West African Wisdom: Adinrka Symbols and Meanings                 

                        11 PILLARS OF WELLNESS

"chief of Adinkra symbols"	 	greatness, charisma, leadership	

 excellence, authenticity, genuineness
Mental/Emotional Wellness - coping effectively with life. experiencing mental 
wellbeing. Striving for a WELL - BALANCED life. 
Are you able to accept your feelings good or bad, your strengths, and your limitations? 
Are you able to manage your level of stress and anger? Do you use mindfulness activities 
to help shift your mood? Achieving emotional wellness allows you to manage your 
emotions and cope with stressful events. 
Mental and Emotional wellness looks like a person who is able to: 
Know the difference between depressed feelings and feeling sad 
Recognize current/past feelings and appropriately express them 
Have a sense of humor 
Take responsibility for their actions and choose healthy behaviors

transformation, “I change and transform my life” 
Physical Wellness- recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy eating, and 
sleep. Do I participate in activities that rest my body, energize my body and strengthen 
my body? Do you get enough sleep? Eat a balanced diet? Do you practice safe driving and 
medical self-care? Do you avoid the excessive use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol? If 
you take good care of your body it is the best investment you will ever make. Are you WELL DRESSED exhibiting success?
Physical wellness looks like a person who is able to: 
Participate in exercise activities, even if it is walking. 
Eat as healthy as you can using the food plate * see
Participates in safe, responsible sexual behavior 
Makes Doctors' appointments and attempt to live a positive, productive and healthy 
lifestyle 

God’s protection and presence, “Tree of God”                                Spiritual Wellness - a sense of purpose and meaning in life 

What does spirituality mean to you? Do you have a set of beliefs and values that give purpose to your life? Do you have a respect for all life; animals, nature? Do you communicate with a higher power? Do you believe that you can make positive changes in your life? Spiritual wellness also involves developing a strong sense of personal values and ethics. It involves using your creative energy for self-expression.
Spiritual Wellness looks like a person who is able to: 
Search for your meaning and purpose in life 
Examine their values and beliefs 
Have a clear understanding of right and wrong 
Belief that they can experience peace, harmony and all the positive possibilities of life 
      
 peace, harmony, “no one should bite the other” 
Social Wellness –is being WELL - CONNECTED, collaborating and sharing.
developing a defined support system. Social wellness is the ability to make friends and create satisfying relationships. How satisfying are your relationships with your partner, your family, and your friends? Are you active in campus affairs? Do you practice responsible internet/ social media 
activities? Do you refrain from gossip and violence? Social wellness is based on your 
ability to interact harmoniously with fellow students, staff, faculty, administration, property and the earth. Have you committed to a social justice cause?
Social Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
    Know the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship 
    Develop positive relationships based on trust and respect 
    To practice assertive communication and listening techniques. 
    To deal with conflict appropriately 
    Effectively communicate with others who are different 
Tracey A. Smith,M.Ed. CTRS 
Wellness SpecialistILife Coach 
Cheyney University 

    knowledge, lifelong education, “he who does not know can know from learning” 
   Intellectual Wellness – an intellectually well person is WELL - READ and WELL- SPOKEN.
   Enjoys finding ways to expand knowledge and skills. Recognizes and uses their creative talents and abilities.  
Do you feel creatively and mentally challenged? Do you have hobbies? Are you 
continually seeking to expand your knowledge and skills? An intellectually well person 
uses available resources to expand knowledge, improve skills, and to increase the potential 
for sharing with others. 
Intellectual Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
       Enjoy learning something new 
       To critically think. See more than one side of an issue 
       Communicates effectively verbally and in writing 
       Are in tune with global issues? 
       Exhibit good study and time management skills 
       Uses their creativity to make good decisions and problem solve

 preparedness, fortitude “ wind resistant house”
Career / Occupational Wellness- Personal satisfaction and enrichment from one's work 
Do you have a balance between your work and leisure time? Do you find your work 
satisfying? Do you enjoy new responsibilities and look forward to achieving better results? 
Your attitudes about your work can greatly affect your job performance and interactions 
with coworkers, friends and family. Striving toward occupational wellness will help to give 
you personal satisfaction. Most people spend more time at work than at home. Work-life 
balance is a must. 
Career / Occupational Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
       Develop career goals both long and short term
       Present appropriately dressed, representative as a leader, King/Queen
       Participates in professional development i.e. resume writing
       Report to work on time 
       Complete tasks effectively without procrastination 
       To work with a team, creative, problem solver, seeks new challenges 
       To take constructive criticism as well as praise 
       Feel a sense of accomplishment 
       Has work - life balance 

