3 Dimensions Of

Holistic Health

Submitted by: Alyssa Margarette Cruz 9-NewtonSubmitted to: Ms. BonaDate submitted: March 12, 2014Physical Health

Physical wellness involves aspects of life that are necessary to keep yourself in top condition. Optimal physical wellness is developed through the combination of beneficial physical activity/exercise and healthy eating habits. Elemental components of physical wellness include building muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular strength and endurance and flexibility.Physical wellness is also concerned with developing personal responsibility for your own health care, such as caring for minor illnesses and knowing when professional medical attention is needed. Developing physical wellness empowers you to be able to monitor your own vital signs and understand your body's warning signs. You'll understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how your body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction.

Mental Health

Mental health (or behavioral health) describes a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of a mental disorder. From the perspective of 'positive psychology' or 'holism', mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Mental health can also be defined as an expression of emotions, and as signifying a successful adaptation to a range of demands.The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community" It was previously stated that there was no "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. There are different types of mental health problems, some of which are common, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and some not so common, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Emotional Health

People with good emotional health are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships. They can keep problems in perspective.

It's important to remember that people with good emotional health sometimes have emotional problems or mental illness. Mental illness often has a physical cause such as a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Stress and problems with family, work or school can sometimes trigger mental illness or make it worse. However, people with good emotional health have learned ways to cope with stress and problems. They know when they need to seek help from their doctor or a counselor.

Social Health

Your social health is your ability to create and maintain healthy and flourishing relationships with other people. Healthy relationships are based on respect, mutual trust and equality.You are socially well when you have a network of friends and family on whom you can rely for support, and for sharing of life experiences. Having healthy social relationships can help you prevent and even overcome disease and illness. Research shows that the greatest benefit of positive social health is that it can protect you from unhealthy relationships, which are detrimental to your overall health and wellness.Poor social health can be just as bad for your physical health as not exercising, or poor nutrition. Feeling socially alienated can be damaging to your physical, mental, and emotional health. It is vital for you to make maintaining a healthy and active social life a part of your everyday life.On a wider scale, social health also involves the health of the society or culture in which you live. It can involve social issues such as poverty, income equality, violence, health insurance coverage, and affordable housing. These and other factors have an impact on your health and wellness, positive or negative, and on the overall health of your social environment.

Social Health

Spiritual health means different things to different people. For some, spirituality may be synonymous with traditional religion, while for others it relates the acknowledgement of something bigger than self or to the love of nature. Religion is often times a pathway to spirituality, but you do not need to be affiliated with a religion to be spiritual.

A basic foundation for spiritual wellness may be the sense that life is meaningful and that you have a profound sense of who you are, where you came from and your place in this world. The search for meaning and purpose in human existence leads you to strive for a state of harmony with yourself and with others while working to balance inner needs with the rest of the world.

Many of the behaviors associated with spiritual wellness include volunteerism, social responsibility, optimism, diversity, contributing to society, connectedness with others and nature, feelings of belonging, and regular participation in religion or other self-reflective activities. The unity of mind, body, and spirit can have positive effects on our overall health and wellness.