Take a few minutes and pause (like really pause and stop what you’re doing, pondering, reading, watching etc.) and observe how you’re really feeling. Are you content, (mostly) free of physical pain/discomfort, connected with friends and/or family and consuming foods that nourish your body and mind? If you’re honest answer is “yes”, then great…but you’re likely in the minority. Don’t fret – being honest about how well/healthy we actually feel is the place to start.
Recently I’ve come across a concept referred to as the “wellness triangle” or “health triangle” (if you Google either of these phrases you’ll get numerous references). It should come as no surprise that this concept refers to a three-sided (or multi-pronged) approach to overall well-being. My own personal take…where we each reside in terms of how “well” we feel along the spectrum from “lousy” to “fantastic” is based on the following three lifestyle factors:
- Physical health
- Are you moving your body enough (or at all)? Sleeping enough? Getting fresh air regularly?
- Emotional (or mental) health
- Have meaningful relationships? A job/career that’s (at least somewhat) satisfying? No past (un-dealt with) traumas still causing you pain?
- Nutritional health.
- Does what you eat make you feel well (or lousy)? Intuitively do you think the foods you eat are what your mind and body actually needs? Do you know what your mind and body needs (in terms of food)?
The funny thing about these three factors is that they’re not isolated but are actually kind of intertwined (and posts to follow will attempt to explain this). But for now here’s a simple example to try and illustrate: You didn’t sleep well (or enough) last night because your mind was racing; your mind was racing because you didn’t get enough (or any) physical movement during the day to help bleed-down any pent-up emotional energy/anxiety; you had pent-up anxiety from a relationship or job that’s been taking more from you than you’re getting in return; and finally, back to the sleep part of this loop…you fell asleep and then woke up two hours later (and stared at the ceiling) because your body was burning the ‘fuel’ that you tried to bury your frustrations in (e.g. chips, ice cream, cookies, beer, wine etc.).
Thanks again for taking the time to read this and I’ll post something new on this theme soon.
Coffee and Karma 