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What is the Difference Between Health and Wellness?

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Difference Between Health and Wellness

You have been listening to this term called health and Wellness for a long time but have you thought what the difference between health and Wellness is? Is there any similarity or these are different concepts? Let’s understand it in simple language.

To understand this term, we have to understand what health and Wellness individually mean and then and we will see the collective meaning of this term. Let’s explore this concept step by step so that it will be easier for us to understand.

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Health Definition

According to the World Health Organisation‘s health definition section says, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It means health has something to do with our wellbeing. Not only on a physical level but also on a mental and social status too.

READ : What Does Health Mean ?
Health Definition
photo courtesy : Tim Foster

As we all know that human is a social animal, and hence it becomes important for him to stay well not only on the individual level but also on the social level. A good condition of physical, mental and social state helps to live the of meaningful life instead of spending time in curing the diseases. Further, in this article, we will have a look at ways to maintain good health.

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Wellness Definition

Again, let’s see what the World Health Organisation has in the wellness definition section, according to WHO Wellness means “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

There is one more definition by the US National Wellness Institute. It defines wellness as “A conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential.”

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If health is a goal, then wellness is the way and path of keeping it in the good state. We always say that prevention is better than cure, and hence wellness plays a significant part in the prevention phase. It reduces the chances of something going wrong, and thus it reduces the requirement to cure anything.

Concept of Health and Wellness

The concept of health and wellness is associated with our lifestyle. To live a good life, we have to have the ability to take full advantage of life and experiences. To experience anything, we must have well-maintained health. You cannot have the experience of trekking the mountains if you have the weight more than 400 pounds because you will not even be able to walk in such case. It is just an example of physical health. And it also applies to other areas out there, such as mental as well as social levels. It is necessary to have good health to take the full experience of life.

Source : TheWellChoice

The question, How we can maintain good health on a physical, mental and social level? Leads us to to the term called wellness. It is nothing but the process of achieving and maintaining good health on all the levels. In addition, It includes taking systematic efforts such as regularly practising activities such as meditation, reading, exercising. It also includes inculcating these good habits and making it our part of life. This is a way to achieve and maintain good health in all the areas, and this is called wellness.

What Are the Similarities Between Health and Wellness?

According to the World Health Organisation’s health definition section says, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It means health has something to do with our wellbeing. Not only on a physical level but also on a mental and social status too.

Associated With Individuality

Health and wellness, both the concepts are associated with the individuality. You cannot do workout for others; everyone has to do their own workout and exercises to maintain good individual health. Health and wellness have an individual approach, but group activities might help to boost efforts and quality. For example, if you can do 10 push-ups every day while doing it in your home, then probably doing it with other fitness freaks might give you the motivation and you might be able to do you probably 15 or 20 pushups while doing in the group. However, your fitness freak friends won’t be able to do it for you; they can motivate you and guide you.

Making our life Meaningful

Making our life Meaningful
GIF Courtesy – Gif-finder

Both health and Wellness make our life meaningful by improving our quality of life and reducing the chances of any negative impact of the environment and external factors. For example, if you are fit, then it means you have good health, and you don’t have the risks of the person weighting more than 400 points. In this example, good physical condition is known as health, whereas regularly exercising and maintaining that fitness is known as wellness. Hence it helps us to make our life meaningful and take the full advantage of it.

Saves Money

We all love savings, right? According to the data, the average cost of healthcare per person in the US is $13,722 per year. Similarly, there are some medical expenses everywhere. If you have good health and you are taking proper care of Wellness to maintain that good health, then you are saving this money. You are also saving your precious time by reducing the chances of any surgery of taking place due to bad health conditions.

Primary Difference Between the Concepts of Health and Wellness,

Primary Difference Between the Concepts of Health and Wellness,
Photo courtesy : Meghan Holmes

let’s have a look at the primary difference between the concepts of health and wellness.

Health is a Vehicle, and Wellness is a Driver

If taking the full advantage of our life is our goal, then our health is the vehicle for it. Wellness means how we are driving the vehicle, and it will decide how sooner we are going to reach our goal. If you are a good driver, then you will not only take the good advantage of your vehicle but also you will ensure that it is well maintained.

The difference in the Approach

Source – Adventist Health Glendale

Health is more related to the state of mind, body etc. Precautions or recovery from illness, diseases and other health-related issues are focused on health. However, wellness is focused on improving the quality of life by inculcating habits such as regular exercises and ensuring well being.

The Different Work Environments

While health is more about maintaining a good state of physical, mental and social levels. On the other hand, Wellness talks about the improvement in the quality of life. The work area is divided, but these are complementary. Health specifically has more to do with the state and condition, whereas wellness talks about the quality of all the factors of life in general.

How Important Are Health and Wellness?

