The Four Pillars of Well-being and How to Navigate Them

Although there is a lot of literature, studies, and discussion out in the world with regards to what the ‘Pillars’ of well-being are, we are going to focus on the ones where there is a consensus: mental well-being, emotional well-being, physical well-being and social well-being.

1 – Mental Well-being
Many people get mixed up between mental well-being and emotional well-being, and although they can be grouped under the main topic of ‘mental health’, there are differences.

With regards to the work that we do, mental well-being relates to how you deal with thoughts and thinking patterns, how you reflect on your life, the lives of those around you, and your perception of how others see you.

DISCLAIMER: This topic does not address mental health issues or other medical conditions (or medication) that effect your mental state. Please consult with your physician if you are concerned about any of the above areas.

To improve your mental well-being, we encourage you to try some of the following activities:

1.     Meditation – Take some time out of your day to mediate, whether that be official meditation treatment, or just finding some time to breath, to relax, to allow the worries of the world to drift from your mind. Find a space that is not too visually stimulating.
2.     Physical activity – physical well-being is addressed further on down this page, however taking a nice walk or participating in a sport, helps release stress in the body and can be calming. Be mindful however, if you are a very competitive individual be aware of your stress levels so that you can focus on a stress-free environment.
3.     Don’t keep quiet – If there is something on your mind then talk to someone you trust, as keeping things bottled up can lead to mental health issues (please refer to disclaimer above). Talking through thought patterns is a good way of gaining an understanding of what is going on in your life from another perspective. Remember positive thoughts are where your focus and energy should be. Negative thoughts need to be addressed, but not to the extent that it affects the other aspects of your life.
4.     Serve Others – Serving others has been shown to improve your mental well-being. As you serve others your own fears and problems somehow feel less overwhelming. Serving others can be undertaken in a variety of ways; volunteering with a charitable organisation or helping an elderly neighbour, it can even be as simple as sharing common courtesies like smiling and saying “hello”, “thank you”, and “how are you” to people that you meet, whether that be family, friends, or strangers.

2 – Emotional Well-being
Although linked with mental well-being, in terms of this process we are looking at your emotional state, if you are able to identify your emotions and are comfortable with them. Do you have empathy for those around you? Are you able to identify other’s emotional states and able to understand why they have those emotions? Do you recognise what a healthy relationship is, and what a toxic relationship looks like? Some ideas to think about below:
1.     Start a journal – Keeping a diary/journal can help you articulate your emotions. It gives you a timeline on when certain feelings may arise and what events may trigger them. If there are negative emotions that are triggered by certain events you can look at coping mechanisms to either address or avoid those situations.
2.     Create a gratitude list – write down everything that you are grateful for, add to that list regularly. When there are times that you feel down or low re-read your gratitude list to remind you of all the things in your life that you are grateful for. The list can contain little things or major things …size does not matter after all.
3.     Treat others with dignity and respect – Treating others with kindness and respect increases how you feel about yourself. It allows you to show empathy and love to those around you. It also allows you to show others what a healthy relationship should look like (friends, family, partners). It also gives you some tools to identify when a relationship in your life may not be healthy, which could not only affect your emotional well-being, but could also affect your social, mental, and even physical well-being.

3 – Physical Well-being
Physical well-being plays a large part in how a person feels mentally, emotionally, and physically. Some ideas on the three main areas of physical health can be seen below:

1.     Exercise – Exercise is a very important part of physical well-being. Find something that you can do within the compass of your physical health. Find things that you enjoy doing, things that make you feel good. Some activities may include walking, gardening, running, going to the gym, playing a team sport such as cricket, football or rugby. Most team sports also have groups for those with mobility issues (walking football, and walking cricket for example). Take up yoga, or maybe if you stay at home regularly, find activities around the house that keep you active. Walk/Jog up the stairs, do sit-ups, squats, push-ups, many household chores can work up a sweat. The main thing to remember is to find something you like doing, that gives you the best chance of keeping it up.
2.     Sleeping – Getting regular rest is key to physical well-being. Sleeping odd/irregular, or long hours can make you feel tired and drained (physically, mentally, and emotionally). Try and keep a regular schedule for sleep. The old saying early to bed, early to rise is maybe more important today than we might at first think, especially with the world getting so busy and so fast. Find time to relax before you sleep, studies have shown that watching TV, or using electronic devices (phones, game consoles, etc) up to 30 mins before trying to sleep can cause issues with trying to sleep as your brain is too active.
3.     Diet – What you eat is also an important aspect of physical well-being. Making sure you eat the right food, or at least a balanced diet, which will give you the best chance of succeeding with your other “physical well-being” goals. Most health experts will talk about the ‘Healthy Eating Plate’, which states that 50% of your “plate” should be vegetables and fruit, 25% are wholegrains (example brown rice, whole wheat, barley), and the other 25% is made up of protein, meat (limit red meat), fish, nuts, and beans). You are also advised to choose healthy plant-based oils such as olive, soy, corn, peanut (depending on allergies). Ensure you drink sufficient amounts of water. Although most people hear the “2L per day” term, it actually depends on a number of factors including body weight, gender, and how much food you intake which has a lot of fluids (fruit, soup, vegetables such as cucumbers, for example). Although all liquid counts towards your fluid intake, drinks high in caffeine can have an effect on how quickly you need to urinate and therefore a lot of the fluid is not maintained within the body.

4 – Social Well-being
Social well-being can be identified as how we integrate and contribute to communities and society. How do you connect with others? Are you able to have, and maintain meaningful relationships? Below is a short list of things that you can do to improve your social well-being:

1.     Listen to others – You may have heard people say that there is a difference between hearing and listening. Many of us tend to hear what is being said so that we can have an adequate response ready, or we may be hearing what is being said but not really understanding what is being said, or what the other person really means. By truly listening to someone you firstly make a connection, you are saying to the other person that you care about their thoughts and feelings. Secondly, when we really listen, we start to truly understand those around us, how they are feeling, what they are seeing, and how the world affects them.
2.     Respectful disagreements – You are never going to agree with everything that anybody you ever meet says. However, being able to listen to another person’s view and being able to disagree respectfully seems to sadly be a dying art in our society. Even if you do not like what someone else is saying, even if you decide that you do not wish to remain in contact with that individual, be respectful of their views, as they should be respectful of yours.
3.     Recognise how other people affect you – Make sure that you are not being controlled or conditioned by others. If someone constantly makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or angry, then it may be best to withdraw from their company until you can determine what the issue may be. It may be something that can be addressed, but you may come to the conclusion that the relationship is not healthy and not one that you should continue.