What is Wholistic Wellbeing?
Wholistic wellbeing is about becoming a better person, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
– Sunny Gurpreet Singh
Holistic health takes a whole-person approach to health and healing that includes body, mind, and soul as well as environmental qualities of everyday living. A holistic approach reminds you that the whole is made up of many interdependent parts. In the case of the individual, when one part is out of balance or neglected, it affects the other parts.
– Deepak Chopra
As a seeker, I have long studied how the use of holistic health can help everyone achieve a feeling of wholeness necessary to their overall wellbeing. I call this concept Wholistic Wellbeing. I have expanded on the basic premise that mixes the benefits of emotional, physical, and planetary good health and established my own seven pillars of wellbeing:
Emotional Wellbeing
Stress, anxiety, depression have the largest impact on an individual’s wellbeing, and also the highest impact on quality of life. Emotional wellbeing is about positive feelings and thoughts. It is the ability for one to connect at a higher level than physical associations. Positive emotions are associated with happiness.
Physical Wellbeing
Physical wellbeing refers to a healthy, balanced and optimal functioning body characterized by healthy habits of regular exercise, good diet, good sleep and eating well, as well as through low risk factors for physical ailments and disease (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic pain).
Social Wellbeing
This is about spending time with family and friends and being able to feel as part of one’s own social circle. It includes a broadening social circle and the feeling of safety, trust, and kinship. Social Wellbeing directly drives fulfilment and happiness. Societal ties are also helpful in times of need and helps build emotional security into people.
Community Wellbeing
This is about feeling part of the larger community one exists. Community wellbeing also reflects prosocial characteristics, including empathic concern, perspective taking, reciprocity, and altruistic motivations like kindness and compassion. Active participation in one’s community, such as volunteering time, talent, and expertise to better humanity are critical to a healthy society.
Financial Wellbeing
Financial wellbeing refers to a state of being wherein a person can fully meet current and ongoing financial obligations, feel secure in their financial future and is able to make choices that allow them to enjoy life. It means being able to live, plan and adapt in changing times while having the financial freedom to make choices contributing to life enjoyment.
Professional Wellbeing
Professional wellbeing refers to being secure and satisfied with your career path and work environment. It involves a feeling of work-life balance, engagement through purpose/meaning, and feeling valued for your contributions. This domain also focuses on nurturing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the workplace.
Planetary Wellbeing
Planetary wellbeing refers to the wellbeing of society embedded in its natural environmental surroundings and planet at large. It involves awareness, respect, and sustainability of good practices towards one’s local environment, natural resources, and the planet as a whole.
According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Healthy mind, healthy spirit, healthy body, healthy friendships, healthy village, city and home, healthy bank accounts and investments, healthy Mother Earth — it all begins with you, the person, and your thoughts and actions.
My simplest advice to everyone is to begin with daily small steps to achieve my seven pillars, then share your path and accomplishments with others. Become a role model and advocate for improvement in all realms.
Do right, and you’ll do well!
