The nine dimensions of wellness

Wellness and well-being mean different things to different people. In fact, if you ask people to define wellness you will probably receive a variety of answers. The World Health Organization defines health as:

Wellness goes beyond physical health to include an individual’s ability to identify and achieve goals, satisfy needs, and the ability to change and cope with the demands of our environment. Wellness is a connection point encompassing many elements that we refer to as “Dimensions of Wellness”.

Wellness is a dynamic concept created to ascertain the conditions that allow humans to flourish. The nine dimensions we focus on in the University of Waterloo Engineering Wellness program are as follows:

Please note that clicking on one of the dimensions below will open the corresponding web page, where you will find a definition of the wellness dimension and a variety of resources both on campus as well as off campus.

Wellness can be seen as a balancing act between the demands and challenges from our environment and our resources, or capacity, to deal with those challenges.

Interested in Knowing More About Wellness?

Looking to enhance your knowledge about wellness? Below are some resources both on and off campus, as well as general information related to wellbeing.

*Please note: Any resources displayed on this page are not comprehensive and do not indicate an endorsement by the ENGWellness Program. You should always do your own research before using any resource. By accessing any of the resources on this page, you understand that the ENGWellness Program is not liable for any actions or the actions of representatives or services on this list. The listed resources, while helpful, are not a replacement for professional support.