Wellness Dimensions
Health and wellness are important components to overall personal and professional
success. Wellness is not merely the absence of illness or distress — wellness is striving
for positive physical, mental and social well-being.
Wellness is an iterative and lifelong process consisting of making decisions and choices
that support a more harmonious life.
In turn, striving for a harmony that is right for you and one that encompasses a variety
of wellness dimensions enables you to maximize your potential and overall success.
While physical health is an important component to overall wellness, there are several
other dimensions that contribute to an individual’s well-being. To learn more, check
out the 8 Dimensions of Wellness below or watch this short video!
Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness refers to the recognition, awareness, and acceptance of one’s own
feelings and includes your thoughts, emotions, and ability to adapt to life's challenges.
The emotional dimension focuses on striving for positivity and happiness through an
optimistic approach to life. Emotional wellness inspires self-care, relaxation, stress
reduction and the development of inner strength. It is important to be attentive to
both positive and negative feelings and be able to understand how to handle these
emotions. Emotional wellness also includes the ability to learn and grow from experiences
and encourages autonomy and proper decision-making skills. Emotional wellness doesn't
mean we won't or shouldn't experience difficult emotions, rather, emotional wellness
focuses on using positive coping strategies to assist us in moving through those life
challenges in a healthier and more productive way.
- Learn to become aware of, and accepting of, a wide range of feelings in self and others
- Develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills to support life-long resiliency in
response to life transitions
- Learn techniques in stress management and mindfulness
- Develop personal decision-making skills based on the integration of thoughts, feelings
and behaviors
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Hawks Care Resource Center and Counseling Services provides emotional wellness resources and support for students.
- The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at Harper College is managed by Workplace Solutions
- LifeSpeak is a health, wellness and professional development platform to give Harper employees
and their families instant access to expert advice on a wide range of topics.
- WellTrack is a free resource that is available to all Harper students. WellTrack is a self-guided
and interactive way to manage your mental well-being. It is an online tool designed
to help you understand your feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression. WellTrack
is confidential, anonymous, and secure.
Environmental Wellness
Environmental wellness is the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the
quality of the air, the water, the land that surrounds us, and the people that surround
us. The ability to make a positive impact on the quality of our environment, be it
our homes, our communities or our planet contributes to our Environmental Wellness.
Environmental wellness is about occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that
support well-being. Focusing on environmental wellness means that you become aware
of the relationships with your habits, actions and interactions and how those can
affect and impact the environment you live in.
- Become aware of how surrounding environments (internal and external) affect individuals
and communities
- Formulate and restructure environments to more effectively support and reinforce personal
needs
- Develop an awareness of individual and community contributions and impact on the outdoor
environment, wildlife, and the future of local, national and world-wide resources
and climate and ecology
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Learn how you can be more environmentally friendly at Harper and beyond by becoming
more involved with Harper's Sustainability efforts.
- Check out sustainability within the classroom projects at Harper and plant-based recipes.
- Harper College is committed to providing an environment that is respectful and supportive.
To report a concern, click on the appropriate report button on the Student Conduct webpage, complete the form and submit.
- Harper College worked with the community to develop the FY2021-FY2024 Strategic Plan. The plan sets a strategic course for the College as it strives to achieve its vision
as an innovative and inclusive institution, the community’s first choice and a national
leader for student success.
Financial Wellness
Financial wellness is the ability to feel satisfaction about your financial situation
and to manage what we currently have in a responsible manner. Finances are a common
stressor for people, so being able to minimize worry about this aspect of your life
can enhance your overall wellness. It's important to continually plan out your finances
both in the short and long-term.
- Develop an understanding of financial aid, loans and scholarship programs and processes
- Learn the basics of how to manage a budget, credit cards, checking and savings accounts,
investments and identity protection
- Become knowledgeable about resources available on campus when experiencing a financial
management issue or economic crisis such as food insecurity, homelessness, transportation
or educational supplies
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Financial Aid and Scholarships for Harper students
- The Hawks Care Resource Center can help students access food, counseling, financial, and other resources during
this time.
- Paying for College: Focus on your goals instead of worrying about affording college. Harper's tuition
is just a fraction of the cost of other universities and we can help you find ways
to cover tuition and living expenses by taking advantage of scholarships, grants,
flexible payment plans, military benefits and work-study opportunities. When life
gets in the way, our team of experts is here to assist you.
