If I were to ask if you are healthy, what would be your response? Would you tell me that you are because you run every morning, you count your macros, you don't have that nasty cold anymore, or that you never have to go to the doctors office (because, hey, an apple a day, right)?
We Are All Different
Many might have their own personal definition as to what it means to be healthy to them. They could be defining health on their ability to recover from something quickly, their physical fitness and activity level, or their positive mental and emotional state.
This all sounds a little subjective so let's explore health a little deeper.
Define Health
If you look up health in the dictionary, it is defined as the condition of the body and mind of being without disease. So if you don't have a mental or physical disease this must mean you're healthy, right?
For me, this definition seems like it allows room for a lot of grey area, which is is why I prefer the definition given by the World Health Organization.
The WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". This suggests that health is a state that is well rounded and has to be balanced.
Health is Constantly Changing
Because health has different sides to it, it will always be in the process of change. As you know, life can change at the blink of an eye, and you never know what can happen by the end of the day. Things just happen.
You might succumb to that dessert you weren't supposed to eat, wake up get sick, get in an argument with that one coworker, get injured during your workout, or you might just be having an "off" emotional day.
The goal is to work on the different areas in our lives and adapt as each thing comes, so get up and change it right back!
Make a healthier decision the next day and don't beat yourself up about it, take a sick day off and relax on the couch, resolve things with your coworker, allow that injury to recover and focus on flexibility, and focus on the positive to change your mindset.
There will always be something to throw you off, but you just have to try to adapt and find balance.
Health is a Balancing Act
It goes without saying that if health is something that is always changing, there must be a balance point to reach. For example, if you are physically healthy, but are feeling depressed or socially drained, this will put you in an unbalanced state, where the negative can take over, outweighing the good that you have done.
The inverse is also possible. If you are putting all of your focus on being socially and emotionally happy, but none on your physical health, your body will suffer the imbalance.
The goal is to look at ourselves and our health as a whole in order to find balance.
What Does Wellness Have to Do With It?
Wellness makes up all of the sides leading up to a healthy state.
As discussed in my earlier post, "What is Wellness", wellness has six divisions to it: spiritual, physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and occupational. All of these areas must be worked on and balanced in order to achieve a healthy life.
So how do you currently define your health, and what are you going to do about it to make it complete?
Good
I feel healthy when I can play, when I can "go," when I can "do," without my mind or my body holding me back. The six divisions help me understand how each of these elements plays a role in how I feel.
Love the insight on this, some people don’t go through and really thing about other aspects of health other than “I’m sick”. It makes people really re-evaluate their life. Great post!