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Dimensions of Wellness

  • Physical – Taking care of your body.
  • Emotional – Exploring your intellect and understanding of a healthy range of emotions.
  • Social – Participating in positive social relationships including friends, family, and community.
  • Spiritual – Exploring meaning and purpose in your life to help in the development of a sense of self.
  • Intellectual – Stimulating mental activities that expand a person’s knowledge and skills both in the classroom and beyond.
  • Occupational – Exploring various career options and opportunities.

Physical Wellness

What is it?

Physical wellness promotes the balance of physical activity, nutrition, and mental well-being to keep a healthy body weight without undue fatigue or physical stress. It involves the absence of illness by adopting healthful habits while avoiding or minimizing risky behaviors.

 

Why is it important?

Being physically active is crucial to keeping your body in its top condition. A few proven benefits of physical activity are strengthened bones and muscles, reduced risk of disease and stroke, and more energy. It is important to nurture your body by eating a well-balanced diet. Filling yourself with a variety of nutrients and vitamins will not only help prevent illness but will also keep your body functioning at its best.

 

Some ways to stay physically healthy?

  • Physical activity at least 30 minutes a day every day.
  • Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
  • Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
  • Control meal portions and eat a variety of foods.
  • Manage Stress.
  • Practice safe sex.
  • Go to the HPER, fitness classes, or intramural sports.
  • Receive preventative medical and dental care.
  • Get health screenings and immunizations.

Emotional wellness

What is it?

Emotional Wellness is having the ability to understand and accept how you feel independently and interpersonally. It involves optimism, self-esteem, and self- acceptance.

 

Why is it important?

Maintaining a healthy emotional life is important to overall health. Taking care of your emotional health allows you to accept how you feel and grants you power over feelings. You are able to form more desirable relationships with others and appreciate emotional expression.

 

Some ways to stay emotionally healthy:

  • Take 10 minutes each day to unplug from phones, social media and your computer.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Stay on top of schoolwork.
  • Get eight hours of sleep.
  • Meditate or practice yoga
  • Make time to listen, not compete, with your friends.
  • Ask for help or see a therapist at the Counseling Center.

Social Wellness

What is it?

Social Wellness is the ability to successfully interact with people by developing friendships, healthy sexual behaviors, or participation in the community. It allows us to have relationships that can offer support and guidance.

 

Why is it important?

Social wellness allows you to build healthy relationships with others. Having a supportive social network allows you to develop assertive skills and become comfortable with who you are in social situations. Surrounding yourself with a positive social network increases your self-esteem. It also enables you to create boundaries that encourage communication, trust, and conflict management. In addition, having good social wellness is critical to building motional resilience.

 

Some ways to stay socially healthy?

  • Keep in touch with supportive friends and family.
  • Participate in group discussions.
  • Join a club or organization.
  • Attend our wellness programs.
  • Balance face-to-face interactions with online interactions. 

Intellectual Wellness

What is it?

Intellectual wellness allows you to have an open mind or strong desire for new ideas, challenges, and experiences that can be applied to personal decisions, group interaction, and community betterment. It also encourages ongoing intellectual growth, and creative yet stimulating mental activities which provide the foundation to discover, process, and evaluate information.

 

Why is it important?

Intellectual wellness allows you to become more mindful and better-rounded. It leads to exploration and stimulates curiosity. Curiosity is important because it motivates you to try new things and develop an understanding of how you see the relationship between yourself, others, and the environment.

 

Some ways to stay intellectually healthy?

  • Make academics a priority in your life.
  • Read for pleasure.
  • Stay updated on local and world news.
  • Choose a creative hobby.
  • Stay involved in the community.
  • Participate in Academic Services such as Tutoring and the Writing Center.
  • Visit the library regularly.
  • Communicate with your professors often.

Spiritual Wellness

What is it?

Spiritual Wellness is the willingness to seek meaning and purpose in human existence; being open to diverse multi-cultural beliefs, religious faith, values, morals and ethics that help guide your life. It also can mean knowing which resources to use to cope with issues that come up in everyday life.

 

Why is it important?

Spiritual wellness allows you to develop a set of values that help you seek meaning and purpose in life. It allows you to appreciate your life experiences for what they are, therefore creating balance.

 

Some ways to stay spiritually healthy?

  • Practice acceptance.
  • Look for a religious faith that you agree with.
  • Spend time meditating or practicing mindful relaxation.
  • Attend a worship service.
  • Get some “me” time.
  • Spend time in nature.

Occupational Wellness

What is it?

Occupational wellness is gaining personal fulfillment and enrichment from your work and academics. This includes pursuing a career path that supports your personal and professional goals and expanding your skills and strengths throughout your life, including academic study, paid work, and volunteerism.

 

Why is it important?

As a student, when you place your career goal at the center of your college experience, you gain clarity, making complex choices easier to navigate. Occupational wellness is crucial because it helps you (1) efficiently plan your four years of college – choosing the activities and courses that will help you achieve your end goal, (2) focus on the activities and organizations that matter most, and (3) motivate you to push forward when fatigue sets in and when courses become more difficult.

 

Some ways to stay spiritually healthy?

  • Meet with a UCA career coach during your freshman year and then annually for guidance and review of career readiness plan
  • Attend Career Services programs and events to sharpen skills and be career-ready when you graduate
  • Connect with UCA alumni on BearLink for an opportunity to be mentored by alumni in your field of study.
  • Be involved on campus by joining recognized student organizations.
  • Keep your grades up, utilizing faculty support and Student Success resources.