People often use the terms health and wellness interchangeably. Although a person cannot have one and not the other, they are two different concepts that are quite variable, and their meanings are different.
World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (illness).”
WHO defines wellness as “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups,” and wellness is expressed as “a positive approach to living.”
The primary difference between health and wellness is that health is the goal and wellness is the active process of achieving it. You truly cannot have health without first achieving wellness. Wellness has a direct influence on overall health, which is essential for living a robust, happy, and fulfilled life.
How many dimensions of Health & wellness are there?
Wellness is more than just physical health; it is holistic and multidimensional. It comprises six dimensions that include physical, intellectual, emotional, environmental, social, and spiritual wellness.
- Physical: Physical wellness increases physical fitness—by being physically fit, a person would have an enhanced ability to prevent illness and diseases. Exercisestimulates a healthy mind and body. A sedentary lifestyle can be avoided by increasing physical activity in everyday life such as walking, cycling, walking the dog, taking the steps, and hiking. Having good nutrition, eating a balanced diet, drinking sufficient water (eight glasses per day), and getting adequate sleep promotes a person’s physical wellness.
- Intellectual: Mental exerciseand engagement through learning, problem-solving, and creativity support intellectual wellness and promote a better attitude. People who learn new things and challenge their mind can avoid mental health
- Emotional: A person with emotional wellnesscan deal with stressful situations. A person who is aware of their own feelings has good self-esteem, and has empathy toward others’ feelings would have emotional wellness.
- Environmental: Awareness of the role we play in improving our natural environment rather than denigrating it and maintaining and living in a healthy physical environment free of hazards promotes wellness.
- Social: Social circles and support networks are invaluable to the overall well-being of a person. Relating, interacting, and contributing to a community, establishing good interpersonal relations, and maintaining long-term relationships with family and friends keep a person happier and healthier.
- Spiritual: Spiritual wellness does not imply religion or faith of a person, but the search for meaning and purpose of human existence. Developing compassion, caring, forgiving, and having a purpose in life help in spiritual wellness. This can be achieved through meditation, volunteer work, spending time in nature, etc.
On one end, patients with poor health engage the medical fraternity to treat illnesses. On the other end, people focus proactively on prevention and maximize their vitality. They adopt lifestyles that improve health, prevent disease, and enhance their quality of life and a sense of well-being. Wellness is proactive, preventive, and driven by self-responsibility for healthy living.
what exactly is a corporate wellness program?
A corporate wellness program is an employers’ approach towards achieving a healthy workplace by incorporating various health activities within the daily work schedule to promote their employees’ wellbeing.This basically takes a holistic approach towards the health of employees by creating a supervisory health culture.
These health activities, however, can range from anything to everything centred around health, if it means driving the employees towards maintaining good health.
The benefits of corporate wellness programs are manifold.
Creating wellness programs help in solving various workplace health risks arising from the consumption of unhealthy food and drinks, stress, lack of physical activity and more. These measures, in particular, help in cultivating a sense of being healthy.
Providing a corporate wellness solution which is not restricted within the barriers of traditional wellness programs, along with developing healthy habits improves other health results while boosting productivity and employee engagement.
The importance of having an employee wellness program at the workplace can also be linked to employee retention and acquisition.
According to a study by the American Psychological Association:
“89% of workers at companies that support well-being efforts are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work.”
One size doesn’t fit all and the same implies in case of employee wellness which varies on factors like workforce size, work environment, and work schedule.
Corporate wellness programs can be found in many forms across different organizations. Some may provide insurance covers for their employees’ while others may take a step forward by installing workplace gyms.
These wellness programs simplify the design, development and implementation of a wellbeing program. They put together everything employers offer employees into an easily navigated platform thereby directing employees as they pave their ways to better health.
However, to your relief corporate wellness programs too can be customized according to an organization’s needs, size, and budget.