Take a moment to think about wellness. What does wellness look like to you?
This answer will vary from person to person because wellness is maintained in different ways based on your own lifestyle. Despite that wellness can be managed in different ways, wellness encompasses a harmony between all of its dimensions. In fact, there are 8 dimensions of wellness that can contribute to overall well-being. Learn more about each below and explore the resources at the end of the blog to help support each dimension!
1. Physical wellness
Physical wellness involves engaging in healthy habits to improve one’s physical health. These healthy habits include daily exercise, a nutritious diet, and getting a good amount of sleep every night. Remember that exercise and nutritional diet are specific to your own needs and preferences, but college students should be consistently getting 6-9 hours of sleep per night!
2. Emotional wellness
Emotional wellness involves the ability to effectively cope with stress and to create fulfilling relationships. Effective coping mechanisms allow you to maintain your personal and professional responsibilities despite the presence of life stressors. Start exploring what strategies work best for you and those you can maintain.
3. Intellectual wellness
Intellectual wellness involves stimulating the mind which can be done by expanding upon existing skills or exploring new ones. By enhancing intellectual wellness, learning can continue lifelong and enhance intellectual growth. Searching for upcoming events around the area, such as learning how to code through the TechWorks museum, or on-campus is a way to actively search for learning opportunities that may arise.
4. Spiritual wellness
Spiritual wellness involves exploring one’s beliefs, values, and sense of purpose in life. By doing so, you may develop more appreciation for life in general and be able to better understand difficult events that you are dealing with. Such exploration can open doors into other worldviews that you may align with, which is another way to enhance your mindset. Try to take some time out of your day to reflect and meditate! Journaling and yoga are great options to explore.
5. Social wellness
Social wellness involves having healthy relationships with family, friends, and those around you. Interacting with others can provide you with a support system so that you can grow and accomplish your goals. It also provides an outlet to relieve your stress!
6. Environmental wellness
Environmental wellness involves creating a safe environment for yourself. A safe space can include any of the following: access to clean air, food, and water. It’s an environment that makes you feel comfortable and at ease while allowing you to be productive. Studying in different locations to see what type of environment you like best and exploring new places to hang out can help identify your safe environment. You can even try to incorporate some of the elements you like about these places into your room or home so that your space is both comfortable but also stimulating. For example, adding plants into your home or room! You can also contribute to a safer environment overall by recycling, carpooling, using less water, being a more conscious consumer, etc.
7. Financial wellness
Financial wellness involves the ability to make informed and conscious decisions regarding one’s finances so that an individual can be satisfied with their financial standing. By utilizing useful resources and taking time to research their efficacies, you can learn how to effectively manage your income, debt, and/or savings. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from financial resources.
8. Occupational wellness
Occupational wellness involves participating in roles that reflect your genuine interests and skills. Explore careers and opportunities that allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. Applying for internships or shadowing opportunities can provide a glimpse into possible career choices before actually committing!
As you can see, wellness is a broad and flexible term - this means that there are several ways that you can incorporate healthy behaviors to nurture your mind, body and soul. Here are some resources that can help you find your personal harmony of wellness!!
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Physical Wellness Resources:
Additional information on nutritional eating: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Contact information for interest in physical activity involvement through on-campus programs: https://www.binghamton.edu/campus-recreation/about/index.html
Schedule an appointment with the on-campus Registered Dietitians to discuss basic nutrition guidelines, eating healthy on- and off-campus, nutritional supplements, eating on the run, pre- and post-workout foods, guidelines for vegetarians, general health and wellness, food allergies, and more:
Alexa Schmidt
Room 21, West Gym
(607) 777-2716
Julie Lee
Rockefeller Center 265
(607) 777-5413
Know the nutritional intake of your meals and see how many calories you consume per meal on-campus:
Emotional Wellness Resources:
Make an appointment with the University Counseling Center: (607) 777-2772 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Talk to SEEK - a student-run resource to talk you through any issue you may be facing: (607) 777-4357 available every night from 8pm-11pm
Learn more about how to improve your mental health with MHOPE: outreach@binghamton.edu
Intellectual Wellness Resources:
Keep updated on the latest events and join clubs that interest you:
Stay updated on events and information about the Binghamton area through the off-campus college council:
Learn more about mind-stimulating activities and events: http://www.ctandi.org/events
Spiritual Wellness Resources:
Explore introspective journaling prompts: https://reflectionsfromaredhead.com/writing-prompts-for-self-reflection/
Explore simple meditation practices:
Social Wellness Resources:
Engage in events and club activities that allow you to get to know others:
Financial Wellness Resources:
Become financially literate: Financial Literacy & Education Resource Center
Find out about upcoming workshops through Vision’s Federal Credit Union: https://visions.kofetime.com/kofe-table/webinars/
Environmental Wellness Resources:
Learn how to protect your environment:
Learn more about creating a safe space for yourself:
Occupational Wellness Resources:
Create a profile to cater job availabilities to your interests: https://www.linkedin.com/
Make an appointment with faculty at the Fleishman Center about career exploration, internships, interviews, cover letters, and more: careers@binghamton.edu or (607)777-2400
Wellness overview and free tools:
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References:
About the Author: Kelly Huynh
I am a Junior studying Psychology on the pre-PA track. I joined REACH because I believe the broad range of topics that we cover in our program are valuable to college students, and I’d like to pass that information along as a peer educator. I think these messages can sometimes be more receptive to students when their fellow peers are spreading them. As you can see with my involvement in psychology and REACH, I enjoy learning about a little bit of everything! I appreciate being able to help others with the knowledge I gain and that is why I am pursuing the profession of a PA!