There is the significant importance of health and wellness in our life because we are human beings, and we live to get new experiences, knowledge, wisdom, happiness and feel-good factors. Life consists of such things, and it makes our living meaningful.  If you are not able to you get any of it in its full capacity, then we will not be able to take full advantage of life. As we have seen the example about if you love trekking the mountains and if you have the barrier of the highly overweighted body, it will create trouble.  Hence it is essential to have good health and Wellness is a way to achieve it. Health and wellness are essential because it allows us to take advantage of experiences and its original form.

Importance of Health and Wellness in Life

Health and Wellness is not a one-time thing. It is an important process that one should follow throughout life to maintain a good quality of health and vitality. That what we use the term of a healthy life. It not only increases the quality of life but also contributes significantly to the quantity of life. Health allows us to take advantage of experiencing things in its original form. Whereas. Wellness increases the lifespan and reduces the chances of any health-related problems.

Importance of Health and Wellness in Life
GIF Courtesy : Rebook

Today, we are living in the era where we have to focus not only on physical health but also emotional health. We haven’t yet studied the long-term disadvantages of things such as over usage of social media. The main reason behind the lack of information is because these things are still relatively new and we are the first who are going to experience it. Probably after 50 or 60 years, we might be able to comment on such topics with proofs. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on our health and wellness now. Health and Wellness in life were important 500 years from now, it is still important today, and I am sure that this importance will grow multifold in the coming years.

What Are the Five Components of Health and Wellness?

There are five primary components of health and wellness. This component will help you to understand your level and state of health in these areas. The first step of improvement is to analysing the current state, and hence this part will help you in understanding and analysing it.

Physical

Physical component means our body, the organs, the stamina and other factors which are directly associated with our physics. It is a structure of experiencing life. We can eat, smell, walk, speak, listen & see because the organs required for it are working fine. However, it is essential not only to have the right physical condition but also to maintain it. Good digestive system, normal blood pressure etc. are the factors of internal physical health.

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To maintain good physical health, one should do exercise regularly, eat and drink healthy, have a proper sleep schedule for quality sleep. These are the critical factors directly affecting the health on the physical level.

Emotional

As a society, we were not aware of the emotional help and this aspect of life. Even today, most of the people don’t have this vital component of health and wellness. Emotional component means how we are feeling emotionally and what is our emotional behaviour. Even if you have good physical health, you won’t be able to to use it in full capacity if the emotional component is not in a good state. For example, even if someone is giving us the fastest rocket to land on Mars, we won’t be able to land on mars simply because no we don’t have the necessary information and skills to launch the rocket. Emotional health is a significant factor.

Emotional
GIF Courtesy – Cheezburger

To maintain good emotional health exercises such as keeping a journal, appreciating others, having a positive approach, regularly doing meditation helps. Suppose you are swimming and you can’t sense or feel the water then it would be odd right? This exactly happens when we are trying to get new experiences when the emotional component is not in a good state.

Social

The social component of health means having a meaningful social life. Human is a social animal, and we are dependent on each other to survive. To take the benefit of this system in a better way, we have to improve our social component of health. Even if we refer to digital platforms as social media, I don’t think it is social in real sense. It is an Illusion, and it has its advantages and disadvantages. I would use it but not entirely, and hence I would refrain from replacing it with my social life. Having one friend in real life is much more important than having 1000 friends on Facebook. Getting involved in a face to face single deep conversation is much more valuable than random chat with 100 friends out there.

To maintain an excellent social life you don’t have to be extrovert always, even if you are introvert, you can have a perfect social experience. There are specific activities such as meetups, group tours, functions where we can build new connections and take advantage of the social ecosystem. This is what the social component of health is all about.

Spiritual

Spirituality means understanding ourselves in a real sense. The first step of improvement is the analysis, and we need information for or analysing anything. If you want to explore yourself, you have to build a connection with your inner self. We have to start the spiritual journey which will take us inside us, and we might be able to explore new aspects about ourselves.

If you haven’t read this article, then I would recommend you to read it because it will give you a clear idea of what spirituality and spiritual journey is all about.

What is a Spiritual Journey and How to Start It?

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Intellectual

A human being is evolved over some time, and the most crucial factor in the evolution of humanity was the discovery of something new and passing the knowledge to your next generation. This is the process of continuous development. The intellectual component of health is related to growth, and this growth is not just limited to the individual level but also human species as a whole. You learn something new from one person, and you share something with other people. This process helps not only you but also other people out there. This transfer of values leaves the footprint with us, and we call it knowledge.

To improve the intellectual component of health, reading is the best method, in my opinion. You can read books, informative articles on the internet, newspapers to enhance your knowledge and form your opinion. Being intellectual means getting factual information, thinking and experimenting on it and sharing the value with others.

What Are the 12 Dimensions of Wellness?

Source : Jo Draper

There are 12 dimensions of wellness where you can concentrate and improve the quality of health by understanding these dimensions.

