Pillars of Health
“Health” is an incredibly broad topic and trying to be “healthy” or “healthier” is a noteworthy endeavour but can be best broken down into parts to make it less overwhelming and provide the opportunity for individualized focus. We can appreciate that one person may be struggling with physical wellness, while someone else may be more impacted by their mental well-being.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (see image below) is a well-recognized model that helps breakdown the process of human development/fulfillment in the form of a pyramid. It points out that before we can “climb” the pyramid, we need to address the needs of the particular level. If we expect a person to develop meaningful relationships we should ensure that we have addressed basic needs first (physiological needs and safety needs). While the model is a helpful visual that can help someone reflect on their own (or someone else's) development, it fails to recognize the trickle down effect that can (and does) happen at various levels.
If you look at the image above, you’ll see that “rest” sits under physiological needs. While we surely need sleep as a “basic need,” we live in a culture where sleep problems are commonplace. If we consider for a second our level of privilege, we can see that our basic needs are met--outside of extreme circumstances, we have food, water, warmth, security and safety. Why, then, do so many struggle to get a sound sleep? Why do some people feel unsafe in the safest countries in the world?
“Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but ... life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”
Unfortunately, we can see that complex feelings, such as anxiety, can trickle down from any level of our pyramid. This could be a feeling of inadequacy or even a recent breakup. As such, a model that looks at health as independent pillars that collectively hold each other up (and impact each other for better or for worse) can be more valuable. Models are only useful if we are able to apply them functionally to our lives.
The next blog series is going to break down our proposed pillars of health independently and provide strategies and resources on how we can all build up our pillars and improve our global health.
Five Pillars of Health
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Social
Financial
While we are at our best when all five pillars are supported, we can get by when one is neglected (maybe without realizing its impact). However, when two aren’t adequately addressed, there will start to be very real problems that spill over into all parts of our lives. Any more than that and we are in true distress and unable to cope until we are able to build up one (or more) of our pillars.
We look forward to breaking these down in a meaningful way in the coming weeks. Please reach out with any questions or comments.
-Tyler