Families face major issues – everything from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and medical problems. Despite all of these challenges, families continue to be one of the most important sources of support, affection and meaning in people’s lives. If a family is to function effectively, the overall wellness of the family should be nurtured and cared for.
What is ‘wellness’ and which part of it do we need to emphasize on? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines ‘wellness’ as “…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not only about the absence of a disease.” There are six dimensions to wellness and each is interrelated and all are equally vital in the pursuit of optimum health.
Hence, family wellness is when everybody’s needs in the family are met according to these dimensions and there is a balance between one’s personal goal, and his/her contribution to the wellbeing of other family members.
In this feature, my colleagues, Dr Tee and Assoc Prof Dr Alvin will elaborate further on how you can nurture the various pillars of family wellness. The most important thing to remember is that the family – and not the individual person – which is the basic building block of the community and thus of society as a whole. Therefore, as parents, it is important that you work to develop, improve and maintain all these pillars of wellness to the best of your abilities so that each member (including you) may enjoy a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling life.
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