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Wellness

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Wellness focuses on achieving peak physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social health by making healthy, conscious choices. It may guide an individual’s choice of activities, products, and overall lifestyles. Those who prioritize wellness aim to prevent injuries and sickness with regular exercise, a nutritious diet, a robust sleep schedule, supportive relationships, and feelings of purpose and belonging.

FAQ

What are the key components of wellness?
Different wellness models suggest various components, but they generally involve at least six: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental health. These things affect your relationship with your body, your mind, the people in your life, and the world around you.
Stress can contribute to anxiety, restlessness, memory issues, and a loss of focus. It can fuel destructive behaviors like drug or tobacco misuse or emotional eating, as well as lead to headaches, muscle tension, cardiovascular problems, fatigue, low libido, belly pain, sleep issues, and reduced immune protection.
Good sleep improves mood and brain function and reduces the risk of health issues like obesity, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. If you struggle with getting deep, refreshing sleep, speak to a doctor about sleep disorders.
Getting regular physical activity, managing stress, eating a good diet, drinking enough water, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding smoking are essential for wellness. Engaging in mindfulness, focusing on the present, maintaining social connections, seeking emotional support, spending time in nature, and practicing gratitude can all promote wellness.
Wellness involves intentions, activities, or actions related to promoting different aspects of your health, addressing all areas of life but particularly physical health. Well-being is often defined as a perceived state of happiness or contentment, with a closer focus on emotional health.
Meet Our Experts In Wellness
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Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
Justin Laube

Justin Laube, MD

Medical Reviewer

Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, a...

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Alissa Kuizinas

Alissa Kuizinas, DPM

Medical Reviewer

Dr. Kuizinas is a functional podiatrist specializing in sports medicine, chronic injuries, and foot and ankle dysfunction. She practices podiatry at Wellness in Motion Boston, loca...

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Stephanie-Young-Moss-bio

Stephanie Young Moss, PharmD

Medical Reviewer

Stephanie Young Moss, PharmD, has worked in pharmacy, community outreach, regulatory compliance, managed care, and health economics and outcomes research. Dr. Young Moss is the own...

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Michael Yang, MD

Medical Reviewer

Dr. Michael Yang is a neurologist and headache specialist at Emplify Health, and an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Medicine.

He comp...

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Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Allison Buttarazzi, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, and is a certified health and well-being coach. In her primary care practice, Dr. Buttarazzi...

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Kacy Church, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Kacy Church, MD, practices as a clinical endocrinologist with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Burlingame, California. She balances both outpatient and inpatient responsibilitie...
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lee-phillips-bio

Lee Phillips, EdD

Medical Reviewer
Lee Phillips, EdD, is a licensed clinical social worker, certified substance abuse counselor, and certified sex therapist specializing in evidence-based interventions for the manag...
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Susan-Bard-bio

Susan Bard, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Susan Bard, MD, is a clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an adjunct clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Mount Sin...

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Christopher Wolter, MD

Medical Reviewer

Christopher Wolter, MD, is an assistant professor in urology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been in practice since 2008, specializing in the areas of urinary incontinen...

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Allison M

Allison M. Fout, PA-C

Medical Reviewer

Allison M. Fout, PA-C, has 20 years of experience as a Physician Assistant with a career rooted in orthopedic care. Since 2015, she has been a provider at Excelsior Orthopaedics in...

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Simran-Malhotra-bio

Simran Malhotra, MD

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Simran Malhotra, MD, DipABLM, CHWC, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and lifestyle medicine, as well as a certified health a...
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Scott Haak, PT, DPT, MTC, CSCS

Medical Reviewer

Scott Haak, PT, DPT, has been a member of the Mayo Clinic staff since 2000. Dr. Haak serves as faculty for the Sports Medicine Fellowship program at Mayo Clinic Florida. He is cert...

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Michael Rubino

Michael Rubino

Medical Reviewer

Michael Rubino is an air quality expert, environmental wellness advocate, founder, speaker, podcaster, author, father, and husband. On a mission to bridge the gap between our homes...

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grant-chu-bio

Grant Chu, MD, MS, MBA, FACP

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Grant Chu, MD, is an associate clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Chu is also associate director of inpatient East-West consult services at the ...

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Vilayvanh Saysoukha

Vilayvanh Saysoukha, DPM, MSc

Medical Reviewer

Dr. Vilayvanh Saysoukha is first generation Lao American and triple board-certified podiatric foot and ankle surgeon. She's the CEO and founder of Premier Foot & Ankle Centers of T...

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Reyna-Franco-bio

Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American Col...

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Julie Cunningham

Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES

Medical Reviewer

Julie Cunningham is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and a certified diabetes care and education specialist.

Cunningham received a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State Univer...

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Nan Du

Nan Du, MD, MPH

Medical Reviewer

Nan Du, MD, MPH, is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician at Boston Children’s Hospital. She received her Doctor of Medicine in 2016 from the Warren Al...

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seth-gillihan-bio

Seth Gillihan, PhD

Medical Reviewer
Seth Gillihan, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, who helps people find personal growth by making important changes in their thoughts and...
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Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. What Is Wellness? Global Wellness Institute.

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