Understanding the Five Elements of Wellbeing and Their Impact

Your wellbeing isn't just defined by how physically fit you are or how resistant you are against sickness and stress. An individual can be strong and healthy physically but still feel emotionally empty inside. Or one can be professionally successful but have no real relationships. Would you consider these people to have a positive state of wellbeing?

According to the World Health Organization, wellbeing encompasses quality of life and the ability of people to live their lives with purpose and meaning. In this article, we will explore the five elements of wellbeing—career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing. We will discuss each element in detail, examining their significance and impact on the overall quality of life and wellness of an individual.

Career Wellbeing

A career is one of the things that can potentially bring fulfillment to our lives. When you have a great job, a nice position and a steady source of income, it gives you that feeling of contentment, knowing that you doing something good for yourself while contributing your skills and knowledge to an organisation that values you.

Some of the components that define positive career wellbeing include the following:

• - Job Satisfaction: You are happy with your work and don't feel the need to look for other career opportunities around you. You are motivated to go to work every day and empowered to share your talent with the team to contribute to the long-term goals of your company.
• - Achievement of Professional Goals: You are on track with your career goals and understand the direction you are heading. You have a great opportunity in front of you that moves you forward and propels you toward success. Furthermore, your company supports you in your professional endeavors and gives you the tools and training you need to help you achieve your dreams.
• - Alignment with Personal Values: Your work mirrors the values and principles you believe in. The company's core values fit perfectly with yours, whether it's integrity, professionalism, or customer-centricity. This often translates to better teamwork, improved work relationships, increased productivity and greater success.

Improving and cultivating your career wellness contributes to your overall wellbeing. According to Jim Harter, PhD, author of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements, career wellbeing is the most foundational element such that if you have a great career, good health and a quality way of living would naturally follow. This is because part of our wellbeing depends on having something meaningful to look forward to each day.

Social Wellbeing

If you have a thriving career, an unlimited source of money and perfect health, but you don't have any real friends or a romantic relationship with a partner, would you still consider yourself successful and well?

This is what social wellbeing is about. As defined by Boston University, social wellbeing refers to building and maintaining healthy relationships and establishing meaningful and genuine interactions with others. This element is an important part of your overall wellbeing because it is the one responsible for making you a social individual—a person with a sense of belonging and the ability to communicate, set boundaries and establish mutual respect for another person.

The primary components of social wellness are:

• - Meaningful Relationships: You have a genuine and significant connection with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and other groups of people. This is built on a strong foundation based on trust, mutual respect, common interest and positive regard for one another.
• - Social Support: Your relationships with other people are not only based on romance, exciting adventures, or happy moments. When you are down or in a tough spot, they offer unconditional support to help you go through life with ease and comfort.
• - Sense of Belonging: You establish a deep feeling of connection, inclusion and security to a group or a community that accepts and supports you as you are. You have a safe and comfortable space where you can genuinely be yourself without being judged.

When an individual feels like they don't belong in the community they're in or they can't build meaningful relationships with anyone, their personal lives suffer. Conversely, if you are socially connected, you feel inspired and valued. This contributes to better work performance, boosts mental health and self-esteem and fosters an overall sense of purpose.

Financial Wellbeing

While money alone can't make you happy and successful, it sure is an important element in your overall wellbeing. Well, we're not talking about money per se, but the ability to become financially independent—where you won't have to worry about your day-to-day expenses or be able to buy whatever you want without looking at the price tag.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, financial wellbeing refers to the condition where a person can fully meet present and future financial obligations, feeling secure and able to enjoy life. It is often determined by the following components or criteria:

• - Financial Literacy: You are knowledgeable about money and how to manage it effectively. You understand financial concepts very well, such as savings, investments, budgeting and loans, and apply them accordingly based on your needs, goals and lifestyle.
• - Financial Security: You have enough funds to cover not only your daily expenses, but emergencies, as well, such as sudden hospitalisations, car troubles, or losing a job. You can also spend on travel, shopping, dining out and other luxuries without having to worry about the availability of extra money. Furthermore, being financially secure means you can retire with confidence and peace of mind.
• - Financial stability: You have a consistent flow of money coming in to cover your day-to-day needs while having extra funds in your savings account for potential crises. You continuously set aside money so you won't have to worry about emergencies because you are financially prepared no matter what happens.

By being financially well, you are not only supporting your physical health with the right nutrition and medications you need but also boosting your mental health. Financial wellness helps eliminate worries and stress about your daily needs and your future financial obligations. This provides a significant positive impact on your overall wellbeing and life satisfaction.

Physical Wellbeing

Many people believe that health and wellness are just about being physically fit and healthy. Contrary to this popular opinion, physical wellbeing is just one of the five elements that play a vital role in the overall wellness of a person.

Being physically well and fit means that you are strong enough to perform your daily activities without feeling tired, sleepy, or sick. You are also able to effectively avoid common illnesses around you, or if you indeed get sick, you recover quickly. Positive physical wellbeing is normally characterised by the following criteria:

• - Physical Fitness: You are fit to perform your daily activities, work and even sports because your body is equipped with cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and agility. You don't run out of breath quickly or get exhausted after a long day at work because your body is strong enough to handle physical exertion and maintain stamina throughout the day.
• - Proper Nutrition: You consume a well-balanced diet that provides essential nutrients to support your overall health and wellbeing. This also includes drinking 8-10 glasses of water every day and saying no to unhealthy foods that are high in sugar, processed, or provide no nutrition at all.
• - Excellent Sleep Quality: You get complete rest every night, allowing your body and mind to recover and function optimally the next day. You are physically well if you can fall asleep easily, stay asleep throughout the night and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.

All these aspects of physical wellbeing are important in achieving overall wellness and satisfaction. If you are physically able to perform various tasks in your life, you will easily thrive in your career, build great relationships with people, boost your mental health, save up for the future and be a valuable part of the community to belong to.

Community Wellbeing

Finally, the fifth element of wellbeing according to Tom Rath and Jim Harter, Ph.D., in their book Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements is community wellbeing. This refers to the state of the community being socially, economically, environmentally, culturally and politically sound so that individual community members thrive and unlock their fullest potential.

Community wellness can be achieved with the following criteria:

• - Community Engagement: You actively participate and collaborate with other community members in social, cultural and civic activities. Through community engagement, you not only strengthen social connections but also contribute to addressing common challenges in the community.
• - Environmental Quality: You enjoy a positive state of the environment around you, including air and water quality, access to green spaces, cleanliness and safety. By living in a healthy environment, your physical and mental wellbeing are nurtured, enhancing the overall quality of your life.
• - Access to Adequate Resources: Access to essential resources and services that support your basic needs are easily accessible and readily available. These may include, but are not limited to, healthcare, education, employment opportunities, nutritious food, safe housing, transportation and social support networks.

Community wellness plays a crucial role in shaping your overall health and wellbeing. With active social support, quality and livable space and access to basic resources, you will not only thrive in the community but also develop a sense of purpose and meaning. As you participate in community-based activities such as volunteering and environmental campaigns, you can enhance your self-esteem, promote personal growth and achieve a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.