Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is a condition characterized by a capacity to function normally in an environment that is healthy and appropriate to one’s needs. A number of definitions have also been used over the years for various purposes. In the United States, health is usually defined as the ability to participate effectively in the society and the community in which one lives. The definition does not indicate that health is good or perfect; rather, it states that health is a capacity to be healthy.
This definition is very useful in defining health since it indicates that persons can have illness, disease or even death if they are sick but still able to perform their functions in society. It does not imply that sickness is a result of lack of health. Rather, absence of illness is an indication of a better state of being better able to relate to others and their needs.
It is the ability to care for oneself that has become the focus of attention in recent years. The goal of well-being is to ensure that you get the right nutrition, physical activities, and sleep, as well as have the personal qualities that will allow you to contribute productively to society if you are to thrive. The belief that what makes people happy is having good health has resulted in a variety of research and programs that seek to make sure that ill people are as well-cared for as those with good health. The resulting program, often called healthcare wellness, attempts to ensure that each person gives as much as they can for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Healthcare professionals believe that there are three components to good health and these are social wellness, environmental wellness, and biological wellness. Social wellness refers to your attitude toward your physical environment, your social network, and your physical interactions with other people. Environmental wellness includes things like clean air, safe food and water, and a stable climate. Biological wellness relates to your immune system, your digestion, your bodily processes, and your weight. The idea is that these three components are interdependent and that if one isn’t optimal, or even fails to function properly, then the others aren’t going to help either.
In addition to making sure you have a good diet and exercise, you also need to take a good look at your personal health environment. One of the major indicators of illness is that you are surrounded by a negative physical environment. For example, if you work in an office building where there are many people with poor hygiene and very poor physical environments, you are more likely to get ill than someone who works in a very different setting where the physical environment is pristine. By making sure you’re surrounded by a healthy physical environment, you’ll be much less likely to get sick.
Achieving wellness doesn’t always come easy, but it’s something everyone can strive towards on their own. All you need to do is make some adjustments to your life so that you’re surrounded by a positive overall health environment. This can start with your diet and exercise and continue through the seven dimensions of wellness. Remember, if you can’t see yourself as healthy, you have no business trying to be that way!