Emotional wellness concerns your ability to express your feelings, cope with stress, maintain satisfying relationships and deal with conflict. It encompasses optimism, self-esteem and self-acceptance. It involves cultivating a positive attitude, but being attentive to your negative feelings as well.

Dental school is stressful and can feel overwhelming. Whatever you’re struggling with, tell a friend, a family member or a professor about it. Reach out for help and you’ll find that there are resources available to get you excited about dentistry again.

What can you do?

Meditate or practice mindfulness | Learn to say no | Maintain realistic goals and expectations | Express your anger in a constructive way | Laugh freely | Surround yourself with positive people | Talk to someone when you struggle with your feelings | Practice your faith

Dental student insights:

• Breathe in, breathe out: Using your breath to manage stress – Contour, January 2020
• Finding happiness while in dental school: My ‘happiness project’ – Contour, November/December 2019
• The dental yogis: A conversation on mindfulness in dentistry – Contour, September 2019
  
• The periodic table of my mind – Contour, September 2018

Resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 800-273-8255
• Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE): Resources and support for those grieving after loss from suicide
  
• Psychology Today: What is mindfulness?
• Beyond OCD: Facts about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• National Institutes of Health: Emotional wellness toolkit
• SAMHSA.gov: Signs and risk factors for emotional distress
  

Physical wellness promotes proper care of our bodies for optimal health and functioning. It involves routinely carrying out behaviors that have a significant impact on our wellness (routine check-ups, a balanced diet, exercise, etc.) while avoiding destructive habits (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc.).

What can you do?

Eat homemade meals and avoid fast food | Add regular exercise to your daily or weekly routines | Get at least six hours of sleep per night | Take the stairs instead of the elevator | Get regular check-ups | Moderate your alcohol intake

Dental student insights:

• Pores and PPE: Maintaining skincare as a dental provider – Contour, March 2021
• How much is enough sleep? – Contour, September 2020
• Meal prepping made easy – Contour, April 2020
• Why I run – Contour, June/July 2019
• Dealing with eyestrain in professional school – Contour, November 2018
• Sleep disorders and dental students – Contour, January 2018
  

Resources:

• Helpguide.org: Addiction and recovery information
  
• Experience Life: 25 ways to make time for fitness 
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Resources and support
  
• MindBodyGreen.com: Health and wellness resources

Intellectual wellness encourages us to engage in creative and mentally stimulating activities. It involves actively participating in educational, cultural and community events and combining life lessons with those learned in the classroom. It’s about nurturing curiosity and lifelong learning.

What can you do?

Read books for fun | Play trivia and board games | Visit a museum or art gallery | Take up a craft or hobby | Listen to music or play an instrument | Take a new route home | Attend a lecture on a topic that’s new to you

Dental student insights:

• A puzzle a day to keep mental illness at bay – Contour, January 2021
  
• Tunning in: Top dental podcasts – Contour, November/December 2020
• Five ways traveling boosts intellectual wellness - Contour, May 2019
  

Resources:

• Challenge your mind with online quizzes - Wordle, WebSudoku and Sporcle
• University of New Hampshire - Intellectual wellness activities and challenges
  

Occupational wellness entails seeking personal satisfaction and enrichment while being fully engaged in your work. It refers to developing work-life balance, managing working relationships and having enthusiasm for your job. It also means constantly developing the skills required to do your work well.

What can you do?

Attend networking events with colleagues | Find a mentor or become a mentor | Maintain open dialogue with colleagues | Explore volunteer opportunities that interest you | Seek out professional development opportunities

Dental student insights:

• Inspiring smiles though dentistry and baking – Contour, February 2021
• Staying mentally well while navigating your professional journey – Contour, January 2020
• Engaging with occupational wellness through service – Contour, May 2018
  
• Eradicating the gunner mentality – Contour, February 2017
  

Resources: 

• University of New Hampshire: Occupational wellness activities and challenges
• Johns Hopkins University: School life balance
• Mental Health America: Work life balance

Environmental wellness refers to your relationship to your surroundings, both your immediate surroundings and the world at large. It’s about finding harmony with the natural world and understanding your impact on it. It promotes a sense of safety, comfort and connection to your community and surroundings. 

What can you do?

Turn off the lights when you leave a room | Recycle glass, plastic and aluminum cans | Put things away after you use them to avoid clutter build-up | Donate items or clothes you don’t use anymore | Take shorter showers | Ask to be taken off catalog and junk mailing lists | Carry cloth bags to the grocery store | Walk or bike instead of driving to nearby locations | Sign up for paperless billing

Dental student insights:

• Take a hike! How nature can improve cognitive function and well-being – Contour, June/July 2020
• Integrative dentistry: The key to sustainability – Contour, June/July 2020
• A dental student’s attempt at a reduced-waste lifestyle – Contour, April 2019
• The ecological footprint of a dentist – Contour, January 2019
• Are you maximizing your workspace? – Contour, February 2018
  
• Grow a garden, sow the soul – Contour, May 2017
  

Resources:

• Becoming Minimalist: 10 creative ways to declutter your home
• New Dentist blog: 80 Ways to Make Your Dental Practice Green
• The Ocean Foundation: Reduce your carbon footprint