A Holistic Approach to Wellbeing: How the Wellness Wheel Can Guide You On your Journey 

Article Written by: Jessica Wright, LPC 

Denver Therapist, Jessica Wright

The focus of therapeutic work has traditionally been about addressing specific mental health or emotional concerns.

When taking a holistic perspective to well-being, it is important to recognize that wellness encompasses various interconnected aspects of someone’s life. This can include taking steps towards self-discovery and healing.

That’s where the Wellness Wheel comes in—a personal compass that guides you towards a more balanced and fulfilling life.

What is the Wellness Wheel?

The Wellness Wheel is a multidimensional framework that serves as a valuable resource that can support you in helping to explore and enhance different areas of your life to ultimately achieve overall well-being.

The Wellness Wheel is a visual representation of the various dimensions that contribute to a person’s overall well-being.

It typically consists of multiple sections or segments, each representing a different aspect of life.

Common dimensions include physical health, emotional well-being, social connections, intellectual stimulation, spiritual growth, environmental harmony, financial wellness, and occupational satisfaction.

By assessing and addressing these dimensions, individuals can achieve a more balanced and fulfilling life.

What are the dimensions of the Wellness Wheel?

The segments of the wellness wheel include the following:

Physical wellness is about taking care of our bodies through healthy movement,

Read More: “The Benefits Of Gentle Movement”

nutrition, and rest. It involves maintaining an active lifestyle, making balanced and nourishing food choices, getting enough sleep, and attending to any medical needs.

An active lifestyle can include mindful, gentle movement. It doesn’t mean training for a marathon and doing intense workouts every day.

By focusing on physical wellness, we can enhance our energy levels, reduce stress, and improve our overall health.

Emotional wellness involves understanding and managing our emotions effectively. It entails cultivating self-awareness, practicing self-care, and developing healthy coping skills. By nurturing our emotional wellness, we can build resilience, enhance our relationships, and experience greater emotional balance and satisfaction.

Social wellness focuses on the quality of our relationships and our sense of belonging within our communities. It involves building and maintaining healthy connections, fostering positive communication, and cultivating a support system.

By nurturing social wellness, we can experience a sense of connectedness, reduce feelings of loneliness, and enhance our overall well-being.

Intellectual wellness centers on expanding our knowledge, curiosity, and mental stimulation.

It involves engaging in lifelong learning, pursuing intellectual interests, and seeking personal growth. By nurturing intellectual wellness, we can enhance our critical thinking skills, boost creativity, and maintain cognitive health.

Spiritual wellness deals with finding meaning and purpose in life, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs. It involves connecting with something greater than oneself, practicing mindfulness or meditation, and exploring personal values.

By nurturing spiritual wellness, we can experience a sense of inner peace, find resilience in challenging times, and develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Occupational wellness focuses on finding satisfaction and fulfillment in our work or chosen career path. It involves aligning our values with our professional pursuits, maintaining work-life balance, and fostering a positive work environment.

Read More: “Things To Do In Denver To Help Shift Your Mood”

By nurturing occupational wellness, we can experience a sense of purpose, enhance productivity, and achieve a greater sense of professional fulfillment.

Environmental wellness centers on our relationship with the natural world and our surroundings.

It involves practicing sustainability, creating a safe and nurturing physical environment, and appreciating nature.

By nurturing environmental wellness, we can enhance our well-being through nature connection, and present moment awareness.

Financial wellness encompasses our ability to effectively manage and make decisions regarding our financial resources.

It involves maintaining a healthy relationship with money, budgeting, saving, investing, and planning for the future.

Financial wellness also includes understanding and managing debt, being financially literate, and having a sense of financial security.

How can we apply the Wellness Wheel in therapy?

Delving into the the Wellness Wheel offers a structured framework for self-assessment. It prompts you to evaluate the current state of each dimension and rate your satisfaction or level of functioning in those areas.

This process brings awareness to imbalances or areas of neglect that may be impacting your overall well-being.

By discussing these findings with your therapist, you can gain deeper insights into the factors influencing your life and identify areas for growth and improvement.

It can foster self-awareness by encouraging you to explore how different dimensions of your life are interconnected.

For instance, you may recognize that neglecting your emotional well-being is negatively impacting your physical health or that your lack of spiritual fulfillment is affecting your occupational satisfaction.

This awareness allows you to make more informed choices and take proactive steps toward overall wellness.

Read More: “What To Know About Therapy And If Therapy Is Right For You”

Once you have assessed your well-being across the different dimensions, you can work with your therapist to identify specific goals and priorities and realize the power of setting personal goals that align with what you want and need in your life.

For example, if the social health segment reveals a lack of social activities, you can set goals for incorporating regular social events or connecting with your community.

In sharing certain aspects of the wellness wheel, you can also receive support from your therapists by utilizing the Wellness Wheel as a guide to develop targeted interventions that address specific areas of your life.

For example, if you’re feeling socially isolated, your therapist can explore strategies for building meaningful relationships or finding support networks. By tailoring interventions to the dimensions identified as challenging, therapists can provide more comprehensive and effective support.

This tool highlights the profound importance of balance. By nurturing each dimension, you cultivate a greater sense of equilibrium and resilience.

You may learn that self-care encompasses more than bubble baths and indulgent treats—it involves tending to all areas of your life–finding equilibrium amidst the chaos.

The Wellness Wheel promotes balance by encouraging individuals to give attention to all dimensions of their lives.

It helps you understand that neglecting one area can have ripple effects on other aspects of your well-being.

By striving for balance across the various dimensions, you can develop resilience, adaptability, and a greater capacity to navigate life’s challenges.

The Wellness Wheel is a powerful tool that can significantly benefit you by promoting a holistic approach to well-being.

By using this framework, you can assess your life, set goals, and develop targeted interventions to enhance your overall wellness.

Embracing the wellness wheel, you are taking an active step in your journey of nurturing balance in your life. It can be a transformative experience and allow you to set meaningful goals while receiving tailored support through mental health therapy.

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Jessica Wright is an eating disorder therapist in Denver, Colorado. Jessica also specializes in helping people make big transitions in their life whether its from one therapeutic level of care to another, moving, taking a new job, making decisions about their next steps in life, Jessica provides support through navigating these changes.

Tackling anxiety, overwhelm, stress and depression with effective coping skills and a relevant road map can be overwhelming in themselves. Jessica also helps people with ADHD, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and trauma navigate life more effectively.

Learn more about Jessica.