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 (disease). 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”.
Health and wellness are often considered the same
, but they have distinct differences. Health is related to your physical functioning, while wellness focuses on the quality of being in all areas of your life, not just your body.Understanding the distinction between the two can help you improve your overall health and well-being. The relationship between them is two-way, and mental health influences physical health and vice versa. Enhancing your financial situation and having a healthy relationship with money can have a major impact on your ability to create well-being in your life. Poor physical health can be accompanied by mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, which in turn can impede the recovery or stabilization of medical conditions, thus creating a vicious cycle in which well-being is hard to achieve (Evans et al.).
On the other hand, wellness is a salutogenic and proactive approach, focused on prevention, healthy lifestyles and the pursuit of optimal well-being. People often use the terms health and wellness interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Public mental health policy aims to improve the mental health and well-being of the population, prevent the onset of mental and emotional distress, and increase resilience. 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 well-being.
These are common themes in general health, yet they don't fully capture the scope of human experience in the way wellness does. This is consistent with the biopsychosocial model of health, which considers physiological, psychological and social factors in health and disease, as well as their interactions. Holism: Your health and well-being are the result of the constant interaction between the various natural dimensions of life and well-being. You'll find a new dimension of health and wellness that you might never have thought possible before.
Before you start to improve your health and well-being, it can be an effective strategy to deepen your understanding of why you have set these goals. Whether motivated by social concern for health and well-being in general or by a growing awareness of the worrying incidence of suicide in the profession (veterinary welfare is in the spotlight in Canada and around the world), people adopt attitudes and lifestyles that prevent diseases, improve health and enhance their quality of life and sense of well-being.
