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Glossary of Terms

There are many definitions of wellbeing (or well-being, for that matter; both are accepted spellings!). Here are some widely-accepted definitions within the fields of health promotion and higher education.

• The below definitions have been copied from the :
  • Well-being: a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Similar to health, it is a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions.
    
    Well-being encompasses quality of life, as well as the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world in accordance with a sense of meaning and purpose. Focusing on wellbeing supports the tracking of the equitable distribution of resources, overall thriving, and sustainability. A society’s well-being can be observed by the extent to which they are resilient, build capacity for action, and are prepared to transcend challenges.
  • Health: a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
  • Health promotion: the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health.
  • Salutogenesis: describes how social and individual resources, including the sense of coherence, help people to manage stress and to thrive.
• A different definition of well-being was created by NIRSA, NASPA, and ACHA in 2020; the defines wellbeing as “an optimal and dynamic state that allows people to achieve their full potential.”
  
  Further, this definition focuses on two interdependent concepts: individual wellbeing and community wellbeing. “Individual well-being is defined within three broad and interrelated categories: (a) the perceived assessment of one’s own life as being generally happy and satisfying, (b) having one’s human rights and needs met, and (c) one’s contribution to the community. Community well-being is defined by relationships and connectedness, perceived quality of life for all people in the community, and how well the community meets the needs of all members. By focusing on the whole — the whole person, the whole educational experience, the whole institution, the whole community — well-being becomes a multifaceted goal and a shared responsibility for the entire institution.”
• Wellness, as defined by , is “the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.”
  
  There are a number of distinct, but interrelated dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, social, financial, environmental, occupational/academic, spiritual), sometimes depicted by a wellness wheel, that contribute to a sense of holistic wellness.