During today’s class, you have learned: The Seven Dimensions of Wellness Physical – Making healthy decisions related to basic needs. Emotional – Experiencing, expressing, and learning from the range of human feelings in a healthy way. Intellectual – Engaging in life-long learning, developing critical thinking and seeking knowledge. Spiritual – Having a core set of guiding principles that orient oneself to the world, respecting the core principles of others, and recognizing the shared humanity of all individuals. Social – Building and maintaining healthy relationships based on trust and respect that are supportive and nurturing. Environmental – Respecting and maintaining one’s surroundings. Occupational – Finding fulfillment and satisfaction through work, continually developing one’s abilities. Financial – Having an awareness of financial literacy, managing one’s finances in a way that provides peace of mind, and setting short- and long-term goals related to that aim. Cultural – Understanding and appreciating one’s own cultural background, recognizing how the experiences of all individuals may differ based on their cultural backgrounds, and respecting the diversity and perspectives of those individuals, their cultures, and their experiences. Sometimes viewed as part of Social or Spiritual Wellness. As well, you have identified behaviors that support well-being in each category. Major Causes of Death Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all Americans. Other major causes are unintentional accidents, cancer, and suicide. Media reporting often focuses on relatively rare instances of sensational causes of death. Cognitive Biases Human thinking is bioenergetically expensive (it uses a lot of energy), creating a tendency for shortcuts. These shortcuts can be unconscious (without our knowledge), often resulting in taking action based on false information. Biases can present as false logic, stereotypes, generalizations, and other errors in logical thinking. All humans are liable to experience cognitive biases and other forms of cognitive distortions. Being aware of biases does not prevent them from affecting you, but to avoid allowing the bias or distortion to affect your judgment or action. Metacognitive skills allows for better recognition and remediation (dealing with) of cognitive biases. Emotional Intelligence Emotions appear to be primal, instinctual reactions to stimuli in our environment. Emotions are often complex, can be unpleasant, and seem to arise without our control. Ignoring or disregarding emotions does not appear to support long-term well-being. Unrecognized emotions appear to affect perception, judgment, and behavior (without one’s knowledge). The R.U.L.E.R. method is a tool you can use for monitoring and addressing your emotional well-being. Recognize Understand Label Express Regulate Emotions may often be multilayered, with multiple emotional experiences occurring simultaneously.
