Have you ever considered finding more fulfillment in your life by using a tool called a Wellness Wheel? Maybe you feel okay, but something still feels off. Maybe you’re taking care of your body, but emotionally you feel drained. Or your job is fulfilling, but your relationships are running on empty. The trick about wellness is, it’s not just one thing. It’s a whole wheel of life that turns more smoothly when all the parts are cared for.
This blog is all about using a wellness wheel to help you create a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Using a wellness wheel regularly is a gentle, holistic way to check in with yourself and find your balance. Don’t worry, I’ll provide you with a downloadable wellness wheel you can use to reflect on where you’re thriving and where you might need a little more support and exploration.
But we’re not stopping there. We’ll also look at how the wellness wheel mirrors Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and compare the chakra system, offering different but equally powerful ways of understanding human wellness, from root to crown, and survival to self-actualization. Creating self awareness is a powerful way to lead the life you want. Take time to notice what you need to light you up. Reconnect with yourself in a kind, compassionate way.
Let’s take a breath, pour some tea, and ask yourself:
“When was the last time you checked in on all areas of your own wellness?”
Let’s take this journey together.
What Are the 8 Dimensions of Wellness?
Wellness isn’t just about green smoothies and morning yoga, although those are great options! True wellness is layered within your life areas. It’s about how you think, feel, connect, and live day to day. The 8 Dimensions of Wellness give us a way to check in with all areas of life, not just the ones that shout the loudest.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of each dimension:
Emotional Wellness
How do you handle stress? Can you express your feelings honestly, and do you feel heard? Emotional wellness is all about your inner world and your ability to navigate life with resilience and awareness.
Check-in: When big emotions show up, do you give them space, or push them away?
Physical Wellness
This includes movement, rest, nutrition, hydration, and body care. It’s not about perfection, it’s about listening to your body’s needs and responding with kindness and respect.
Check-in: How does your body feel today? What would help it feel supported?
Intellectual Wellness
Are you learning new things and growing in at least one area of your life? Do you explore ideas that spark your curiosity? Intellectual wellness keeps your mind engaged and open, and it helps you to feel that you are going somewhere in life. Think #goals.
Check-in: What’s something that’s been lighting up your mind lately?
Social Wellness
Social wellness invites you to understand how you connect, not just how much. Some people feel recharged in a room full of friends. Others feel most connected during quiet one-on-one moments or meaningful solitude.
This dimension of the wellness wheel includes your relationships, support systems, sense of community, and your boundaries. It’s about feeling safe, seen, and supported on your own terms.
Check-in: What kinds of social interactions leave you feeling nourished, not drained? Where in your life do you feel a genuine sense of belonging, even if that is time spent on your own?
Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness speaks to your connection with something greater than yourself. That might be nature, the universe, a higher power, ancestral wisdom, or simply the energy that flows through all things. It’s not limited to religion, it’s about meaning, presence, and feeling part of a bigger story.
This dimension of the wellness wheel helps you explore your values, inner alignment, and your ability to feel at peace even in uncertain times. Spiritual wellness can live in rituals, in stillness, in awe, or in the quiet trust that you’re supported by something beyond your own strength.
Check-in: What helps you feel connected to something larger than yourself? Where in your life do you experience a sense of awe, mystery, or quiet knowing?
Environmental Wellness
Your surroundings matter! Consider your home, office, time spent in nature and the energy of these spaces. Environmental wellness is about creating supportive, nurturing environments. What colour are the walls? Do you have art pieces that speak to you? Do you need to remove clutter?
If you feel that you go from home to work and from work right back home, and this bothers you, try investigating a supportive “third space”, such as your favourite coffee shop, the gym, a park, the library or a community center.
Check-in: Does your space feel calming or chaotic right now? What small shift could help?
Career Wellness
Do you find purpose in your work, whether paid or unpaid? Career wellness looks at how your daily tasks align with your values and bring you fulfillment.
Check-in: What’s one thing about your work life that makes you feel proud or inspired?
Financial Wellness
This isn’t just about having money, it’s about feeling secure, informed, and empowered around money.
Check-in: How’s your relationship with money right now; stressed, neutral, or empowered?
You don’t need to be “balanced” in every area all the time. That’s not real life. But bringing awareness to each piece of the wheel helps you support yourself with intention, and that’s powerful.
Let’s find our which wellness dimension is calling for your attention most right now!
