The terms health and wellness are concepts that society tends to confuse and use interchangeably as if they were synonymous. But really, despite being related, they are not defined in exactly the same way.
When we talk about a good state of health we are pointing out that the individual does not present any type of disease, being also necessary that the physical, mental and social state is optimal. On the other hand, when referring to a state of well-being, we value other aspects such as the correct development of skills, of the potentialities of the person, in addition factors such as spirituality or the ability to live the present experience will be taken into account.
Thus, these two concepts present differences with respect to the purpose or objective sought, the nature of each, the type of medicine used, what they understand by being mentally well, the equivalent terms for each, how they relate and the relevant recommendations for the increase of one and the other.
In this articlewe will define what is meant by health and well-being according to the World Health Organization, highlighting some points to make it clearer and then we will present some of the main differences in order to better understand the meaning of each term.
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Health and wellness: defining concepts
Before mentioning the differences we see it necessary to define the terms, to know what each one refers to and in the same way it can also help us to observe or intuit the first differences.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is defined as a state in which the individual is completely well physically, mentally and socially, not just referring to the absence of disease. That is, not having a disease is not the only condition to be healthy, it will also be necessary that the individual is in a good level of physical, mental and social state.
In this way it will be convenient to act, to be active, carrying out healthy lifestyle habits, to achieve a good health situation, it is not a passive state of non-disease.
On the other hand, the WHO considers that well-being is the state in which individuals can develop their own abilities and combat the factors that can alter themtag. It also refers to achieving self-realization, this term refers to the possibility of being able to reach your full potential. In the same way that health also makes references to different variables of the person, both mental, physical, work, emotional, spiritual, economic and intellectual, presenting as an essential requirement to achieve well-being, being aware of one’s own state and being active.
Positive Psychology refers to two different types of well-being: subjective or also called hedonic well-being, whose purpose would be to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, and psychological or eudaimonic well-being, linked more to the development of potentialities and virtues, achieving an optimal psychological functioning.
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How are the terms of health and wellness different?
Despite being terms with similar characteristics that can lead to confusion, thus being used in everyday life sometimes as synonyms, they present differences and therefore, in the professional field they do not refer to them, they are not interchangeable terms.
Thus, we will go on to name the main differences, such as those referring to their objectives, to nature, to the medicine linked to each one, to what they understand by being mentally well and what recommendations are proper to achieve a good state of both health and well-being, thus helping us to better understand and understand each term.
1. States covered by each term
In reference to health, as we have already seen, it refers to presenting a good mental, physical and social state, that is, not presenting physical illnesses or mental disorders, being also necessary to carry out healthy habits and actions, that is, keep the individual active. In this way it refers to a correct state of the most general conditions.
On the other hand, well-being will also refer to other states apart from the mental, physical and social , such as occupational, economic, spiritual or intellectual.
2. What does each concept refer to?
As we have already mentioned, one of the health conditions is that there is no presence of disease, both physical and mental, that is, that the subject is not ill. On the contrary, well-being refers to the development of skills, evolution of the person.
3. The purpose of each term
Regarding health, its main purpose or objective is to avoid or remedy any state of discomfort or illness and lead a healthy life with good habits, while in well-being its maximum objective to be achieved is self-realization , meeting the need to develop the maximum potential of the person, stimulating and promoting their abilities and dealing with any interference that may arise in them.
4. The nature of each concept
It could be considered that health is the final state to be achieved, the condition that everyone wants or intends to reach, as opposed to well-being that would be more related to the process, with the practices to be carried out to achieve the state of health.
5. Type of medicine used to reach each state
If we focus on the type of practice or medicine required or used to treat and achieve both the state of well-being and health, we also observe differences. In order to improve and develop the state of health, Western medicine will be necessary , in other words, the traditional doctor in charge of fighting diseases.
In contrast to the well-being that oriental medicine will require, that is, a more alternative type of medicine, such as the practice of acupuncture, which is based on the use of fine needles to reduce pain, control stress and thus achieve well-being general; tai chi, a type of gentle and calm physical exercise, where stretching is also performed and the person sets their own pace or reiki, consists of a spiritual practice or alternative medicine that is based on the laying on of hands, the therapist uses his own hands to transmit energy and “heal” the patient.
6. What does being mentally well consist of for each term?
Health relates being mentally well with not presenting or being free of stress, anxiety, depression… That is, if the presence of any alteration or mental disorder that can alter the functionality of the individual or cause a state of discomfort.
While wellness focuses more on mindfulness, which refers to being aware and bringing attention to ourselves, focusing on the present moment, letting it flow without trying to change what we feel. On the other hand, mental training will also be proposed in order to develop the relevant skills for mental well-being.
7. Relationship between the two concepts
Thus, in general terms and bearing in mind the definition and characteristics of each term, we can consider that Health is a necessary state to be able to achieve general well-being , this means that, as we have already mentioned, well-being encompasses other factors compared to health, but it will be essential that the physical, mental and social condition, as well as the absence of disease, the proper definition of health, be fulfilled so that the individual can achieve well-being.
8. Name of each term
It is correct to speak of well-being when we refer to health, that is, health can also be called well-being, if we are healthy we will feel good. But, on the contrary, well-being cannot be called health, since well-being, as we have said, refers more to the development process, it seeks to achieve health as a result, but it is not a term equivalent to health.
9. Recommendations to improve health and well-being
As we have already mentioned in previous sections, in order to have or increase your state of health, it will be necessary to lead healthy lifestyle habits in order to avoid diseasestag. In the case of suffering from the disease, as is obvious, it will be essential to go to the doctor and carry out the appropriate treatment to recover good health.
In this way, some of the recommended healthy practices are: take care of what we eat, eating a balanced diet; exercise regularly, it is recommended between 3 to 5 times a week; sleep well, at least 7 hours a day and not consume addictive substances such as tobacco or alcohol.
In reference to well-being, as we have already said, in order to increase it will be necessary to work to increase the potentialities and abilitiesof the individual. So, these are some of the recommendations given to achieve this goal: accept your own emotions, live in the present, take controlled risks, focus and pay attention to yourself, introspectively, live according to your values and beliefs, do what that makes us happy and break with what does not bring us anything good and harms us or find time to be with oneself. In short, to be more aware of oneself and of what we are experiencing and feeling at all times.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.