For everyone, wellbeing is a journey. The secret is committing to that journey and taking those first steps with hope and belief in yourself.
- Deepak Chopra
The terms wellness and wellbeing are commonplace. There are some overlaps between the two, yet there are distinct and essential differences.
Why does the difference matter?
These terms can shape our expectations, whether planning holiday activities, signing up for a course, or organising workplace events.
Both wellness and wellbeing-focussed activities can be beneficial for our health and happiness. With a clearer understanding of what each word encompasses, people have a better chance of choosing activities with benefits and outcomes that align with their needs.
Defining Wellbeing
Each person has a unique sense of what wellbeing means to them, influenced by place, culture and context. Hence, the term wellbeing defies a single definition.
The word features in the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of health, dating back to 1948: “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
The skills of flourishing – of having positive emotion, meaning, good work and positive relationships – are something over and above the skills of minimising suffering. These skills are documented to build wellbeing.
– Martin Seligman
A more recent definition from the science of positive psychology is “our ability to feel good and function well” (Huppert, 2009).
This psychology-informed view of wellbeing includes pleasure, happiness and life satisfaction and strengths, purpose, and resilience: positive mental health or thriving.
Practices and strategies to boost wellbeing include gratitude, savouring, mindfulness, strengths identification and use, engagement, job crafting, relationship deepening, developing the presence of meaning in life, and goal-setting and achievement. Importantly, these approaches are evidence-based.
Wellness
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.
The wellness industry defines itself as follows:
Industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities and lifestyles into their daily lives.
- Global Wellness Institute
These offerings include personal care, beauty, anti-aging and spa treatments, wellness tourism, healthy eating, physical activity, complementary medicine and mental wellness.
The wellness industry is firmly established, estimated by the Global Wellness Institute to be worth US$4.5 Trillion worldwide. Some of the approaches offered by the wellness industry are evidence-informed, and others are not.
Same? Similar but different.
Both wellbeing and wellness are multidimensional, dynamic, subjective, and deeply personal. Context, culture and external factors count in both realms. That said, there are essential distinctions between wellness and wellbeing.
Wellness is more related to:
The physical
Healthy lifestyle choices and market offerings
A business/private industry context
Self-responsibility
Proactivity and conscious decision making
A self-discovery lifestyle
Material wellbeing, concrete products and services
Hedonistic consumption and experiences such as 5-star accommodation
Passive enjoyment, pampering and indulgence, e.g. spa and beauty treatments
Wellbeing is more related to:
The mental, emotional and psychological
Feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment
A policy/government context
Material and economic factors, e.g. standard of living, subsistence, education, availability of food and services
Abstract aspects: e.g., quality of life, happiness, life satisfaction, meaning and purpose
Non-material wellbeing, e.g. getting away from everyday routines, relaxation, peace, nature
Active enjoyment and indulgence, e.g. physical activity, professional learning
The WHO’s definition of health shows us that wellness and wellbeing activities are both factors in a ‘complete state of health’. Understanding the difference between the two can help people select activities and programs that meet or surpass their expectations.
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