In our fast-paced, ever-changing landscape of personal and collective wellbeing, the quest for balance and fulfilment has become a central pursuit for individuals and organisations alike. The traditional understanding of wellness often revolved around physical health, but as our understanding of human flourishing has deepened, so too has the recognition of the multifaceted nature of well-being. The Balance Matrix invites us to embrace a holistic perspective – a view of wellness that transcends the limitations of siloed thinking and embraces the richness of our multidimensional reality.
Whether you are an individual seeking greater fulfilment in your personal life or an organisation committed to promoting the welfare of your members, the Balance Matrix offers a roadmap for embracing a more holistic vision of wellness.
What is The Balance Matrix?
The Balance Matrix stands as an extensive paradigm in the realm of holistic wellness, offering a comprehensive framework that transcends traditional approaches by addressing diverse dimensions of wellbeing across multiple levels of scale. At its essence, The Balance Matrix recognises that true wellness extends beyond mere physical health to encompass various facets of human existence, from the individual to the global community. Achieving balanced wellness is a transformative journey that requires a deep understanding of oneself, with the ‘self’ considered a complex and interconnected composition of various parts. It involves an integration of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing, each of which complements each other. By fuelling our bodies, engaging our minds, and nurturing our spirits, all people can create a harmonious balance that inspires them to live their best lives.
The Balance Matrix is a model that emphasises the importance of different dimensions of wellness, each representing a vital aspect of human flourishing. When considering wellness from a holistic perspective, there exists diverse ways of classifying and defining it. For instance, Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute, proposes an interdependent model of the Six Dimensions of Wellness, which includes emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual wellness. Alternatively, Dr. Margaret Swarbrick, Associate Director of the Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies and a Research Professor in the Applied Department of GSAPP, developed a Wellness Model of Eight Wellness Dimensions that encompasses physical, spiritual, social, intellectual, emotional/mental, occupational, environmental, and financial wellness.
At Neuro, we understand that while existing models of wellness dimensions have their value, they often fall short in covering the vast range of themes and perspectives that today’s online platforms need to address. The upcoming Neuro platform, grounded in neuroscience and designed to mimic a regenerative living system, holds the wellness of members as a prime objective. As a think tank and community of specialists, we recognise knowledge as a vital tool for enhancing the wellbeing of all participants in what we consider a truly ethical ecosystem. However, our research shows that no current wellness model fully meets the needs of modern sociotechnical systems—systems that blend social interactions with technology, much like the online platforms widely used today.
At Neuro, we have developed a range of thematic lenses called Neurolenses, which enhance user experiences by aligning content with fundamental aspects of human learning, cognition, social interaction, and ethical considerations. Our 23 Neurolens themes reflect the rich diversity of human thought and experience, essential for nurturing healthy living systems.
Our platform’s architecture and algorithms incorporate a spectrum of perspectives from the micro (neural) to the macro (humanity-wide), which we describe as Levels of Scale. These levels are critical for designing socio-technical systems that empower members to govern their civic spaces actively, from individual interactions to global content strategies. We believe that incorporating input from social scientists, neuroethicists, academics, and other thinkers is vital for maintaining a platform that serves the well-being of its users over corporate interests.
To better integrate these concepts, we created the Balance Matrix that encompasses seven mutually interdependent dimensions: Mental, Integral, Home, Social, Organisational, Sustainable and Global. Those dimensions are connected with Levels of Scale (Neural, Self, Family, Community, Organisation, Region, and Humanity), to facilitate theindividual’s understanding and agency at each level. This enables individuals to navigate and contribute to nested systems in an informed, ethical, and constructive manner. This approach aligns with principles from Systems Thinking and Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), providing a pathway to a more interconnected, resilient, and flourishing humanity.
The Balance Matrix is a unique approach due to its comprehensive and multidimensional nature. It seamlessly integrates various aspects of wellbeing and recognises their interconnectedness, which contributes significantly to overall health and flourishing. The key strength of this approach is its ability to scale across different levels of human existence, from the neural intricacies of the individual mind to the collective aspirations of humanity as a whole. By addressing wellness at multiple levels, the Balance Matrix acknowledges that wellbeing is not limited to the individual but is deeply influenced by broader social, environmental, and systemic factors.
The Components of The Balance Matrix:
The Balance Matrix encompasses seven mutually interdependent dimensions, each integral to fostering holistic wellbeing and sustainable flourishing. Neuro's Wellness Dimensions were selected with careful consideration of their inclusivity, comprehensiveness, and profound understanding of the intricate interplay between various aspects of human existence and the broader contexts in which individuals live and interact. Each term encapsulates a distinct facet of wellbeing, reflecting the multifaceted nature of human flourishing and the complexity of the environments in which people navigate their lives.