The Wellness Wheel: A Tool for Reflection
Think of the wellness wheel as a mirror for your life. It gives you a clear, visual snapshot of how fulfilled you feel across each area of wellness, as discussed above. When you explore all eight dimensions together, you begin to see how interconnected they are.
Each section of the wellness wheel represents a different part of your well-being. When you shade in the areas based on how satisfied you feel, you create a picture of where your life feels full, and where you might need more support.
The beauty of the wellness wheel is that it doesn’t judge. It simply reflects what’s real for you, right now. Knowing where you are now, gives you insight into how you can create a roadmap to increase your level of happiness.
How to Use Your Wellness Wheel
- Download your wheel. Print it or use a digital version, whatever feels most comfortable.
- Rate each dimension on a scale from 1 (low satisfaction) to 10 (high satisfaction).
- Shade in each wedge based on your score.
- Take a step back and observe the shape of your wheel.
Does it look smooth and balanced, or bumpy and uneven? The wellness wheel isn’t meant to be perfect. It’s meant to spark awareness. Ask yourself: Which areas feel well-supported? Which ones are asking for more attention?
Try this reflection once every season, or whenever life feels a little off. The wellness wheel helps you stay in tune with yourself, not just physically, but emotionally, socially, and spiritually, too.
Want to dive into the deeper layers? Let’s explore how the wellness wheel aligns with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the chakra system. These ancient and modern frameworks reveal just how universal this kind of self-reflection really is.
How the Wellness Wheel Connects to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Chakra System
The wellness wheel may feel like a modern self-care tool, but its roots reach deep into timeless wisdom. At its core, the wheel reflects a universal truth: when our basic needs are met, we have the space to grow, create, and thrive.
Let’s take a closer look at how the wellness wheel aligns with two powerful frameworks: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the chakra system.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s pyramid organizes human needs into five levels, from basic survival to self-actualization. The base starts with physical needs like food, rest, and safety, and it moves upward toward love, purpose, and personal growth.
Each level of Maslow’s pyramid connects to one or more dimensions on the wellness wheel:
- Physical wellness aligns with Maslow’s base: food, sleep, and health.
- Safety and security show up in financial and environmental wellness.
- Love and belonging appear in social and emotional wellness.
- Esteem and personal growth connect to intellectual and occupational wellness.
- Self-actualization overlaps beautifully with spiritual wellness; finding meaning and purpose beyond ourselves.
When a lower level feels unstable, it’s natural for other parts of the wheel to wobble. The key is to return to what needs care, rather than push through imbalance.
The Chakra System
The chakra system offers another lens through energy centers. These seven energy centers run from the base of the spine to above the crown of the head, each representing a different aspect of well-being.
The wellness wheel mirrors these chakras in beautiful ways:
- Root chakra (safety, grounding) ↔ Physical + Financial wellness
- Sacral chakra (creativity, emotion) ↔ Emotional + Social wellness
- Solar plexus (confidence, self-worth) ↔ Occupational + Intellectual wellness
- Heart chakra (love, compassion) ↔ Social + Emotional wellness
- Throat chakra (communication, truth) ↔ Social + Intellectual wellness
- Third eye (intuition, clarity) ↔ Spiritual + Emotional wellness
- Crown chakra (connection to source) ↔ Spiritual wellness
Balancing your wellness wheel can bring balance to your energy body, too. And vice versa, working with your chakras can offer insight into what your wellness wheel might be trying to tell you.
Check-in: Which system speaks to you more right now; Maslow’s practical pyramid, the chakra’s energetic flow, or your own intuitive sense of what needs tending?
You don’t have to choose one. They all point to the same truth: your well-being is multidimensional, and every part matters.
Your Wellness Is a Living Practice
The wellness wheel reminds us that we are more than just one part of ourselves. We are physical and emotional, spiritual and social, intuitive and intellectual. Every layer of our life holds meaning, and each one deserves care.
You don’t need to have perfect balance. Life flows, changes, and surprises us. What matters is checking in with yourself regularly. The wellness wheel is here to help you pause, reflect, and take aligned action, one dimension at a time.
Use it to notice where you’re thriving and where you might need a little extra love. Let it be a soft place to land, and a gentle guide forward. And remember, wherever you are in your journey, you’re not alone. I’m so glad you’re here.
Next Steps
Download your free Wellness Wheel and Journal Pages and take a few moments to reflect. This is your time to listen inward and reconnect with what matters most.
Leave a Reply