- Personal Finance Tips and Tools
- The Women's Program at Harper provides education planning, financial assistance and ongoing support for
single parents, a non-traditional career seeker, women fleeing intimate partner violence
and women with limited English skills pursuing coursework at Harper.
Intellectual Wellness
Intellectual wellness focuses on engaging oneself in activities, classes or experiences
that challenge our thinking and knowledge about the world and our surroundings. Engaging
with others from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, in addition to using individual
personal creativity to explore and innovate, can contribute to the intellectual wellness
dimension. Intellectual wellness focuses on pushing ourselves to ask questions, be
curious, challenge our own ways of thinking, observe, listen, develop new ideas and
become life-long learners. Learning doesn't stop at college as we all continue to
grow and learn throughout our lives.
- Develop knowledge and skills in academics, self - efficacy, studying, time management,
stress management, note taking, listening, and public speaking
- Expand ability to create, develop, analyze, critique, concentrate, understand, evaluate,
problem solve, predict, comprehend, etc.
- Become knowledgeable about academic support resources available on campus
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Whether your interests lead you to pursue Arts and Music, Career Development, Health
care, Lifelong Learning, Personal Interests or Technology, Harper's Non-Credit Community Education will help you Become More.
- Harper has 10 Areas of Interest for you to explore. Which one is right for you? It depends on many factors: your
career or transfer goals, your values and your interests. Review the Programs of Study
within each Area of Interest to learn more.
- Harper's Library provides technology loans, research assistance, live chats with librarians, programming
and much more to assist students with their academic endeavors.
- There are several academic support areas and services to help ensure student success at Harper College.
Occupational Wellness
Occupational wellness is the ability to receive personal fulfillment, purpose and
satisfaction from our jobs or our chosen career fields while still maintaining a sense
of balance in our lives. Our desire to contribute in our careers and to make a positive
impact on the organizations and communities we work in lends itself to occupational
wellness. Sure, a paycheck is an important part of a job. However, occupational wellness
focuses on our ability to find meaning in our jobs and knowing that we are making
a difference in the world.
- Explore their Areas of Interest, skills and values related to choice of career/major
- Develop effective job-related skills in assertiveness, time management, active listening,
and motivation
- Gain direct knowledge of career and job opportunities within Harper’s district
- Gain knowledge of transfer opportunities and gain experience through workshops, speakers
and field trips
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Harper College provides employees with free access to LinkedIn Learning, which is an online educational platform that helps employees discover and develop
business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos.
- Whether you are a currently enrolled Harper student or an alumni with a degree or
certificate, the Job Placement Resource Center is here to support your career goals and needs by offering assistance with resumes,
internships, interviewing, job search and much more.
- The Hire A Hawk database is an online job management system for Harper students and alumni. Here you can search for jobs, internships/co-ops, upload your
resume and much more.
- Harper offers employment opportunities for current and future employees and students.
Learn more about opportunities and jobs that are available at Harper through the Human Resources page.
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is the ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows
us to get through our daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress. The
ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness
and adopting healthful habits (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.)
while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.) will lead to optimal
physical wellness.
- Know how and where to access and seek medical care when needed for illness, injury
and preventative care
- Incorporate and engage in regular movement and leisure activities to improve flexibility,
strength, aerobic, and cardiovascular health
- Become more informed and aware of how various foods, beverages, alcohol and other
drugs, caffeine, chemicals and other substances affect the body
- Understand how and why their bodies work and how certain behaviors may have a positive
and negative effects on the body
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Get your body moving by attending a FREE, virtual group exercise class at the Health and Recreation Center (HRC). A complete schedule can be find on the Campus Recreation's Virtual Group Exercise page.
- Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) is located on Harper's campus at the Foglia Foundation Health and Recreation Center
(Building M) and includes an NCH Outpatient Care Center. Onsite health services will
be provided to students, staff and the community including: Primary Care, Immediate
Care, Student Health Services, Laboratory Services, Physical Therapy, Physical Rehab,
and Imaging
- The Diabetes Support Network allows individuals from Harper who are living with diabetes
(or are helping someone manage their own diabetes) to come together to share their
stories, experiences and resources. The group is led and managed by a registered dietitian,
Mia Greco, MSNW, MPH, RD, LDN and Adjunct Faculty/Clinical Supervisor in the Nutrition
Department at Harper College. Learn more and sign-up online.