 good fortune, sanctity, “that which removes ill luck
Financial Wellness-Satisfied with your financial literacy. Satisfied with your present 
and future finances.  
Do you know your credit score and how to repair it? Do you spend more than your 
income? Are you thrifty? How can you simplify your life financially? To feel financially 
comfortable, how much money do you need? Do you plan for your financial future? 
Financial Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
      Make good financial decisions 
      Know the difference between financial needs and wants 
      Creatively save money and utilize a budget 
      Avoid excessive use of credit and getting into unnecessary debt 
      Avoid wasting money, uses currency productively 

cooperation, interdependence, “ help me and let me help you”  
   Digital Wellness A person who is a good digital citizen, uses technology with respect, is safe and in 
   appropriate manner. Exhibits digital mindfulness, acknowledges excessive use of time on 
   the internet. This can lead to lack of sleep, physical and academic problems. Protect 
   your digital profile and privacy, mindful not to give out your personal information. 
Digital Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
     Exercise Digital self-care - awareness of time spent on social media, use of good 
     ergonomics 
     Recognize that there are physical and emotional dangers of obsessive use of technology 
     Exhibits good communication and behavior - refraining from gossiping, bullying, 
     posting pictures without permission. 
     Recognize that Internet addiction includes; Cybersex addiction, Cyber relationships 
     addiction, Computer addiction, Bullying, creating drama 
     Recognizing diversity in people and cultures on the internet. Honor different values.
     Understands that sexting and sending pictures that misrepresent you to strangers is
        dangerous  
Tracey A. Smith,M.Ed. CTRS 
Wellness SpecialistILife Coach 
Cheyney University 

endurance, resourcefulness, “ Fern”   
Environmental Wellness Exhibiting good health by occupying pleasant, stimulating 
environments that support well-being 
Do you keep a clean dorm room? Do you use aromatherapy in your space? Do you take 
time to de-clutter? Do you repurpose items or give items away to charity? Do you 
contribute to protecting the environment by conserving energy and recycling? Spend 
time in nature? 
Environmental Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
           Recognize how a positive environment/ space can affect your other areas of wellness 
           Have an understanding that the well-being of the earth is equally as important as our 
           personal well-being 
           Spend time in nature, it decreases negativity and enhances our vitality 

 patience, tolerance, “the heart”  
Cheyney Family Wellness is about growing with possibilities of a new way of interacting with each other and the community. It is being WELL – LED, sharing the knowledge that you have thus far. Developing a deeper understanding of each other. Agreeing to disagree when necessary.
Cheyney Family Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
         Have knowledge of Cheyney University's mission and values 
         Is willing to share, cooperate and respect Cheyney family members (students, faculty, 
         staff and administration) 
         Exhibits Cheyney pride and respects the legacy of our ancestors that have paved the way 
         Recognize the rich academic and cultural uniqueness of Cheyney University 
         Be open to telling a new narrative, allowing the community to participate in the process of 
         change.

learn from the past, “return and get it”   
Cultural / Intergenerational Wellness is about developing a culture of wellness throughout the university. Focusing on the whole person, mind body and soul. Diving deep to take personal responsibility for your health, vitality and well-being. This person desires to be WELL-TRAVELED, celebrating diversity. 
Cultural/Intergenerational Wellness looks like a person who is able to:
       Increase exposure to other cultures, places and people
       Be at the foot of the wisdom seat listening to our elders
       Recognize that all have something to share across all generations 

         Honor that everyone deserves a sense of empowerment and wellbeing, from the LGBTQA community
           to the community of humanity.
       Understand that historical trauma affects us in different ways. Understand that it may affect 
         how we maintain well-being on a daily basis.
Tracey A. Smith,M.Ed. CTRS 
Wellness SpecialistfLife Coach 
Cheyney University 
Adapted from 
samhsa.gov 
National Wellness Institute, Inc 
http://adinkra.org 

How to Hela from The Addictions & Trauma - Gregory Phillips (1999)
SMC educational services, victoria, be
 
https://cunedigitalcitizenship.wikispaces.com/DigitaI+health & wellness