Eight Areas of Wellness that Impact Mental Health

January 7, 2025

Happy New Year! Did you know that January is Mental Wellness Month? Generally, wellness refers to our well-being and how healthy and happy we are. When people are unwell (e.g., serious mental illness), they may face preventable medical conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes more often that the general population, which can also carry the risk of premature death. This is why wellness is important because it can help decrease these risk factors and increase quality and years of life for people with behavioral health conditions.

Since wellness plays a pivotal role in our lives, what does mental wellness mean for us? We can understand mental wellness as our ability to effectively cope with difficult situations and build up resilience to not only overcome them but thrive in life. By having awareness and control of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, we can take care of our mental well-being.

When we talk about mental wellness, we are actually only referring to one area of wellness that impacts our overall mental health. There are many things that can affect our mental health beyond just our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Here are eight areas of wellness and some examples that contribute to our overall well-being:

• Mental Wellness – coping with life stressors effectively and resiliently
• Physical Wellness – getting enough food, sleep, and exercise
• Emotional Wellness – naming, feeling, and regulating all of our emotions
• Spiritual Wellness – living by our beliefs and values, whether religious, spiritual, or secular
• Social Wellness – staying connected to friends, family, and community
• Personal Wellness – engaging in our interests, joyful experiences, and fulfilling activities
• Professional Wellness – pursuing academic and/or career goals
• Medical Wellness – managing health conditions to avoid risks and stress

As you can see, there are many factors that impact our mental health and they can occur in our schools, occupations, and relationships. With the dawning of 2025, we can take practical steps to improve our mental wellness by working on any of the eight areas of wellness. For example, in addition to learning coping skills for stressful situations (Mental Wellness), we can engage in new hobbies (Personal Wellness), go for walks (Physical Wellness), or practice gratitude (Spiritual Wellness). It’s totally up to you to decide which area of wellness you want to work on and improve. Don’t forget to reach out for resources and support to help you along the way.

If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.

References
https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/January-is-Mental-Wellness-Month-01242022.aspx
https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma16-4957.pdf