The Wholly Trinity of Wellness
The Physical, Emotional and Spiritual
To paraphrase Olivia Newton-John: “Let’s get metaphysical” for a moment. As we are inundated with opinions and advice on how to eat, move, breathe and live, it might be worth taking a step back to remind ourselves of the true meaning of wellness and consider the notion of balance.
The Wholly Trinity of Wellness
It is my contention that a person who is well has achieved balance in the physical, emotional and spiritual realms of his or her life. For the sake of simplicity, we shall define balance as the absence of dysfunction.
The Physical
Being well in the physical realm means being physically capable of performing almost any task. It also means, the absence of any preventable chronic condition such as hypertension, Type II diabetes, and/or cholesterol. To achieve this, one must regularly exercise with intensity and have a balanced, nutritious diet. Dysfunction occurs when there is too much or too little exercise and/or food.
The Emotional
This is where it gets trickier. Being well in the emotional realm means: proper stress management, the appropriate use of anger, as well as having a positive outlook on life. Anxiety, insomnia, excessive emotional outbursts, fatigue are all indicators of dysfunction in the emotional realm.
The Spiritual
Wellness in this realm means having a purpose or raison d’être. Finding and creating meaning in our lives is fundamental to experiencing contentment. Dysfunction in this domain can lead to apathy, hopelessness or mental illness (depression).
The overlap
The good news is, these three domains are not mutually exclusive; positive actions in one domain can have beneficial effects on another domain. Exercise improves mood. Developing a purpose (losing 10lbs) is an incentive to exercise and so on. The bad news is, these three domains are not mutually exclusive; imbalance in one domain can negatively impact another. An overload of stress can sometimes lead a person to stop exercising.
The takeaway
This may all sound obvious but if it were, we would all be fit, happy and content. The reality is, balancing the many responsibilities and obligations of modern life is challenging. More often than not, we neglect one realm of the Wholly Trinity and that creates imbalance.
So what do we do?
Identify the domain where there is the most dysfunction and begin there.
Set yourself a realistic goal and develop an achievable action plan.
Develop a support structure to carry you through the rough patches.
Express yourself creatively because it is nourishing. Netflix is not creativity.
The web can be a valuable resource. Use it for research.
Do not believe the hype! There is no such thing as a quick fix.
Answer the question: Why am I here?
Lastly, a few wise words to be applied to your daily life.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference — Reinhold Niebuhr
Healthfully yours.
