What are the elements of wellbeing?

The elements can vary and can be found in different ways, they are different for each of us. There are helpful tools, like a wellbeing wheel, which can symbolically represent your holistic self, a way of checking in or asking yourself fundamental questions.

Essentially, the elements are the different aspects of your life that influence your wellbeing. With reflection and self-assessment, you can identify which area or areas need some attention to bring balance or fulfilment. It also helps highlight the areas in your life that are going well and helps identify strategies and strengths to maintain these.

Key elements

Here are nine elements that I think can help guide you on your wellbeing journey. You may wish to add other elements or remove an element that does not resonate with you, you may also prefer to use different language to describe a particular element.

Physical

Our physical health is closely interconnected with our mental health and is commonly the springboard to staying motivated and committed to self-care practices. Moving your body, eating well and prioritising sleep are some primary strategies to maintain good physical health.

Emotional

Coping effectively with life’s challenges and creating fulfilling relationships are essential but requires work. As our emotional state can vary greatly, speaking with mental health professionals, utilising wellbeing services, and incorporating mindful activities like yoga, meditation and journaling can help us regulate our emotions

Social

Developing connections and a sense of belonging reinforce our feelings of self-worth and purpose. Dependable and regular social outlets are important. They help us create strong support networks. Being part of social and sporting clubs, organising time with friends, and attending community events are all positive outlets that can be a part of your wellbeing plan.

Environmental

The environment you are surrounded by daily often affects your views, feelings, and moods. Negative or unsupportive surroundings can be discouraging, at the very least. Sometimes we need to change our environments to one’s that are more inclusive, accepting, supportive and encouraging. This can help motivate you to get the best out of yourself

Intellectual

The importance of being intellectually stimulated is often undervalued. This means different things for different people but embracing your creative abilities and continuously expanding your knowledge can have enormous benefits. Enrolling in a class to learn a new skill, furthering your studies, or borrowing books from the library are enjoyable strategies to engage your brain intellectually.

Spiritual

A strong spiritual connection can be important for generating belief and hope, which can benefit your overall wellbeing. Whether it is through religion, tradition, culture, or nature, having a spiritual element in your wellbeing habits can help stabilise moods, increase self-esteem and reinforce gratitude.

Financial

Your financial circumstances can play a significant role in your health and wellbeing. Financial strain can cause stress and mental health issues. Financial restrictions can also make it challenging to access services, engage in events and make lifestyle changes. Financial structures and clarity may not feel like a wellbeing practice, but essentially it is a fundamental part of your holistic wellbeing.

Career

You may spend most of your week at work, so it makes sense that your career affects your wellbeing. The dream of putting your precious time and energy into something you love is desirable; however, it may not always be achievable for many reasons. Personal satisfaction, amicable relationships with colleagues and enrichment from work outcomes are key to bringing fulfilment to your day-to-day life.

Purpose

It may be one grand purpose or a combination of many that add up; either way, it is optimal to your wellbeing to have a felt sense of purpose. From supporting your family, being an integral part of a company or community, volunteering to improve the situation of others, working in essential fields, contributing to environmental care or the arts, there are endless ways to strengthen your sense of purpose, which can strengthen your wellbeing.

Acknowledging your holistic self

By acknowledging your holistic self and the various aspects of your life that all contribute to your wellbeing, you can introduce effective and positive self-care practices into your routine. The purpose of considering each of the wellbeing elements is not to highlight deficits but to help identify where energy needs to flow to help create balance, generate enhancements, and achieve a more harmony in our lives.