If you’ve ever felt that your health is more than just physical fitness, you’re on the right track. I’m very passionate about health and nutrition and exploring the core of well-being and what it truly means to be healthy.
Let’s start by redefining health beyond the obvious. While many people equate health with the absence of illness, true well-being is a complex interplay of several factors. It’s not just about managing chronic conditions but also about harmonizing the four crucial components: physical, mental, social and spiritual health.
What is Health?
When people first think about health, many pertain it to physical health where one person can be perfectly healthy without disease, while another person has one or more chronic conditions (for example – high blood pressure, high sugars, high cholesterol). However, health is a combination of multiple components.
Which components make up one’s health?
There are generally four main parts:
- Physical Health – consists of lifestyle change (eating healthy and exercise) to reduce the risk of developing disease or taking medications
- Mental Health – consists of smartness, intelligence, good sleep and concentration
- Social Health – consists of good relationships and support by family and friends and values
- Spiritual Health – consists of ethical beliefs, morals, self-realization and purpose of one’s life
Great health means all four of the above are in balance, but if one aspect is out of balance, then it can lead to a domino effect and worsen your health.
How do I improve my well-being?
It takes a holistic approach with consistent daily habits to improve an individual’s well-being. Here is what I mean:
- Physical Health – lifestyle change with healthy diet and exercise (more on this in the next blog of the series!)
- Mental Health
- Maintain good relationships with family and friends (same as in social health)
- Be mindful of the present moment
- Stay positive
- Learn new skills (for example, a language, sewing or cooking, etc.)
- Play board games and puzzles to keep your mind active
- Read books to have a sharp mind
- Listen to your favorite music
- Physical exercise to help with blood circulation
- Get good sleep
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, chewing tobacco and other harmful substances
- Social Health
- Maintain good healthy relationships
- Meet new people by
- Joining a club or a group with similar goals
- Volunteering
- Participating in group exercise
- Be approachable
- Find new hobbies that involve people
- Be kind and grateful
- Spiritual Health
- Yoga and meditation with deep breathing
- Uplifting music
- Practice mindfulness
- Praying and talking to a spiritual guide, inner self
- Spend time in nature
- Learn to forgive
This diagram below might help explain all of this. An individual’s well-being is made up of four parts, like the four interconnected circles, representing the importance of having a balance between each component. You can achieve this by taking baby steps daily for each component to help improve your well-being.
As it is said, “slow and steady wins the race.”
It’s important to have a primary care physician and regularly see them (even if there are no symptoms) to maintain your health, just as we take our cars for maintenance every certain number of miles or months of use. Regular appointments will help your doctor keep track of your health and intervene when necessary.
If you need a primary care physician, you can find a doctor to care for your needs at Northeast Georgia Physicians Group today.