The Seven Pillars of Wellbeing

Achieving wellness in one’s life isn’t always easy. We, humans, are complex and there are many aspects that play into our overall wellness. In order to reach a certain level of wellness, it’s important to take a look at the seven pillars of wellbeing. These pillars touch on very different parts of our lives and affect us every day. 

 

What Are the Seven Pillars?

 

When you break it down, the seven pillars are physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, and occupational/finance. Sometimes these pillars overlap and it’s not uncommon to find that you’re putting more effort into one pillar and pushing others aside. 

Understanding these seven pillars is incredibly important, especially during the pandemic when everyone’s mental health has been more at risk than ever. If you choose to pay attention to these pillars and incorporate bits and pieces into your everyday life, it will help you find balance. 

What Each Pillar Means

1. Physical 

Ask yourself how well you treat your physical body. This pillar goes beyond eating healthy and exercising – although those are very important. It also touches on the habits you have such as drug or alcohol use, addressing any illnesses that come up and getting enough sleep each night. 

2. Emotional 

This pillar speaks to how you express your emotions and your relationship with your feelings. Are you able to express love to others? Do you practice self-love and self-acceptance? This pillar also speaks to how you manage stress and work through any tough emotions. 

3. Intellectual

Have you ever considered that you must exercise your brain, similarly to how you would take care of your physical body? It’s important to keep our minds sharp, especially as we age. Some ways that you can do so is by reading, learning a new language or taking a course in something you’re interested in learning more about!

4. Social

We all need social interaction and want to be accepted by others. That stems from our survival instincts from when we needed to be accepted as a member of a tribe in order to eat and sustain ourselves. Today this pillar addresses the relationships we have with others in a different way. It involves communicating effectively, being intimate with others and creating healthy relationships. 

5. Spiritual 

Spirituality is different for everyone. This pillar is made up of your individual beliefs when it comes to the purpose of life or a higher power. When working on your spiritual pillar you might choose to meditate, ask questions and be inquisitive about human existence and work on being more present. 

6. Environmental 

Are you in tune with the environment? This pillar looks at your relationship with the environment, asking you to work in harmony with nature and act responsibly to protect the environment. You can work on this pillar by looking at ways in which you can cut down your plastic consumption, conserve water and more.

7. Occupational/Finance 

Finding a job that you love that also allows you to support yourself might take time. This pillar asks you to consider your many skills and what truly makes you happy in life. Asking yourself those questions will help you explore different career options and find a career that feels right for your life and goals.