Well-being Wheel

At Western, we care about health and wellness and how it helps Broncos thrive. ​We are here to support people in finding their unique pathway on their life-long well-being journey.​

Well-being is:

• Developing my identity and living as my authentic self.​
• Making lifelong healthy choices.​
• Learning and applying skills to meet my own physical, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, financial, emotional, and environmental needs.​
• Demonstrating resilient behavior, including the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful when faced with obstacles and challenging situations; including the ability to adapt and be flexible when responding to change.​
• Addressing external factors within communities, systems, and organizations that impact health/wellness.

The WMU Well-being Wheel is one of the ways that we can assess our own overall well-being as individuals and a community. There are many factors that can impact well-being, and the wheel helps us examine each area. 

Individual Level (Identity and Middle Sections)

• Enhance holistic student success
• Support balance between multiple dimensions of wellness
• Encourage healthy behaviors and build skills for navigating life
• Identify needs for support and intervene early to connect people to resources and services

 University and Community Level (Outer Gold Ring)

• Ensure policies and institutional practices support health for all
• Change the environment and culture to be more conducive to comprehensive well-being

Want to learn more? Request a presentation! https://wmich.edu/healthpromotion/request

Definitions

Individual factors

Identity: The center of this wheel represents a person’s intersectionality of identities, including but not limited to gender; race; ethnicity; sexual orientation; age; generation; first language; national origin; physical, emotional, developmental ability; political affiliation; religion/spirituality; socioeconomic status; and education level. Identity development and living as one’s authentic self is a core part of well-being.

The colorful pieces of this wheel represent eight interconnected dimensions of an individual person’s wellness. The well-being journey involves maintaining balance between these dimensions. It also involves identifying, utilizing, and advocating for access to resources, programs and services that support health and wellness.

• Social Wellness: Developing a sense of connection, belonging and support with others. Maintaining healthy relationships and awareness of how oneself is valuable to others.
  • Game night, calling a friend or family member, getting involved in a campus or community organization.
• Emotional Wellness: Thriving while experiencing a diverse range of emotions, experiences, and vulnerabilities. Coping effectively with life. Managing and expressing feelings effectively.
  • Going to therapy, listening to music, journaling, expressing your emotions
• Intellectual Wellness: Exploring creative abilities and expanding knowledge and skills. Pursuing learning, professional development, problem-solving, cultural activities, interests and hobbies.
  • Read a book, listen to a podcast, practice a hobby, doing something creative
• Occupational Wellness: Finding personal satisfaction and enrichment in one’s work. Discovering individual strengths and seeking opportunities to utilize unique talents.
  • Keeping a planner or to-do list, writing down your goals, reading inspirational quotes, saying positive self-affirmations, taking an assessment such as CliftonStrengths
• Spiritual Wellness: Discovering a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Developing ethics, values, and a world view. Aligning actions to be consistent with one’s beliefs and values.
  • Spending time outside, meditating, volunteering, connecting with a values-based community
• Financial Wellness: Developing financial literacy and skills to effectively manage financial resources and overcome financial challenges.
  • Creating a budget and financial goals, checking for discounts, meeting with a financial expert for planning assistance
• Environmental Wellness: Occupying and improving safe, healthy, accessible and sustainable environments. Contributing to environments that are inclusive and free from harassment and discrimination.
  • Going to your favorite place, cleaning your room/car/office, recycling, building cultural competency skills
• Physical Wellness: Practicing healthy behaviors regarding physical activity, nutrition, sleep, substance use, sex, preventive exams, etc. Learning when to seek medical attention and managing chronic conditions.
  • Eating your favorite meal, getting enough sleep, intentionally moving your body, getting preventive exams

External factors

The outer ring of this wheel represents determinants of well-being that go beyond individual factors and are often outside of an individual’s control. When these ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, environmental, and global factors are identified and addressed, individual well-being is enhanced.

References:

1. Dahlgren, G., Whitehead, M. (2006). European strategies for tackling social inequities in health- levelling up part 2. World Health Organization Europe, p. 20.

2. Hettler, B. (1976). Six Dimensions of Wellness Model. National Wellness Institute, Inc. nationalwellness.org/page/Six_Dimensions

3. Krugg, et al. (2007). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention. Centers for Disease Control.

atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/pce_models.html

4. National Wellness Institute. (2019). Multicultural Wellness Wheel. nationalwellness.org/page/mcc

5. Network for Improvement & Innovation in College Health. (2020). Healthy Campus 2020 Framework.

https://collegehealthqi.nyu.edu/20x30/frameworks/healthycampus2020/

6. University of Michigan (2020). What is Well-being? wellbeing.studentlife.umich.edu/what-well-being

Western Michigan University Wellness Executive Team, January 2020, most recently revised by Cari Robertson 5/28/20