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Farmer's Fridge offers fresh food vending machines on campus located at:
Building L, across from the bookstore
Building X, southeast corner by the Massage Therapy Clinic
Social Wellness
Social wellness is the ability to relate to and connect with other people in our world.
Our ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with family, friends,
co-workers and surrounding community through a variety of modalities such as programs,
events, workshops, and outings contributes to our Social Wellness.
- Develop a sense of belonging on campus
- Understand the importance of developing connections with diverse individuals and groups
- Building and maintaining healthy, nurturing and supportive relationships
- Formulate a global consciousness and participate in the creation of a more aware and
engaged campus community
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- Harper Happenings is a monthly online newsletter that contains information, resources and events on
campus for Harper students. It's a one-stop-shop for all Student Involvement happenings.
- Attend a Harper College Athletics sporting event to build community and socialize
with your peers or colleagues! Check out the athletics schedule for dates and times. Sporting events are free for students.
- Get involved on campus with a variety of activities, leadership programs or even student
organizations through the Student Involvement. Not a student? Harper staff and faculty can also get involved by becoming advisors
for a club or organization!
- The Community Pulse: Student Wellness Check-Ins are weekly standing discussions meant to provide connection, discussion and support
for students. The check-ins occur on Thursdays at 1 p.m. via Webex when classes are in session. No agenda - all Harper students invited! Students are
encouraged to drop in to discuss current challenges occurring in our internal and
external environments.
- Harper offers a wide variety of events, shows and performances. Check out the Arts & Culture calendar to learn more about upcoming events.
- The Student Government Association (SGA) is a way for students to get involved on campus. SGA is a group led by Harper students
with the main focus of advocating for issues relevant to student life in addition
to participating on college committees and truly providing the official "voice" for
Harper students.
- The Center for Veteran Students and Military-Connected Students is a place for student veterans to connect with other student veterans to share information,
experiences, and ideas in adjusting from military life to student life.
- Employees can get involved in one of the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on campus. An ERG is a group of employees, from various employment groups, that assists
the college in creating an environment and culture that is welcoming and supportive
of all employees, particularly those individuals who are members of historically under-represented
populations.
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness refers to our ability to develop congruency between our own values
and actions. Moreover, spiritual wellness allows individuals to define purpose in
their lives and make meaning of certain life events. This dimension is about establishing
our own personal morals, ethics and what we stand for as individuals in the world.
Some people might find spiritual wellness through religion and faith while others
turn to nature or other mindfulness practices. Exploring our own moral and ethical
compass through a variety of self-exploration activities contributes to the Spiritual
Wellness dimension.
- Explore, question and clarify values
- Engage in self-exploration activities to understand and define individual purpose
and better understand moral and ethical beliefs
- Become aware of the differences in other’s values and how those differences affect
and influence communities
| On-Campus Resources and Involvement |
- The Reflection Room is located in Building A, Room A332. It’s a place for students
and employees seeking a quiet place to think, reflect or pray. Access available through
the Department for Student Involvement.
- The Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) is an Interdenominational Christian student organization seeking to be a spiritual
resource to students.
- The Muslim Student Association is open to all faiths, the MSA creates a space that enriches the experience of Muslim
students through spiritual, education, civic, and social activities on campus and
the greater Harper community.
- Being a leader requires you to be self-aware. Students at Harper have the opportunity
to take the following assessments: MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type indicator), Student Leadership Practices Inventory, Strengths
Quest Assessment, and the Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for Students Inventory.
- Mindful Moments is a blog written by two Counseling Faculty at Harper, Michele DeCanio and Jennifer
Rojek Schullo, about the many benefits of mindfulness and how you can incorporate
simple, yet effective, practices into your routine.
Each dimension contributes to an individual’s overall well-being and quality of life,
and each dimension can affect and overlap one other. At times, one may be more prominent
than others, but neglect of any one dimension for any length of time can have adverse
effects on an individual’s health and well-being.
References: https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm and The Wheel of Wellness Counseling
for Wellness: A Holistic Model for Treatment Planning: A Wellness Approach: Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
