Foster A Healthy Wholebeing

The Work-Life Correlation

Traditionally, we've viewed work and life as polar opposites that we need to balance or integrate; hence the terms “work-life balance” and “work-life integration”. Then, when we consider wellness and well-being, we tend to fit it on the life side and are now trying to figure out how to bring it over to the work side too. But isn’t work a part of life, and life a part of work? Why are they separate? And why wouldn’t well-being automatically be fundamental for both?

The Wellness Wheel

The “wellness wheel” (well, actually a hexagon) was developed in 1976 by Dr. Bill Hettler to illustrate the Six Dimensions of Wellness:

• Emotional

• Occupational

• Physical

• Social

• Intellectual

• Spiritual

It was developed as a holistic model that shows the interconnectedness of each dimension and how they contribute to healthy living. Since then, the environmental, mental, and financial dimensions have been recognized by various experts as well.

I’m a fan of including all nine dimensions because I believe they all contribute to our overall wellness in distinct yet interconnected ways. However, I’m not a fan of the traditional wheel design because it doesn’t depict the fluidity, dependency, and impact each dimension has on the others. Work and life aren't two separate things, and the different areas of our lives don't fit into distinct categories. They all meld together. Our physical health can have a direct effect on our work, our work can directly affect our social life, and our spiritual beliefs can influence everything else.

Why “Wholebeing”?

Instead of well-being (a state characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity)[1] or wellness (the active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence)[2] I like to use the term WHOLEBEING to refer to the idea that all areas of our life make up one interdependent network of who we are and the immediate world in which we live. You can categorize things in life for simplicity, but they don't necessarily fit into a single wedge. For instance, if I’m struggling with my physical health, my work is affected which might affect my finances, my social life is affected, and my family is affected. At the same time, if my spiritual and mental health are strong, it might help my physical health recover, which then spreads back through the network.

My Healthy Wholebeing Network

NOTE: I include familial in my wholebeing network to separate social relationships from family relationships which operate differently and can have different effects on your overall well-being.

Fostering a Healthy Wholebeing

HEALTHY WHOLEBEING refers to the degree to which each area and therefore the whole network is positive and lifegiving. Determining the true source of struggle is key to a healthy wholebeing. Let’s say you have problems at work, so naturally, you think work is the problem. So, you go on the hunt for a new job (or career), but still end up with the same problems. Little did you know that the problem was actually a lack of or an unhealthy social life. Maybe you were unconsciously looking for your job to fill that social hole in a way it wasn’t meant to. Or maybe you were bringing the negativity from your social life into the workplace which was causing stress. So, instead of changing jobs, it might have been more important to rejuvenate your social relationships. Now, not only is your occupational space healthy, but your social life is healthy too. #HEALTHYWHOLEBEING!

In my next post, I’ll share some exercises to help you explore the health of your wholebeing and how to continue fostering a healthy wholebeing.

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[1] “Well-Being Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, 2022, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/well-being.

[2] “Six Dimensions of Wellness.” National Wellness Institute, 18 Feb. 2022, https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/.