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Eight Dimensions of Wellness

The resources on this page are organized into the eight categories presented in Peggy Swarbrick’s (2012) Eight Dimensions of Wellness model. These include: physical wellness, intellectual wellness, emotional/mental wellness, social wellness, financial wellness, vocational wellness, spiritual wellness, & environmental wellness.

Resources cover a variety of topics within these categories and consist of physical, e-text, and audio formats

Books on Individual Dimensions of Wellness

These links will bring you to the appropriate section further down this page.

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness is about taking care of one’s body, inside and out, to ensure long-term health and quality of life. For additional resources on this topic, check out the library’s Nutrition & Food Management, Anatomy & Physiology, and Menstrual Equity and Education guides.

Physical Wellness Resouces

Good Energy by Casey Means

Intellectual Wellness

Intellectual wellness can be achieved through participation in creative and mentally stimulating activities that allow us to diversify our knowledge and skills.

Intellectual Wellness Resouces

Emotional Wellness

Mental or emotional wellness involves being aware of your own feelings, values, and attitudes and developing your ability to manage emotions. Conestoga Library’s Neurodiversity guide has additional resources available, including books, journal articles, and videos.

Emotional Wellness Resources

Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness by Pooja Lakshmin
Permission to Come Home by Dr. Jenny T. Wang
The garden within by Dr. Anita Phillips
Eliminate Negative Thinking by Derick Howell
Build the life you want by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey
Energy Rising by Julia DiGangi
Emotional Intelligence Habits by Dr. Travis Bradberry
Living resistance by Kaitlin Curtice
Wired for Music by Adriana Barton
It Didn't Start with You by Mark Wolynn
The myth of normal by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté

Social Wellness

Social wellness is about maintaining healthy relationships with others including family members, friends, colleagues, and romantic partners. Social wellness is also about building a strong support network within our community.

Social Wellness Resouces

Lead from the outside by Stacey Abrams.
Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell
How to know a person by David Brooks
How to be the love you seek by Dr. Nicole Lepera
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Better small talk by Patrick King
The Life We're Looking For by Andy Crouch
The First Rule of Mastery by Michael Gervais

Vocational Wellness

Vocational wellness promotes lifelong learning and skill development in areas relevant to long-term career goals.

Vocational Wellness Resouces

Atomic Habit by James Clear
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
THINK STRAIGHT: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Darius Foroux
Smarter, faster, better by Charles Duhigg
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
Thrive by Arianna Huffington
Timeboxing by Marc Zao-Sanders
How to have a good day by Caroline Webb
The portfolio life by Christina Wallace
Workplace Wellness That Works Laura Putnam
Trust and Inspire by Stephen M. R. Covey
A healthy state of panic by Farnoosh Torabi
A new way to think by Roger L. Martin

Financial Wellness

Financial wellness encourages us to assess our relationship to money and our personal finances. It is about living within your means, making informed investments, and preparing for future events or emergencies.

Financial Wellness Resouces

Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche
The Anxious Investor by Scott Nations
Balance by Andrew Hallam
Girls that invest Simran Kaur
Good money revolution by Derick Kinney
You need a budget by Jesse Mecham
Breaking free from broke by George Kamel
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness involves seeking meaning and purpose in life by participating in activities that align with our values and beliefs.

Spiritual Wellness Resouces

The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
A new earth by Eckhart Tolle
Golden by Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz
Out of your mind by Alan Watts
The Seven Generations and the Seven Grandfather Teachings James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw and Maeve Fairbanks
Embers by Richard Wagamese

Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is about deepening your connection to the natural world and understanding how your external environment influences your mental and physical well-being.

Environmental Wellness Resouces

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Sustainability made simple by Rosaly Byrd and Laurèn DeMates
Held by the Land by Leigh Joseph
Forest bathing by Dr. Qing Li
We are the weather by Jonathan Safran Foer
The nature fix by Florence Williams
The Biophilia Effect by Clemens G. Arvay
Don't be trashy by Tara McKenna

References

Swarbrick, M. (2012). A wellness approach to mental health recovery. In A. Rudnick (Ed.) Recovery of People with Mental Illness : Philosophical and Related Perspectives (1st Ed., pp. 30-38). Oxford University Press https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199691319.003.0003