Self Responsibility and Love

This is all about knowing yourself and understanding the need, requirement of actions to improve the shortcomings and loving yourself. If you can’t love yourself, you cannot expect it others to do it. Everyone has his timeline, so instead of comparing with others, one should do self-analysis and love him/herself.

Breathing

What’s the one thing which differentiates between a living and a dead person? It’s the breath. As Albert Einstein said, “Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another.”  Breathing is the source of new energy; it brings new vibes whenever we take a breath. Every breath brings a unique opportunity, and at the same time, it highlights the truth that our time is limited.

Sensing

Sensing
Photo courtesy : Ilya Shishikhin

How do we decide anything is excellent or the worst? It is our reaction to the information experienced by our senses. Sensing includes touch, visuals, sound etc. It is an instrument of actually getting the experience. Our senses help us to decide if we are going to continue getting this experience or not.

Eating

We need the energy to survive; this comes from eating. There is a famous saying that, ‘we become what we eat’. If you want a healthy life for the long term, then you should be eating healthy stuff. On the other hand, continuous eating junk food impacts our health in a negative sense. It creates health problems which might cause serious trouble in the long term. Hence, having balanced food, it is always recommended.

Moving

We are not a tree to stay at one place from birth to death. Moving from one place to another is the fundamental characteristic of living. Life is a journey, and a journey means movement. It enriches us with new wisdom and experiences.

Feeling

Feeling something means you are emotionally alive, and that is one of the essential aspects of living. You experience many things throughout the day, sometimes you feel happy, sometimes you feel sad, sometimes you feel angry, or sometimes you feel calm. What if you are feeling the same way 24*7? It would make our life monotonous, and hence multiple feelings are an essential part of our life.

Thinking

Thinking
Photo courtesy – Rob Schreckhise

Everyone on this planet is different and has a different mindset. The same people travelling in the same car will not have the same experiences. Everyone has different experiences, knowledge, thoughts and that makes us unique from everyone else out there. Thinking makes us wiser because it allows analysing and reaching to a conclusion. Then the conclusion helps us to do anything in a better way next time.

Playing & Working

We have lost the balance of personal and professional life. Our day is filled with the pressure of work and not giving any time to ourselves. On the other hand, it’s not just about the adults, but also kids are not playing these days because mostly they are busy with online games. A right balance of playing and working can help us to sustain good health over a long period without reducing our quality of earning wealth.

Communicating

Communication is essential if you want to to share and seek information with others. Being a part of the social ecosystem, we have the advantage of learning from others as well as it is your responsibility to share and give back to society. If you haven’t read the in-depth guide regarding communication techniques, I would recommend you to read it. It will provide you with the idea of communication and how to improve it to make things easier in life.

How to Develop Effective Communication Techniques?

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Intimacy

As we have seen already, meaningful conversation with one friend is worth more than a random chat with a hundred people on so-called social media. Intimacy helps us to build relations based on emotional bonding which lasts for the long term. When intellect doesn’t work, intimacy helps.

Finding Meaning

There is a meaning for everything in this world, as you are reading this now, there is a meaning for it. Life is all about finding the meaning and experiencing and exploring a meaningful life. The best way is to start from ourself, and it will give you the direction to move forward.

Self Revelation And The Secret Behind It

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Transcending

Source : AlexKaltsMotivation

There is only one barrier in your growth in life, and that is your mindset. We must understand our potential and keep moving towards our goal. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do anything. If you have one goal in mind if you believe, then you will achieve it at any cost. This is not the motivational statement, but there is a science behind it. Whenever you believe something is possible, you give your best to achieve it. Even if there are any actual obstacles, you will cross those obstacles because you know that the goal is achievable at the end of the journey. Take the first step, and you will realise that, where there is a will there is away.

Conclusion

We have seen that health is all about the state or condition of our of physics, mind and social behaviour. On the other hand, Wellness is a process which helps to improve our health. Wellness is a continuous process which becomes a habit at a certain point. Individualistic approach, making life meaningful and saving money on medical expenses are the similarities between health and wellness. Whereas, health is a state and fitness is a process, health talks about certain areas, but wellness is focused on improving the life, health and wellness work in two different environments but those are similar. These are the primary differences between health and wellness.

Further, we have seen five components of health and wellness, such as physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual. We have also seen how to improve our health in these components.

Then we looked at the 12 dimensions of wellness; those dimensions are Self Responsibility and Love, Breathing, Sensing, Eating, Moving, Feeling, Thinking, Playing & Working, Communicating, Intimacy, Finding Meaning, Transcending.

What do you think about health and wellness, and what is your regular practice to maintain good health? I would like to know your opinion on this topic. Don’t forget to comment and share your opinion so that other readers will also get value from it.

Featured photo courtesy : Bruce Mars

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Yashodhan Walimbe
WRITTEN BY

Yashodhan Walimbe

Yashodhan Walimbe is a founder of Nearmonk and loves to write on topics such as spirituality, self-help, etc. When he is not writing, he works as a freelance digital marketer.

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