Are Health and Wellness the Same?
Since I call myself a health and wellness coach I think it’s important to distinguish the difference between the two concepts.
Health and wellness are terms that are often used interchangeably, but their origins and meanings are different. In short (and overly simplified), health is a state of being, whereas wellness is the state of living a healthy lifestyle. Health refers to physical, mental, and social well-being; wellness aims to enhance well-being.
In the 1940s the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition has been criticized for being absolute and unattainable, especially as it relates to the word “complete.” But, what the definition does do is acknowledge that there are more factors that define health than just the absence of disease. According to the WHO, the key determinants of health include the social, economic, and physical environments, as well as the person’s individual characteristics and behaviors. This means that taking care of your health and improving your health depends not only on external or environmental factors (including the systems of care), but also on the efforts and lifestyle choices of the person. It depends on wellness.
That leads us to the definition of wellness! Wellness has been defined more as the action an individual takes to meet the above definition of health or enhance our well-being. According to the National Wellness Institute wellness is, “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”
The definition of wellness is based on a couple of important principles:
1️⃣ Wellness is not a passive or static state of being, and it’s not a score or an end-state. Rather, wellness is a fluid ever-changing process. It is living your life consciously with intentions, choices and actions that improve your health, well-being and quality of life.
.2️⃣ Wellness is multidimensional and linked to holistic health, meaning that it extends beyond just physical health, encompassing lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment.
We can’t totally eliminate chronic diseases, stressful events, or poor healthcare systems, to name a few factors that affect our health, but the concept of wellness does give us the power to do whatever is within our reach to improve our health. Every day presents choices as to the extent to which we do what’s best to sustain our physical, mental/emotional, and social well-being. It doesn’t matter where we are on the spectrum of health, it matters which direction we’re facing.