The 6 Pillars of Holistic Wellness
Throughout my elementary and middle schools, I had always associated wellness to being physically fit. It was not until a health class in my freshman year of high school that we were introduced to the health triangle, and from there it just got more and more complex. Everywhere I’ve searched, people have different takes on what the pillars of holistic wellbeing are. Therefore, after reading countless articles and watching many YouTube videos, I have come to the conclusion that there are six main pillars of holistic wellness.
1.:Physical Wellness
The first pillar is Physical Wellness. This involves taking care of our body through exercise, sleep, hygiene, and nutrition. It also means avoiding harmful habits like smoking, alcohol, or drugs. Physical wellness affects our energy levels, immunity, and mood. A simple way to increase your physical wellness would be to stretch for 10 minutes daily. This will increase your flexibility and relieve your joins from aches, especially if you are in sports.
2. Mental Wellness
The second pillar is Mental Wellness. This relates to our ability to cope with stress, express/manage our emotions, and develop resilience. It also involves having a positive self-esteem, self-image, and self-compassion. Mental wellness helps us to deal with life’s challenges, as well as to enjoy its pleasures to the full extent. An easy and effective way to boost your mental wellness would be to take a minute everyday and think about one thing you are grateful for. This practice boosts your content with your current life and who you are.
3. Spiritual Wellness
The third pillar is Spiritual Wellness. This pillar is all about finding a reason to keep going in life. That includes finding meaning, purpose, and direction in our lives. It also relates to our core values, beliefs, and morals. Spiritual wellness can be increased in a magnitude of ways, anywhere from increasing your faith/religion, or practicing meditation and yoga. Personally, I choose to do 3 sets of Sun Salutations (link) daily. Spiritual wellness helps us to connect with ourselves, others, and a higher power or force.
4. Social Wellness
The fourth pillar is Social Wellness. This refers to our relationships with our family, friends, co-workers, and overall community. It involves having a sense of belonging, support, and connection from other people. Social Wellness isn’t just what you get from people, though. It also requires being respectful, empathetic, and supportive towards others as well. One thing you can do to increase your social wellness would be to try and talk to a new person every week. This is one of my favorite practices to do and it leaves me feeling fulfilled and confident in myself.
5. Financial Wellness
The fifth pillar is Financial Wellness. This includes to the ability to manage money and resources effectively. It involves having a budget, saving, investing, and spending wisely. It also means being aware of our financial goals, needs, and limitations. Financial wellness contributes to the other pillars because it dictates your lifestyle and environment, which are two key factors that can affect all 6 pillars. One simple way I keep my financial wellness high is that I plan my monthly budget. It takes 10 minutes and saves me from tons of stress later on.
6. Nutritional Wellness
The sixth pillar is Nutritional Wellness. This pillar refers to your diet. You should be eating a balanced diet that provides you with the essential macro and micro nutrients your body needs to function at its peak. Nutritional wellness also involves being mindful of our food choices, portions, and cravings. A great way to do this is to check the Daily Values (DV) on the nutrition labels. Ways to strengthen this pillar greatly differ from person to person and really depends on where you are at in life, but I keep this pillar strong by eating 2 big fruits a day and at least 5 glasses of water. This goal works out well for me because I tend to divert to chips and stay dehydrated for too often and too long.
Note: It is important to remember that each of these pillars are just as important as the other. It’s okay to not be perfect on every one of them; that’s human. However, if you stop taking care of one of these pillars the others will feel the effects as well. It’s like a building… if you break one of its supporting walls, the rest will start to crumble as well.
Conclusion? The 6 interlaced pillars of holistic wellness are Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social, Financial, and Nutritional Wellness. If one obtains good health in all 6, they can be called a holistically ‘well’ human.
