Getting healthy is physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual There are things that you and I can do on our own to work on getting healthy on all levels. Allow me to further illustrate this below. Physical health Eat healthy food. Move, get exercise regularly. Get yourself plenty of sleep. Put yourself in the sun from time to time. Take showers and baths to be clean. Physical health is anything you can do to improve your body. This body you occupy is the physical manifestation of who you are. It’s easy to ignore and disrespect our physical selves. When we do, we set ourselves up to be unhealthy. That’s natural — because sometimes focusing on our other aspects and outside influences causes us to ignore our bodies. Mental health Stress, anxiety, and depression — untreated — can make you physically sick and even kill you. Untreated mental health issues will also impact your ability to heal from injuries. Good mental health can and will assist in healing physical health. Conversely, it will also get in the way. You can recognize the state of your mental health and act to be healthy if you are not. Emotional health Emotional health is different from mental because it’s about feeling versus thought. Emotional health is your actual feelings. It’s asking and answering the question of “How do you feel?” How and what are separate. Emotional health is the step past your mental health into the actuality of feelings. Spiritual health Many think this is about belief in God or another higher power. But spiritual health is not about what you believe and have faith in outside of yourself. It’s about what you believe and have faith in within yourself. This is where the power of the words “I am” takes the most shape. “I am awesome” empowers your spirit, whereas “I am a loser” disempowers. If you have little faith and belief in yourself, this is where it shows. This is utterly intangible and beyond the understanding of physical, mental, and emotional health. Yet it’s of equal importance to you, your wellbeing, and getting healthy. The four elements of health, wellness, and wellbeing All four of these elements, together, can make you healthy. When you recognize, acknowledge, and work with them your health WILL improve. When your health improves it will be noticed by others. This week’s Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Caring for all elements of your health is self-care. Mental, emotional, physical, spiritual – whatever. It all comes together and counts together for your wellness and wellbeing overall. This week’s tool is open-ended. It requires you to take from 5-30 minutes, depending on what you can spare to act on this. 1. Clear 5-30 minutes for this process. No interruptions, no other obligations. Time for you and you alone. 2. Take three deep, cleansing, slow breaths in and out. Clear the tension in your body with airflow. 3. Do any one of the following: · Go for a hike in nature. · Meditate somewhere comfortable and calm. · Prepare and eat an amazing meal or tasty snack. · Treat yourself to a massage, facial, Reiki, or some other similar modality. · Take a bike ride. · Read a book. · Masturbate. · Go to the Gym. · Paint, sculpt, write poetry, or do some other art. · Watch something that you know will make you laugh or cry. 4. Repeat step 2 and take three more deep, cleansing, slow breaths in and out. Create the transition from this you-time to other obligations and needs. Do this at least 3 times during the next week. Find and/or create this space for your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health – wellness – and wellbeing. You are worthy and deserving of this! Author Website: https://mjblehart.com Email: author@mjblehart.com Instagram Twitter Facebook Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices