Wellness is a broad term that indicates a person is generally content and has a positive outlook on life. However, wellness is not solely the absence of sickness and weakness. Wellness is an overall sense of well-being that is influenced by every aspect of a person’s life, including mood, social interactions, hobbies, energy level, and physical strength. Wellness should be approached more as a constant goal than as meeting one’s basic needs.
Why Are There Dimensions of Wellness?
It requires a variety of efforts for a person to experience a strong sense of holistic wellness. We lead complex lives, relationships, and experiences; for wellness to increase, these layers of life need to be enriched. For caregivers and activity leaders, breaking wellness into several categories (dimensions) helps to more easily recognize how interactions are improving a participant. These categories include social, intellectual, mental, physical, and spiritual wellness, and each must be pursued. Let’s explore these different dimensions of wellness and see how they apply to our lifestyle at Peaceful Pines Senior Living.
Social
Social wellness for seniors inherently requires that we be social and interact with others around us. Getting to know others through games, activities, volunteering, or weekly lunch meetups is a great way to build new relationships. We are positively affected by our social connections, as we experience companionship, support, and care. From there, we are further fulfilled when we can stick by someone’s side when grief or sickness eventually visits.
Intellectual
Intellectual wellness is all about being a lifelong learner and continuing to sharpen critical thinking, creativity, and convictions. Let a sense of curiosity take over and attend workshops, classes, and seminars about topics that pique your interest. For example, reading is a low-impact activity that promotes intellectual wellness, and there are plentiful genres to choose from. Intellectual wellness supports brain growth and development, helping to keep the mind sharp as we age and serving as a key component of wellness for seniors.
Mental
Mental wellness can sound like intellectual wellness at first glance, but there are some key differences. While intellectual wellness focuses on learning, pursuing questions, and interacting with problems, mental wellness involves how we think about everything we encounter. Our mental wellness allows us to cope with stress and change, and to maintain confidence and hopefulness about our lives. Things that encourage thoughts to flow are often creative, like journaling or drawing. Mental wellness may also be linked to other dimensions of wellness; social interactions can involve a supportive friend to process thoughts with, and physical activity can positively affect hormones and the brain’s ability to manage problems.
Physical
A need for physical wellness may be obvious, as it is one of the easiest dimensions of wellness to identify. First, it consists of all the things we put into the body, like foods, medicine, and rest. Balanced meals, and the consistent and correct use of medications can make the body strong. Additionally, physical wellness encompasses everything we do with the body. We should always be looking for ways to be physically engaged in the world around us. For finer motor skills, focus on things like card games, fishing, practicing a musical instrument, photography, or learning a new recipe. For more holistic exercise, make time for a long walk and picnic, swimming, yoga, stretching, or playing with grandchildren.
Spiritual
Finally, spiritual wellness primarily emphasizes the discovery of one’s sense of purpose. Our moral beliefs, relationships to others, and activities we participate in encourage awareness of our purpose. Spiritual wellness often leads people to something greater than themselves, such as community or nature. Sowing compassion and service to those around us gives us a sense of contribution, and the beauty of nature often increases our gratitude. While spiritual wellness is not solely religious, practices such as Bible studies or prayerful time can help fulfill this area of wellness. Religious involvement can also provide a sense of community, opportunities to serve others, conviction of our purpose, and increased social connection.
Is It Possible to Meet Them All?
Each of the dimensions of wellness is important to overall wellness for seniors; they are like pieces to a whole. It is often helpful to build a schedule or spend intentional time in different areas of wellness, but there are many activities that necessarily combine several dimensions. For example, game nights mix intellectual and social needs, and some may even include physical elements as well. Taking a cooking class encompasses elements of physical wellness to care for our bodies, as well as intellectual learning and self-confidence to enhance mental wellness. Finally, taking a long walk in a park can promote physical and spiritual wellness.
At Peaceful Pines Senior Living, our Life Enrichment Coordinators work to offer a variety of engaging activities that consistently fulfill each of the dimensions of wellness. We promote an active, vibrant lifestyle in our communities and aim to keep you, or your loved one engaged through our dimensions of wellness programming. Reach out to our team today to learn more.
