The 4 Realms of Health

Physical health includes the condition of your physical body, both inside and out. Improving your physical health supports your ability to move through the world with more ease and vitality. Nutrition, exercise, sleep, rest and dental care are examples of tools that help support your physical health. Health screening and disease prevention and management are important components as well.

Mental wellness encompasses your overall psychological wellbeing. It impacts your ability to cope with normal life stressors, cultivate relationships and engage in meaningful work. It helps you to process information, make decisions, and navigate life’s ups and downs more keenly.  It doesn’t mean you don’t have stress and demands, rather it supports a return to balance once the dust has settled. Seeking support, setting healthy boundaries, establishing positive self-talk, learning a new hobby or skill and engaging in creativity are examples of tools that help support mental health

Emotional wellbeing includes being in touch with your emotions and accepting them. It means having an ability to recognize, regulate, and respond appropriately to your emotions and not be overwhelmed or controlled by them. Emotional health allows you to express emotions appropriately, work through and managing feelings in a healthy way, and empathize with others. Examples of tools that cultivate emotional health include journaling, meditation, yoga, exercising, spending quality time with supportive and uplifting friends and loved ones, cuddling your dog or cat, and spending time in nature. 

Spiritual health includes having a sense of passion and purpose in your life: it gives life meaning. It is what gives you a sense of interconnectedness and oneness to life. It includes your connection to a higher power, the world around you, your own inner wisdom, or any combination of these. It influences your belief system and how you interact with others and the world, and it guides your ethics.  Meditation, prayer, attending religious services, spending time in nature, connecting with others in group activities, and engaging in volunteer work in your community are examples of ways you can cultivate spiritual health.