What is the Difference Between Health and Well-Being?

Health refers to physical mental and social wellbeing while wellness aims to improve wellbeing. Learn more about the difference between these two concepts.

What is the Difference Between Health and Well-Being?

To understand the difference between health and well-being, in short, health is a state of being, while well-being is the state of living a healthy lifestyle. Health refers to physical, mental and social well-being; well-being aims to improve well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or ailment”. WHO defines well-being as “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups, and well-being is expressed as “a positive approach to life”.There are two important aspects to this definition: first, well-being is not a passive or static state, but rather an “active search” that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work towards an optimal state of health and well-being.

Secondly, well-being is linked to holistic health, that is, it extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony.Health simply refers to a physical body being disease-free, but well-being is a general balance of its physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental, and occupational well-being. Well-being is a lifestyle and it is not an end to be achieved. Well-being means that you strive for balance throughout your life. On the other hand, health would be that a person wants to lose weight and lower blood pressure.Once you do, you are considered healthy.

Health is a goal one can achieve, while well-being is a dynamic concept that lasts a lifetime. The main difference between health and well-being is that health is the goal and well-being is the active process to achieve it. The steps one would take to improve any of those areas of health could start with many of the same things, such as aiming to lose weight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol by limiting processed foods, eating more nutrient-dense foods, prioritizing sleep, managing stress, not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and much more.It comprises six dimensions that include physical, intellectual, emotional, environmental, social and spiritual well-being. With their focus on holistic and natural approaches, self-healing and preventive care, these movements have provided a firm foundation for today's well-being.

Companies of all sizes can and do implement some type of program or benefit to support employee health and well-being.Well-being has a direct influence on overall health, which is essential to living a strong, happy and fulfilling life. The key principles of well-being, both preventive and holistic, can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). Well-being according to the WHO is the active pursuit of optimal health and an optimistic view of life. Connecting with peers and family is important to maintaining social well-being because feeling social connection is very important to feeling a sense of belonging and community.One way to understand well-being is to consider health as a continuum that extends from illness to an optimal state of well-being.

As such wellness is the active pursuit of beneficial activities such as being active not smoking or drinking sleeping well and having optimal nutrition rather than engaging in behaviors and actions that don't fit into holistic health. These foods also support a flourishing gut microbiome which is the key to your immunity and mental health.It is important to note that one cannot be healthy without seeking well-being since the ultimate goal of well-being is health in general. Health refers to a state in which the physical body is free from disease while well-being refers to the general balance of a person's physical social spiritual emotional intellectual environmental and occupational wellbeing.Adopt attitudes and lifestyles that prevent diseases improve health and improve their quality of life and sense of wellbeing.

Suzanne Pait
Suzanne Pait

Typical food fan. Certified tv maven. Coffee nerd. Devoted beer geek. Subtly charming music aficionado. Devoted beer buff.