When you think of health you may often think of only your physical health, but there are actually four main aspects of self and therefore four main areas that encompass your overall health. Physical health is vitally important, but integrating all four of the main aspects and improving the health of all is even more important. So, what are these four main aspects and how can you ensure they are healthy or move towards improving them?
First, the four main aspects of self are your physical self, your mental self, your emotional self and your spiritual self. Understanding these different parts of you and being able to recognize them is the first step towards creating a healthier, whole you.
Physical Self – This one may seem a bit more obvious. It includes your appearance as well as how you feel physically. You may have tons of energy or suffer from aches and pains. You may be able to hike a 14er with no trouble or you may breathe heavily just climbing the stairs in your home. You may feel fit and toned or you may have trouble fastening your pants. When you are not healthy in the other three areas symptoms will manifest in the physical self. Therefore, changing your diet and exercising will, by itself, not necessarily make you healthy overall.
Mental Self – This is how you think, how you process information. This is where you take in the world around you and then filter it and then consciously or unconsciously decide how to perceive it. The mental self focuses on practicality. It is likely obvious how it is directly related to the physical self. When you are tired or your body is stressed, your mental clarity suffers. What you may not have thought about is when your emotional and spiritual health are not in peak condition, your mental self does not process efficiently. Your ability to solve problems, to create new ideas, to focus clearly or even to remain alert and attentive decreases.
Emotional Self – This aspect of self has to do with your feelings. It is the heart-‐ centered self. Women are often accused of being too emotional to handle being in positions of leadership. Yet, men are often accused of being too cold-‐hearted and lacking compassion within their actions and decision-‐making. These concerns can place a great deal of stress on this aspect of self and can ultimately be one cause for the emotional self to become unhealthy. Not only can your own emotional health affect you, but emotions are vibrations and you can pick-‐up the emotional
vibrations of those around you whether they are positive or negative.
Spiritual Self – Whether or not you are aware of it, you have a spiritual self. It exists no matter what your beliefs or lack of beliefs are. In fact, the spiritual self is directly related to your belief systems – your beliefs about the Divine, the Universe,
your beliefs about science, your beliefs about money, your beliefs about love and
compassion, your beliefs about anger and frustration, etc. The spiritual self has a
profound impact on the other three aspects of self. It is also what can bring the
emotional self the feeling of utter joy. In fact, this aspect is key in helping you find a
deeper sense of balance in your life.
Eating healthy and exercising regularly are prime factors in moving towards good health. Yep – you bet! But, to reiterate, connecting to all main aspects of your self offers you an opportunity to achieve optimum whole health. There are a variety of ways to do that. Just a couple will be touched on in this brief article.
There is a ton of information available on eating a healthy diet. It is up to you to sift through this plethora of available knowledge, research and opinions to discover what resonates with you and then to choose what works best for you. No two bodies or souls are exactly alike; therefore, just as there are as many paths to enlightenment as there are souls there are as many paths to physical health as there are bodies.
You should note and take into account though that what you eat can also affect your emotional wellbeing. There has been research done that says eating spicy foods or even foods like garlic and onions can affect your emotional state. You might be quicker to anger or react before thinking. Ah, you may have noticed, but this means that what you eat affects your mental health, too. And, guess what? When your physical, mental and emotional selves are affected, so is your spiritual self. Each one is directly interlinked with the others.
Occasionally, medication may be needed to help you with your emotional and/or mental health, but most certainly not all the time. Take a step back and attempt to witness your emotional reactions and human behavior. Try to allow your soul to witness them instead of being so involved in the emotion that you can’t separate from it. If an emotional response occurs that you do not like, you have the power to make a change. You own your emotions – not the other way around. Know this and remember this, but also remember it is vital to have love and compassion for yourself!
Colorado (where we live) is one of the most beautiful places in the world and offers phenomenal opportunities to commune with nature. Yet, even if you don’t live here, you can find nature – even if it is only within the city park. Spending time quietly in nature can help you reconnect to your soul, to your spirituality. At the very least, you could purchase a couple of houseplants, lovingly water them and tend to them and spend time sitting quietly with them.
Allowing nature to merge with you is an amazing way to help you on your journey of healing those four main aspects of self. Clearly, taking a walk, going for a hike, riding your bike or doing yoga in nature can help improve your physical health. These experiences reduce stress and help release toxins from your body, which helps improve mental health and emotional health. When your physical, mental, and emotional health improve and when you connect to nature your soul is freed a bit from the weight of your earthly body and this offers a chance for your spiritual health to improve.
Eating healthy and exercising regularly are prime factors in moving towards good health. Yep – you bet! But, to reiterate, connecting to all main aspects of your self offers you an opportunity to achieve optimum whole health. There are a variety of ways to do that. Just a couple will be touched on in this brief article.
There is a ton of information available on eating a healthy diet. It is up to you to sift through this plethora of available knowledge, research and opinions to discover what resonates with you and then to choose what works best for you. No two bodies or souls are exactly alike; therefore, just as there are as many paths to enlightenment as there are souls there are as many paths to physical health as there are bodies.
You should note and take into account though that what you eat can also affect your emotional wellbeing. There has been research done that says eating spicy foods or even foods like garlic and onions can affect your emotional state. You might be quicker to anger or react before thinking. Ah, you may have noticed, but this means that what you eat affects your mental health, too. And, guess what? When your physical, mental and emotional selves are affected, so is your spiritual self. Each one is directly interlinked with the others.
Occasionally, medication may be needed to help you with your emotional and/or mental health, but most certainly not all the time. Take a step back and attempt to witness your emotional reactions and human behavior. Try to allow your soul to witness them instead of being so involved in the emotion that you can’t separate from it. If an emotional response occurs that you do not like, you have the power to make a change. You own your emotions – not the other way around. Know this and remember this, but also remember it is vital to have love and compassion for yourself!
Colorado (where we live) is one of the most beautiful places in the world and offers phenomenal opportunities to commune with nature. Yet, even if you don’t live here, you can find nature – even if it is only within the city park. Spending time quietly in nature can help you reconnect to your soul, to your spirituality. At the very least, you could purchase a couple of houseplants, lovingly water them and tend to them and spend time sitting quietly with them.
Allowing nature to merge with you is an amazing way to help you on your journey of healing those four main aspects of self. Clearly, taking a walk, going for a hike, riding your bike or doing yoga in nature can help improve your physical health. These experiences reduce stress and help release toxins from your body, which helps improve mental health and emotional health. When your physical, mental, and emotional health improve and when you connect to nature your soul is freed a bit from the weight of your earthly body and this offers a chance for your spiritual health to improve.
On a final note, if you are in a committed, loving, romantic relationship you can improve your overall health through regular lovemaking with your sweetie. After all, communing outside with nature is only one way in which to improve your overall health. Lovemaking is another beautiful way to connect with nature -‐ just in a different way.
There are a large number of physical benefits of having regular sex, but did you know that when you open to sacred intimacy you open a gateway to the Divine, to the Universe, to Spirit, to God? You are then tapping into the ultimate creative source and your mental self will gain clarity, your creativity will be heightened, your intuition will deepen and when you open to it you will begin to discover more and more synchronicities in your life. Your stress will be reduced and you should feel happier. On top of all that, not only will your relationship with your whole self deepen, but so will the relationship you share with your beloved.
Finding a way to improve your overall whole health can transform your life. You will be more available to those around you, those who rely on you and those you love deeply. It is worth the effort! You deserve it!
Dr. Janelle Alex, Ph.D.
www.sexychallenges.com
2013©
Photo credit: © Christopher Meder - Fotolia.com
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