Mental Wellness - This dimension encompasses psychological wellbeing, emotional intelligence, and cognitive agility, recognising the central role of mental wellbeing. It includes neuroscience, brain science, and psychology. Mental Wellness involves nurturing and maintaining a positive state of mind, emotions, and cognitive responses to relationships, as well as adopting healthy behaviours and coping strategies to navigate life’s challenges and thrive in all areas of life.
Integral Wellness - This dimension focuses on holistic health and vitality across all levels of an individual. It draws from various disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and medicine, to address the interconnected aspects of an individual’s health and flourishing. This may involve practices such as regular exercise and nutrition for physical wellness, as well as mindfulness and stress management for spiritual wellness. Integral Wellness is unique in that it is the level of wellness that contains an individual’s conscious integration of all other levels of wellness, thereby attaining balance for their mind, body, soul, and their place in the greater order.
Home Wellness - This dimension encompasses creating a supportive and nurturing environment that supports the physical, emotional, social, financial, and familial wellbeing of all members within the home and family network, as well as the dynamics and harmony of the living environment. By addressing various aspects of wellness within the household, families can cultivate resilience, harmony, safety, and thriving in their daily lives.
Social Wellness - This dimension highlights connections among people, pointing to social wellbeing and a sense of belonging within a community. It encompasses various aspects of social wellbeing, including communication skills, support systems, social engagement, shared values, and cultural competence. Social Wellness underscores the value of building strong social networks, fostering empathy and compassion, and promoting social cohesion to enhance overall wellbeing.
Organisational Wellness - This dimension extends beyond the confines of the workplace environment to encompass a holistic approach that integrates vocational wellbeing and occupational wellbeing into broader aspects of individuals’ lives. By prioritising physical, mental, emotional, and social wellness in the workplace, organisations can create a supportive and thriving work environment. This not only benefits employees by fostering personal growth, fulfilment, and resilience but also contributes to the overall health and sustainability of communities and societies. Organisational Wellness seeks to create a supportive and empowering ecosystem that enables individuals to thrive and be empowered to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives, both within and beyond the workplace.
Sustainable Wellness - This dimension acknowledges the interconnectedness between cultural development, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. It encompasses regenerative practices and lifestyles that promote micro and macro approaches to health and well-being while also contributing to the long-term sustainability of the environment and society. Sustainable Wellness seeks to promote balance and harmony between human activities and the natural world while also fostering social equity, cultural diversity, and economic prosperity.
Global Wellness -This dimension refers to collective wellbeing and the health of individuals, communities, and societies on a global scale. It recognises the interconnectedness of people and the planet, the importance of addressing systemic challenges and disparities, as well as integrates digital wellbeing and evolutionary wellbeing, to promote health and flourishing for all.
Embracing the Balance Matrix:
Embracing the Balance Matrix involves a shift in perspective towards viewing wellness as a dynamic and interconnected tapestry of various dimensions. It’s about acknowledging the multidimensional nature of well-being and adopting a holistic approach to cultivate balance and harmony in life. At its core, the Balance Matrix recognizes that individual wellness is not just about physical health but encompasses various dimensions, including mental, emotional, social, environmental, and spiritual aspects. By understanding and addressing these dimensions in a balanced way, individuals can foster a sense of equilibrium and fulfilment. One approach for utilising these wellness dimensions is to aim for a personal harmony that resonates with our authentic selves rather than striving for a perfect balance. All people have unique priorities, approaches, and aspirations, and it is up to each of us to determine what it means to live life fully.
The selection of these seven dimensions within the Balance Matrix reflects a holistic understanding of well-being that encompasses individual, interpersonal, societal, and environmental factors. by acknowledging the independence of these dimensions, the Balance Matrix fosters a more holistic approach to wellness that considers the complex web of relationships between individuals, communities, organizations, and the environment.
This multidimensional perspective allows for a more nuanced understanding of wellness and facilitates the development of strategies and interventions that address the diverse needs and challenges faced by individuals and societies. Ultimately, the Balance Matrix serves as a guide for promoting balanced and sustainable flourishing at both the individual and collective levels, paving the way for a healthier, more resilient, and harmonious world.
References
Stoewen DL. Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. Can Vet J. 2017 Aug;58(8):861-862. PMID: 28761196; PMCID: PMC5508938. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/)
Renoir, T., Hasebe, K., & Gray, L. (2013). Mind and body: how the health of the body impacts on neuropsychiatry. Frontiers in pharmacology, 4, 158. (https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2013.00158)
Southard, M. E. (2020). Spirituality: The Missing Link for Holistic Health Care. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 38(1), 4–7. (https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010119880361
National Wellness Institute, (https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/)
Swarbrick, M. (2012). A Wellness Approach to Mental Health Recovery. In Recovery of People with Mental Illness: Philosophical and Related Perspectives. Abraham Rudnick,(ed). Oxford Press. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304747943_Swarbrick_M_2012_A_Wellness_Approach_to_Mental_Health_Recovery_In_Recovery_of_People_with_Mental_Illness_Philosophical_and_Related_Perspectives_Abraham_Rudnicked_Oxford_Press)