What Does It Mean To Be Healthy?

All too often, when we see a friend in passing, we ask, “How are you doing,” almost every time we say, “Fine” or “All is good.” This is because it’s a form of greeting; the question is not really being asked to see how you are doing physically or emotionally. However, many of us do suffer from mental health issues, in order to address these health issues it is important that we reach out to a professional and get help so we can in fact answer in the affirmative, “Yes, I am doing great today.” That being said, let’s look at the different dimensions of health. That way, the next time we come across someone who asks how we are doing, we can answer confidently, knowing that our whole body and mind are healthy and well.

Different Dimensions of Health

Being healthy means that our body, mind, and spirit are all in alignment. We need to take care of each dimension, or we will not perform at our optimal level or feel as we should.

Physical Health

The most common perception of being healthy is physical wellness. This is where we watch what we eat and the physical exercise we do on a day-to-day basis. Being physically healthy means that we abstain or limit those things that are not good for us. Not only must we put good things in our bodies, we must ensure that we get enough sleep each night and drink plenty of water each day. Maintaining good health helps us not only live longer but also enjoy life to its fullest. In order to achieve this, we need to eat right, exercise, take care of our emotional well-being, and go for regular medical check-ups.

Feeling Sad
Image by unknown from Pixabay

Emotional Health

While one can easily determine the cause of any physical pain, this is not the case with emotional pain. That is why emotional health is very important. Being emotionally healthy means that we should be able to express and feel our emotions within norms. These include emotions like happiness, sadness, and anger, to mention but a few. The ability to be able to express love and achieve a sense of fulfillment also falls under emotional health. To make sure that we are emotionally healthy, we should accept and forgive ourselves, seek and provide support as well as cultivate an optimistic attitude. If you ever feel your emotions taking over and are unable to come to terms with what you’re feeling, get medical attention. Simply talking to a professional can help, or they can prescribe drugs and counseling to help you get back to a good emotional state. This is not something you can do alone, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

Intellectual Health

When we talk of intellectual health, we look at being involved in creative and stimulating activities. We need to make sure that our minds are continually inspired and that we give ourselves a little intellectual challenge every now and again. Those who are intellectually healthy have an active mind and want always to learn.

To make sure that we are intellectually healthy, we should take courses or workshops, learn new or different things, and even play a few games of skill and strategy. I enjoy playing a few different skill and strategy games myself. A new game I found that I enjoy is Sequence. Try it out. It will really stimulate your strategic thinking abilities. As with all good things, make sure not to overdo certain activities, or your mind-body and soul will become out of aliment.

Social Health 

Being socially healthy means that we are able to communicate effectively and are able to interact with other members of society. This also means that you respect yourself as well as those who are around you.

To be socially healthy, you need to cultivate healthy relationships, get involved with the community that you live in as well as contribute to the community’s needs. However, this also means that you need to be aware of societal expectations, as this can either damage your social health or bring it up.

man and woman meditating
Photo by theformfitness from Pexels

Spiritual Health

To be spiritually healthy, one needs to have a set of beliefs, principles, and values to help guide your journey in life. Your belief system provides that sense of purpose in your life. Being spiritually healthy means that you are able to be curious about human life and its existence and, at the same time, appreciate it and be grateful. To cultivate your spiritual health, you should spend time alone and meditate. You should also live by your principles and values; this forms a big part of what makes you happy. Happiness is not all about having money or other monetary or worldly possessions.

Occupational Health

Occupational health looks at the way that you are able to make use of your skills and talents in order for you to gain purpose. If you are occupationally healthy, you should have a sense of commitment to your job. That means that you should find your job to be satisfying and rewarding. To make sure that you are occupationally healthy, you should create a vision for your future and also be open to change and learn new skills as they present themselves.

How to Be Healthy

With so many dimensions of health that you have to manage, it can be hard to balance them all at once. That is why we also add a few tips on how to manage and keep healthy in all different dimensions.

  • Meditation helps you to train the mind and prepares you to adjust to anxiety, panic attacks, or other mental challenges should they enter your world. I find the app headspace is very good at preparing me for those challenges in life
  • Find games or sports that you enjoy and set up a regular time to take a break from life and play. You may want to join a Thursday night softball league or Bowling league.
  • Take part in nature- This has numerous benefits like physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. Taking part in nature opens up your mind and cultivates creativity.
  • Let go and Release: This means you have to exercise and also be able to talk about your emotions as well. That way, you can be at peace. Keeping issues bottled up inside is a disaster waiting to happen
  • Have confidence: Having confidence helps build up self-love. Which, in turn, has positive effects on all different dimensions of health.
  • Be positive- The one thing that kills us and brings us down is a lack of positive energy. The way you feel can affect the way you eat, sleep, and think. Always strive to maintain a positive attitude.

The main point is to learn to appreciate everything that happens around you. By so doing, you are able to make changes in your life as well as a positive influence in your community.