The 'four spheres of health and wellness' is a conceptual framework to understand better how the mind and body connection works. I define the four spheres as emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical. If we experience stagnation in one or more of the four spheres, then we may feel stuck in one or more areas of our lives. When we are flowing in all four spheres then we can experience more joy, connection and happiness. So, if you are feeling stuck, try being curious, instead of CRITICAL(which is what our minds are sooooo good at) by asking yourself the following questions:
Where in the four spheres am I feeling stuck?
Do my actions match my words?
What's my stress level on a scale from 1-10, and where in my body do I feel the stress?
What tool from my toolbox might be helpful right now? (For example, journal my thoughts and feelings, call a friend, practice yoga, exercise, walk, stop and breathe, reach out to a professional if guidance is desired..)
Emotional Sphere: We have four primary emotions (happy, sad, anger, fear). We experience all levels of intensity and various forms of these emotions throughout the day. Emotions are fluid, meaning they come and go like waves in an ocean, if we allow them to. Emotions may last longer depending on our thought process and energy level. If we become aware of our emotions in connection to our thoughts, then we can begin the journey of finding our flow in this sphere. Try keeping a log of your thoughts and feelings when experiencing a stressor and/or a strong reaction to something someone (or you) says or does. Breathe and ask yourself, am I hungry? Tired? Bored? Stressed? Confused? All of the above? Take care of an immediate need if you can, for example drink a glass of water or take a 15 minute power nap if tired and then check in with how you feel afterwards.
Other questions to ask yourself, do I feel out of control? Am I feeling/doing the same thing over and over again and I don't know what to do? Am I feeling anything or nothing at all? Speaking to a professional can support this process if any or all of these questions leave you feeling like you would like some guidance. If you are feeling suicidal or hopeless or unable to function, call 911 or a national hotline at 988. You are NEVER alone!!
Psychological Sphere: Neuroscientists suggest that we have 60,000 plus thoughts a day(and just as many emotions) And guess what? They are not all our unique thoughts. We have many thoughts passed down from others such as our parents/other primary caregivers, friends, teachers that sound like “I’m not smart enough to...”, “I’ll never be able to accomplish…” "I'm not brave enough to.." It helps to recognize that our thoughts are real, but not necessarily true. Our beliefs are often formed by our thoughts and childhood experiences. If we learn to become aware of what's true vs. not, then we can begin to thrive in this sphere.
If you would like to become more aware of your thoughts, try by simply being curious.. if you just reacted to something or someone, imagine a stop sign in your mind, breathe and ask yourself, what thought did I just have? Start to question, is this thought a fact? Do I have evidence to support it to be a fact without any reasonable doubt?? What story am I telling myself right now? Write it down or call a friend. Over time you will likely find a pattern in your thinking and will see a connection between your thoughts, feelings and behavior.
Spiritual Sphere: What is your connection to others? to a Higher Power? to the Universe? The newest part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, is the gateway to your highest self. When we engage this part of our brain, we can create neural connections to the most primitive part of our brain responsible for the fight or flight response, the amygdala. This connection allows for more ease in this sphere. When we connect with our spiritual self, we also connect with our energy system. Here we are able to feel compassion and connection to ourselves and others. This can be achieved through energy modalities like EFT and logo-synthesis, and/or meditation, mindfulness and compassion practices, prayer, music, art and more.
Physical Sphere: Our physical bodies are tangible. We can become easily focused on our physical selves that we ignore our other spheres, or we can become so lost in our thoughts and emotions that we have trouble connecting to our bodies. How can we communicate with our bodies? The quickest way to reconnect your mind and body is to practice a deep breathing technique: Count four breaths into your nose and breath out 6 counts through your mouth. Square breathing is another technique whereas you breath in for 4, hold your breath for 4, breath out of your mouth for 4 and then hold for 4. Add an essential oil of your choice (such as an earthy scent like douglas fir) and repeat a mantra to yourself (such as I let go and go with the flow) and you will be even more grounded.
Finding your flow in all four spheres is a process that isn't linear and exact, it's an art form that assists you in creating, shaping and molding your way to BEING well :)
