The Six Components of Whole Person Wellness

By dougnau on Dec 9, 2008 in Consciousness, Life Coaching, Relationship Coaching, Spiritual Coaching, Stress Coaching, Wellness Coaching

Background on Whole Person Wellness

As a student of what I like to call ‘whole person wellness’, I’ve often struggled with accepting a strictly western or eastern definition for what wellness is. In the west, we tend to compartmentalize wellness into the physical systems which make up the biochemical processes that explain how our bodies work. When our bodies are working without illness or injury, we are proclaimed to be ‘well’. Certainly there must be more.

More recently in the west, we’ve begun to explore the impact of our experiences, memories, as well as our personalities and its affect on our psychological wellness. Thereafter, studies have begun to arise on the affects of environmental and work related stresses on our physical bodies. These studies have put the mind-body connection into more quantifiable terms that has brought about more mainstream acceptance of these concepts as westerners typically like to have scientific ‘proof’ before acknowledging theory as fact. This is neither good or bad, its just been he methodology typically applied.

Eastern philosophies have embraced the concepts of mind/body/spirit connection as part of the picture of whole person wellness for millennia. Medicine was rooted in a spiritual and physical congruence that aligned medical knowledge with inherent knowledge. The inherent knowledge was that wellness was bigger than what we ate or how we worked our bodies, and there was widespread acceptance of this belief without the need for proof that us westerners so often crave for.

Even though eastern philosophies address components of wellness that the traditional western approach seems to ignore, these philosophies are not a comprehensive model for the western counterpart because they do not set their principles in terms of western thought and lifestyle.

This series of articles, The Six Components of Whole Person Wellness, is designed to lay out a framework for whole person wellness that is both comprehensive and set in terms that can be widely understood and accepted by western society.

Why Write these Articles?

The purpose of the Six Components of Whole Person Wellness series is twofold. Firstly, its the presentation of a model which I have developed based on exposure to numerous philosophies and practices related to whole person wellness. Its also drawn from personal experience. I believe it to be comprehensive and all inclusive. Educationally, this may provide individuals with an all encompassing viewpoint from which to assess their overall wellness. Secondly, I write these articles from the perspective of a life coach and a wellness coach. Its my true intent to have written these in such a way that the reader see for him/herself where gaps in wellness may exist in their lives such that action can be taken to live a healthier, happier, shall I say ‘more well’ life. I strive to write these articles to be a launching pad such that you can read through each of the topics and use the questions provided to look and understand how satisfied you are in the mentioned area of life. It is my intent for you to be able to draw the connection between the component being discussed and its relationship to your whole being.

What are the Six Components of Whole Person Wellness

Let me just begin by mentioning that each of these categories is interrelated with the other. The degree to which they are connected may vary depending on the emphasis and energy you give to each. Consider these components not as individual segments of your life to work on, but rather as areas of emphasis, knowing that shifting your energy from one location to another will result in less energy spent in the place that you divert that energy away from. We are comprehensive and complex beings, and it would be naive to think that shifting energy from one area to another will not have an impact (either positive or negative) on the area we shift away from. Here they are:

The Six Components

Health
Career
Relationships
Personal Growth & Development
Finance
Enjoyment

How to use this list

As previously mentioned, an article will be written with an in depth description of each of the components listed above. For example, health is comprised of physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological health. However, health itself is not wellness, its just one aspect of wellness in western society. I encourage you to read each of the six articles written and then answer the following questions for yourself.

Which components of wellness do I feel particularly strong with?
How can I leverage those strengths to help improve some of the components of wellness that I feel could use some work?
On a scale of 1-10, one being the lowest and 10 being the highest, how satisfied am I with each of these components of wellness? Where am I lying to myself as I rate these answers?
How are the six components interrelated? If I were to develop an action plan to make improvements in any of these areas, am I really addressing the right component? (for example, if I want to improve my health, but don’t have any time to exercise because I am working all the time, am I really addressing the right component if I tell myself to exercise more?)
Which component did I gloss over? Perhaps that’s the most important to address as you consider real and lasting lifestyle change.

Throughout this series of articles I’ll continue to provide you with more coaching questions to raise your consciousness, to bring about self inquiry and to support you on your journey to a more optimal state of whole person wellness. Before closing, I’d like to acknowledge you for being willing to participate in this series. It takes a lot of courage to create lifestyle change and you deserve a lot of credit for the work you are embarking upon.

“If you’ve found this site useful, please link to it so that others can benefit!”

Be Well