The Four Aspects of Health to Live a Balanced Life

How is your health?  No, I’m not asking about your weight or only asking about your level of fitness.  I’m talking about your overall health – your physical health, your mental health, your emotional health, and your spiritual health. I have learned that in order for me to live a full and balanced life, I must pay attention to these different aspects of my health.

Let’s look more closely at these four different areas of health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Physical health is what most people think about when they think about being healthy, but it is just one aspect of living a balanced life. Our physical health is not just about weight loss or long hours at the gym either. Physical health can be described as:

…a variety of healthy behaviors including adequate exercise, proper nutrition and abstaining from harmful habits such as drug use and alcohol abuse. It means learning about and identifying symptoms of disease, getting regular medical checkups, and protecting yourself from injuries and harm. Developing such healthy habits today will not only add years to your life but will enhance the enjoyment and quality of those years.

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Some questions to ask ourselves about our physical health:

• When is the last time I moved your body and broke a sweat?
• When is the last time I ate a vegetable?
• Do I make an effort to eat a balanced diet?
• Do I see a doctor and dentist for regular check-ups?
• Am I getting enough sleep at night?
• Do I have healthy habits?
• Do I drink too much or use drugs or smoke?

MENTAL HEALTH

Good mental health is a component of living a balanced life. When most people think of mental health, they think of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, etc. But while your mental health does include that, it is so much more than that too. Mental health can be defined as:

…a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.

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Some questions to ask ourselves about our mental health:

• When is the last time I talked to a doctor or therapist about my mental health conditions?  
• Do I take my medication diligently that is prescribed for my mental health conditions?
• Have I dealt with my childhood trauma?
• Have I learned to overcome negative self-talk?
• Am I optimistic or pessimistic?
• Do I practice self-care regularly?
• Can I carry out everyday tasks, or do I find them challenging?
• Can I manage my emotions?

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Emotional health is closely tied to mental health, and having good emotional health is part of living a balanced life. We can define emotional health as:

…possessing the ability to feel and express human emotions such as happiness, sadness and anger. It means having the ability to love and be loved and achieving a sense of fulfillment in life. Emotional wellness encompasses optimism, self-esteem, self-acceptance and the ability to share feelings.

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Some questions to ask ourselves about our emotional health:

• When did I last stop and ask myself how I am feeling?
• When did I last speak my true feelings to another person instead of masking or hiding them?
• Do I feel like I am able to express both positive and negative emotions?
• Am I comfortable with who I am?
• Do I feel that I have a sense of purpose? 
• Can I manage my stress?
• Do I have good self-esteem?

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Sometimes I think being spiritual gets a bad wrap, but spiritual health is as important as the other aspects of health to living a balanced life. Here’s what we mean we we talk about spiritual health:

Spiritual wellness involves possessing a set of guiding beliefs, principles, or values that help give direction to one’s life. It encompasses a high level of faith, hope and commitment to your individual beliefs that provide a sense of meaning and purpose. It is willingness to seek meaning and purpose in human existence, to question everything and to appreciate the things which cannot be readily explained or understood.

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Some questions to ask ourselves about our spiritual health:

• What do I hold sacred and how do I connect with that?
• Do I go to church or am I connected to a community that meets regularly to talk about a Higher Power?  
• Do I take the time to pray and meditate to connect with whatever bigger being that I believe in?
• How do I nurture my relationship with the spiritual being that I believe in?  
• Do I have principles that I live by?
• Do I know what my values are?
• What keeps me from believing in something bigger than myself?

START SMALL

It can be daunting to read all of the above definitions, questions, and lists and begin to feel hard on ourselves if we feel out of balance in one area or another. The important thing is to check in with ourselves with an honest assessment of how we are maintaining our health. The likelihood of being in perfect balance at all times is improbable, however we should strive for balance as much as possible. I will be the first to admit that I am not always in perfect balance. Some days I am way too focused on one area and completely ignore another. But I can definitely say that I feel a lot better when I am in balance. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’ve come a long way from where I was.

To be the best versions of ourselves, we cannot ignore any one area of our health.  We have to be as healthy as possible in all areas. If we invest in one area too heavily, but are out of balance in another, it can throw us off.

So how do we optimize our health?

Start by reviewing the above definitions and questions and being thoughtful about your life. Do you see an area that could be improved? Multiple areas? Make a list of what changes you would like to make in your life to be healthier. Be realistic. Go back and read the post about setting SMART Goals if you need to.

And then start small. Take one action each day to improve your overall health. You don’t have to do it all at once. In fact, you can’t do it all at once.

Bit by bit, slowly but surely, you can learn to live a balanced, healthy life.

Start small. Take it one day at a time. You’ll be glad you did.

Until next time,

Jeri Austin