1.2 Defining Wellness
This book defines wellness as a complex process of making choices toward optimal being.
This definition highlights three key elements:
Process
Choices
Optimal Being
Let’s unpack them.
1. Process
Wellness is a process.
A process is a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular outcome. Wellness is not just a single process per se, but rather a collection of interconnected processes across various dimensions.
The time required to navigate and complete these processes can vary greatly depending on their complexity, the amount of effort required, and external influences like resource availability and support systems. For example, learning to boil water to cook a hard-boiled egg is a relatively quick and straightforward process. Developing proficiency in public speaking, a much more intricate and complex process, may take months or even years of effort.
Within the field of health sciences, psychology, and other models, wellness is recognized as an active, dynamic, and evolving process rather than a fixed state (Sagner et al., 2014). Your well-being can fluctuate due to various factors such as life events, health changes, or personal growth. A helpful way to visualize this dynamic nature is as a continuum or scale, as shown below.
Illness – Wellness Continuum
Image Description
The image depicts a Wellness Continuum, a visual representation of health ranging from Pre-Mature Death to High-Level Wellness. The continuum is divided into three key sections:
Disease Developing (0–3): Shaded in shades of red, orange, and yellow, representing declining health. Zero indicates Pre-Mature Death. Labels include Signs, Symptoms, and Disease, highlighting the progressive worsening of health conditions.
Comfort Zone (4–6): Displayed in green, symbolizing a neutral state referred to as False Wellness. This middle section represents individuals who may not feel sick but aren’t actively pursuing wellness. Labelled as the Comfort Zone, implying a stagnant state with potential hidden risks.
Wellness Developing (7–10): Shaded in blue gradients, representing optimal health and growth. Focused on Education, Growth, and Awareness. The continuum progresses towards 10, signifying High-Level Wellness, which reflects optimal health and well-being.
The continuum is flanked by two arrows. A red arrow pointing left towards Pre-Mature Death. A blue arrow pointing right towards High-Level Wellness. A black line runs through the middle, connecting the entire spectrum and illustrating the continuous nature of health development.
2. Choices
Wellness involves choices.
Wellness largely hinges on the voluntary, deliberate decisions made by you, the individual. Some decisions may be relatively easy, such as taking a ten-minute walk every morning or drinking an extra glass of water at mealtimes. Others may demand great commitment or sacrifice, such as starting a new or challenging fitness routine, setting boundaries for a potentially unhealthy relationship, or addressing chronically high-stress levels. While external factors, such as social support or environmental conditions, may play a role in influencing these decisions, wellness stresses the importance of personal agency and self-responsibility for all decisions one makes (themes further discussed in Chapter 3).
The sum of your choices and behaviours determines whether an individual moves closer to high-level wellness or further away from it. Choices that cause improvements in one dimension of wellness may also have a ripple effect on others. For instance, practicing physical wellness by participating in a weekly group fitness class may create opportunities for interpersonal dialogue and, thus, potentially improve social well-being. When taken to the extreme, however, efforts to practice one dimension of wellness can sometimes create unintended adverse effects on other dimensions. For example, choosing to work excessively to build financial wealth may increase stress due to poor sleep (physical wellness) or social interaction (social wellness). It is important to make balanced and well-informed choices that support an upward trend across all dimensions of wellness.
3. Optimal Being
“Optimal Being” is the ultimate goal of wellness.
The term “being” has been adopted from the work of Canadian intellectual, professor, and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson. Inspired by the work of philosopher Martin Heidegger, Peterson describes “being” as:
What each of us experiences subjectively, personally, and individually, as well as what we experience jointly with others. As such, it includes emotions, drives, dreams, visions, revelations, and our private thoughts and perceptions.” (Peterson, 2018, p. 25)
This term was selected for use in this book due to its inevitable nature to be shaped by our decisions and actions; this ties extremely well with how wellness is defined in this book. As Peterson explains:
“Being is also, finally, something that is brought into existence by action, so its nature is to an indeterminate degree a consequence of our decisions and choices – something shaped by our hypothetical free will.” (Peterson, 2018, p. 26)
Optimal refers to achieving the best possible outcome under a given set of circumstances. Everyone’s definition of optimal will differ, shaped by their goals, values, beliefs, strengths, and limitations. Let’s look at an example below using two different people, which reflects how deeply personal and context-dependent some dimensions of wellness can be.
| Dimension of Wellness | Person A’s “Optimal” | Person B’s “Optimal” |
| Physical | Managing chronic pain effectively enough to engage in meaningful activities | Peak fitness to compete in athletic events |
| Social | Maintaining a small, close-knit group of trusted friends | Participating in significant community events and networking extensively |
| Emotional | Ability to cope with stress through mindfulness and relaxation techniques | Developing deep emotional intelligence and empathy |
The term “optimal being” is employed in various fields to denote the pursuit of the best possible state of human existence. Closely linked to well-being and quality of life, this concept is expansive, complex, and deeply mysterious, as it explores the intricate balance between personal experiences, emotions, and the shared realities that shape who we are.
Present & Future Being
While nurturing our present being is necessary, the choices one makes must also empower future being. This means prioritizing decisions that foster long-term and sustainable health, growth, balance, and fulfillment. This forward-thinking approach separates true wellness from fleeting self-gratification (i.e., false wellness) and requires discipline, sacrifice, and, at times, discomfort (topics discussed in subsequent chapters). By consistently aligning our daily actions with the growth and well-being of our future selves, we have a more meaningful path toward achieving higher-level wellness.
Personal Versus Group Wellness
There is a clear distinction between personal and group wellness. Personal wellness is centred on the individual who actively makes personal, voluntary, and deliberate choices toward achieving optimal being. In contrast, group wellness focuses on the collective well-being of a community, organization, or social group, which is often shaped by the choices and actions of others. Group wellness is much more complex and challenging, especially in larger groups, because human needs, values, and definitions of optimal being are incredibly diverse and influenced by individual experiences, beliefs, and circumstances.
This complexity makes it difficult, if not impossible, to create a “one-size-fits-all approach,” requiring thoughtful strategies that balance collective goals with personal needs. It is for this reason that this book focuses exclusively on exploring and fostering personal wellness.
