Strands of Wellness

Of the multitude of factors that exert an influence on one’s well-being, there are some that Wellness 10 students are more likely to be dealing with on a day-to-day basis. These are the factors that will probably have the greatest impact on students’ ability to attain and maintain optimal wellness.

These particularly influential wellness factors have been called strands because they are woven into (i.e., weave their way through) the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of our lives. The following five strands are emphasized in Wellness 10:

Some strands are manifested more strongly (i.e., are more evident, more dominant) in one dimension than in others. Physical Activity and Fitness, for example, is most strongly manifested in (woven into) the physical dimension but it is also manifested in and through the other dimensions of wellness.

Individual fibres are not as strong as when they are woven together into a rope or tapestry. Similarly, when the strands of wellness are woven together, they combine forces and work together. The woven strands can exert a more powerful influence than when operating on their own. The Physical Activity and Fitness strand combined with the Stress Management strand is likely to be more effective in moving students toward the optimal wellness end of the Illness-Wellness Continuum than when each strand works independently. Physical Activity and Fitness, and Stress Management will be even more powerful when combined with Healthy Eating. The increased effectiveness is not only the result of combining the strands but also of the synergistic effect that is created. Wellness 10 is designed to enable students to see these connections and use them to attain and maintain optimal wellness.