What is Wellness? (What Does It Mean to Live a Good Life?)

What does wellness mean to you? It can feel like an overused word these days – just do a quick internet search and you’ll see that the ‘health and wellness industry’ is valued at trillions of dollars a year (yikes!). But let’s break it down and scrounge around for something more meaningful. It’s in there, I promise!

I almost always start an investigation by looking up the etymology, or the meaning, of the root words. To begin, the suffix ‘-ness’ in ‘wellness’ simply implies quality or state. Simple enough! But the root word ‘well-’ is an interesting one. It has its roots in the word ‘will,’ as in, “I will it to be so.” The Latin verb velle means “to wish, will” and the Old English verb willan means “to wish.” And let’s not forget the noun ‘well’ meaning a spring of natural water. As seen here, there are connotations of both striving and abundance in the word wellness. (My fellow word-nerds, I urge you to search for the root of any interesting word at Etymonline.org – no, I’m not sponsored, I just love words.)

Considering what it means to live a good life is one of the oldest philosophical ponderings around, and every famous philosopher has had a slightly different take on the matter. If you want to take a deep dive into the many facets of this question, this article by Emrys Westacott is a good place to start.

The striving for happiness is often conflated with the bigger question of what it means to live a good life. On an episode of his podcast How to Build a Happy Life, Arthur Brooks interviewed BJ Miller, an palliative care doctor, who boils down happiness to simply “not being at odds with oneself.” Similarly, living a happy life and a meaningful life can also be confused, and each has its own contributions to a rich, full life; however, seeking one often leads to the other, and vice versa.

Another way to examine wellness is to break it down into smaller pieces. Once again, there’s no one way to do this, and many groups have come up with different definitions. The Wheel of Health from Duke Health & Wellbeing, describes wellness as having a core foundation of mindful awareness and community, combined with the following six components: physical environment, sleep and rest, nutrition and lifestyle, physical activity and fitness, mental and emotional wellbeing, and fulfillment and purpose.

Traditional indigenous wisdom from many areas around the world reference something known as the sacred circle or medicine wheel, which is often seen as a circle divided into four quadrants, with each quadrant representing a core component that contributes to the greater whole.

Personally, I have benefited from the analogy of wellness as a garden – you have to spend time, energy, and love tending to each area of the garden if you want to experience a flourishing garden.

I am a constructivist at heart – I believe we create our own worlds. (Within reason, we are born into specific bodies, specific families, and specific cultures – all of which we have much less control over.) But when we can recognize the power of our agency, self-efficacy, and determination in our own lives, then we can craft an inner and outer landscape for a life that feels authentic and in alignment with what really matters to us.

This is my long way of asking the question that I started out with: What does wellness mean to you? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what wellness means to me or to your friends or to our culture. Certainly, your definition of it will likely be influenced by the things and ideas around you. But you get to decide. You get to choose which areas are important to you. What brings you to life? What makes your heart ache? What makes your ears perk up?

Health & Wellness Coaching vs Mental Health Counseling

What’s the difference between health coaching and mental health counseling? These two practices have a lot of overlap and several important differences. Let’s break down the differences and similarities of these two approaches to supporting a life well lived.

Quick definitions:

Health and wellness coaching involves partnering with a coach to help you meet your holistic health and wellness goals. Health coaching is a good fit for someone hoping to make behavior or lifestyle changes in order to improve or fine-tune specific aspects of their overall health and wellness. A few examples of this could look like wanting to implement a new exercise routine, begin a mindfulness practice, or track your spending to improve financial health.

Mental health counseling (also referred to as therapy or psychotherapy) is a versatile approach that can help people experiencing a wide array of mental health concerns. Clinically, it is defined as the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders. However, many people access mental health counseling in a more holistic sense.

How do these overlap?

  • At their core, health coaching and mental health counseling are interested in a person-centered approach to helping people overcome difficulties or barriers in their lives in order to lead healthier, happier lives.
  • Partnering – Foundationally, coaches and counselors provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space for their clients. They will act as your partner, essentially walking along the path with you as you work toward your goals.
  • Confidentiality – It is an honor and a privilege to hear about the details of a person’s life. Coaches and counselors alike will hold this information confidential; only under extreme circumstances (such as ensuring that people are safe from harm) is this confidentiality broken.
  • Training – Coaches and counselors each go through training specific to their modality in order to ensure effective, ethical, and thoughtful care.
  • Goal oriented – Although the goals of coaching and counseling can differ, each of these approaches keep a goal in mind as the process progresses.
  • Ethical code of conduct – Coaching and counseling each seriously consider the ethics of working with people in order to help them lead happy, healthy lives. 
  • Science-backed interventions – Both coaching and counseling rely on interventions and techniques that have been studied and vetted through the scientific process. A coach or counselor should never give you advice on something just because they ‘think it’s a good idea’ – rather, they should offer you approaches that are supported by empirical research.

What are the differences?

It’s important to understand the differences between health coaching and mental health counseling to ensure that you’re approaching your goals in a way that’s most beneficial for you, and also ensuring that you’re getting adequate care for your specific needs.

  • Training and certification – While coaches and counselors both go through specific training, they are different kinds of training. Coaches can gain certification through a variety of institutions, as well as board certification through organizations such as the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches or the International Coaching Federation. Counselors will have completed a Master’s degree in a mental health specific field and then will go on to gain state licensure. The training for mental health counseling is more rigorous and time consuming than the training to become a health and wellness coach.
  • Diagnosis – Counselors are qualified to provide mental health diagnoses, whereas coaches are not.
  • Scope – It’s essential that both coaches and counselors alike work only within the scope of their area of expertise. 
  • Time focus – Coaching should mostly be focusing on present and future areas of interest, while counseling can also delve into things that have happened in the past.

Final Thoughts

Knowledge is power! If you’re interested in seeking help or support, it’s important to know what kind of services will best suit your needs. Perhaps one of the most important similarities between the two practices is that the coach or counselor is there for you. If you ever feel like you’re not getting what you need with a coach or counselor, you can try asking for a different approach or maybe it would be more helpful to seek out a new practitioner. It’s your time, and this is your permission to be empowered to make the most of  your time in coaching or counseling.