LiveWell Lafayette

The eight dimensions of wellness as utilized by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) include: emotional, environmental, intellectual, professional, physical, social, spiritual, and financial wellness.

These eight dimensions provide a holistic and comprehensive lens to understanding and supporting the overall student experience.

Bringing awareness to each dimension individually and as an interconnected whole provides students with a more balanced state of well-being, as any changes in one dimension can immediately impact wellness in other dimensions.

The eight dimensions of wellness are incredibly interconnected. The goal is to bring mindful attention to all eight dimensions on a regular basis so that students can notice when they are struggling in one area before it negatively impacts other dimensions.

For example, if students are having roommate issues (social dimension) they might find it difficult to feel comfortable in their personal living space (environmental dimension). This could impact how well they are sleeping at night (physical dimension) and potentially how they begin to function in their classes (intellectual dimension). Finally, this might be causing feelings of stress, loneliness, anger, etc. (emotional dimension). This is an example of how one dimension can impact others and disrupt balance.

‘Living well’ is about striving to get the most out of your life. It is about finding happiness and flourishing, meaningfully connecting with others, feeling balanced, having a sense of purpose, maximizing your potential, and reaping the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.

LiveWell Lafayette aims to promote these pillars of wellness in all of our programming and resources. This initiative is designed to help students thrive not only in college, but also to learn how to bring these lessons and practices into life after college as well.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” —Oscar Wilde.

It is important to recognize when your academic and campus obligations begin to feel overwhelming. This recognition is the first step to seeking out the resources on campus that can help you manage this stress. If this sounds familiar, you might be struggling within the intellectual wellness dimension. Accordingly, visit the Wellness Resources page for more information about intellectual wellness and how academic support services can help you through this process. You might also be interested in learning more about emotional wellness and how to better manage your current stress levels. Finally, the dimension of professional wellness talks about finding balance between work and academics. It might be helpful to read more about this dimension as well.

If you are interested in wellness coaching, many programs and events will be launched in 2017. Alissa Vreeland, Student Wellness and Support Coordinator, and the LiveWell Advisers will be implementing programs to introduce holistic wellness to the campus community. Be on the lookout for these programs as opportunities to begin working on your own wellness. Some programs will offer an abbreviated or group version of wellness coaching.

If you are interested in becoming more involved with the LiveWell Lafayette initiative, check out the LiveWell Advisers page. We recruit new advisers each spring semester to help with our wellness initiatives for the next academic year. If this feels too far away, you can also reach out to Alissa Vreeland, Student Wellness and Support Coordinator at vreelana@lafayette.edu to brainstorm how you can get more involved with this initiative now.

Also, if you are concerned about the well-being of another student, know that the Counseling Center provides consultations to discuss these concerns with you.