August is National Wellness Month. There are several aspects to wellness, but the one constant is that it is personal. The World Health Organization in cooperation with other organizations breaks wellness into eight components. These components are briefly defined and the personal impact of each will differ from one person to another. As you read through them, you may note some crossover for you personally with one component affecting another.

Physical Wellness involves taking care of our bodies through movement, nutrition, and rest. Many only consider this component when wellness is the topic. It is the most obvious but may not be the most important to you.

Emotional Wellness focuses on developing an awareness of feelings and responses to everyday interactions. Awareness is key to understanding our emotions. Understanding how and why we respond to everyday interactions or more impactful occurrences can help us cope for future events.

Intellectual Wellness encourages engagement in creative and mentally-stimulating activities. This is a “no-brainer”. Like our bodies, without continued learning and stimulation, our minds will deteriorate.

Environmental Wellness values the relationship between ourselves, our community, and the environment. This component gets a little more philosophical. Understanding how we “fit in” and being comfortable with it is another way to look at it.

Financial Wellness involves managing financial expenses effectively to reduce stress and create a sense of security. This is a stressor for many of us. Like other components it involves constant and consistent attention.

Occupational Wellness recognizes the importance of satisfaction and enrichment through work. Positive self-perception is much more important here than others’ perceptions.

Social Wellness involves building personal relationships and social connections. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, it is important to have people in your life you can depend on.

Spiritual Wellness focuses on finding meaning and purpose in life. This is definitely a philosophical component. Overall meaning in life will differ for individuals based on values, morals, goals, etc. Reaching for and feeling a sense of satisfaction is very meaningful.

As mentioned earlier, all of these components are interdependent with one impacting one or more others. On top of that, and most notably, the impact of each component is specific to the individual. Having an understanding of your personal wellness by reviewing these components in your life can help you reduce stress and increase overall happiness. It takes effort, but anything worth it will.