Mental and emotional wellness: This means managing stress, building emotional strength, and keeping a positive mindset.
• Social wellness: This involves creating strong relationships and connecting with your community.
• Environmental wellness: This is about having a safe and sustainable environment.
• Occupational wellness: This focuses on feeling satisfied with your job and having a good work-life balance.

What is well-being?

Well-being is about feeling fulfilled and satisfied with your life. It covers how balanced and happy you feel in different areas of life. Well-being includes emotional, psychological, and social factors that give life meaning and happiness.

Different types of well-being

There are four types of well-being:

• Emotional well-being: This means being able to manage your feelings and being satisfied with your life.
• Psychological well-being: This includes having a sense of purpose, growing as a person, and accepting yourself.
• Social well-being: This involves having good relationships and a supportive community.
• Spiritual well-being: This means feeling connected to something bigger than yourself, which could be through faith, values, or a sense of purpose.

Key differences between wellness & well-being

The main differences between wellness and well-being include:

• Scope: Wellness mainly focuses on health-related habits, while well-being looks at overall life satisfaction.
• Action vs. State: Wellness is about what you do for your health (like exercising and eating right), whereas well-being is how you feel about your life in general.
• Prevention vs. Fulfillment: Wellness is concerned with avoiding health problems and living healthily, while well-being emphasizes finding fulfillment in work, relationships, and personal growth.

Signs you might need a wellness check

It's important to know when to pay attention to your wellness. Here are some signs that indicate it might be time for a check-up:

• Physical changes: If you are always tired, have trouble sleeping, or feel physical symptoms like muscle tension or headaches, you may need to focus on your health.
• Mental and emotional changes: Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, mood swings, and feeling more anxious or sad can all signal mental or emotional fatigue.
• Behavioral changes: If you notice you’re having accidents more often, isolating yourself, or using unhealthy habits to cope, it’s time to pay attention to your wellness.

Wellness checks vs. well-being support

It's also important to understand when to focus on wellness checks versus seeking support for well-being. Wellness checks look at physical health like sleep, diet, and exercise, while well-being includes emotional and social satisfaction. You might need support for your well-being if you feel emotionally drained, even if your physical health seems fine.

Wellness and well-being are connected; taking care of one can often help the other. Pay attention to both and you’ll improve your overall health.

How to improve your wellness and well-being

Here are some tips to help you start living a healthier life with a balanced mind:

Wellness tips

• Be active every day. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
• Eat a balanced diet. Include whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
• Get enough sleep. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to recharge.
• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water every day.
• Visit a doctor regularly. Schedule regular health checkups to monitor your health.

Well-being tips

• Practice mindfulness. Use mindfulness techniques like meditation to manage stress and improve emotional well-being.
• Maintain your social connections. Stay connected with friends, family, or support groups to engage in meaningful relationships.
• Achieve personal growth. Set personal goals or take on new challenges to promote a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
• Practice gratitude journaling. Reflect on things you are grateful for daily to boost positivity and emotional health.
• Maintain a healthy work-life balance. Establish boundaries between work and personal time to maintain a healthy balance and reduce burnout.

Join our monthly webinars

We offer two monthly webinar series focusing on improving wellness and well-being: Mindful Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays.

We also offer on-demand versions of these webinars in our resource library.