Pillars of Wellness
The 8 pillars of wellness…what are they? How does one achieve them? What do they mean and what do they bring to our lives? I hope to answer these questions and more in a pillars of wellness series focusing on each pillar individually as well as how to bring them all together in our daily lives and routines.
So at this point I am sure some of you are asking, what are the 8 pillars of wellness? Well first let’s start with what is wellness. Wellness is not only a state of having and living an active and healthy life, but also the process towards achieving that state. Each pillar of wellness reflects a foundations and stepping stone that we all need to build and grow in our own lives to achieve a state of wellness. If one of these foundations is weak or lacking, it can cause strain on others and throw us off balance. For instance if we are not eating nutritious foods to sustain our bodies then we suffer physically and emotionally which can also lead to issues at work and then suffering financially as well. Now, feeling like a mess, how do you find the root of the issue and resolve it? There is a lot that goes in to wellness and balancing all 8 pillars (I am sure you figured out that nutritional, physical, emotional and financial are 4 of the pillars ;)) and making sure each one is being attended to when and as needs be. We will get to that, I promise.
Look at you all patiently hanging in there, reading and being intellectually stimulated while waiting to find out what the other 4 wellness pillars are. I know that you all know them, even if you have never given them a name. They are all a part of what makes each of us a whole and well individual. They are around us in our daily lives through our social connections, when we commune spiritually and through the environments in which we work, reside and spend our time. What’s that? I still have not revealed all 8 pillars you say… Oh, but I have. The first four were nutritional, physical, emotional and financial. The final four are intellectual, social, spiritual and environmental. I know, sneaky. But you see, they are all always there. Sometimes beneath the surface, but still present. Sometimes in need of nurturing, attention and love, but always around us all. They hold us up, create the base on which we stand and give structure and beauty to our lives. Hence being so named the pillars of our wellness.