To remain in full health, we must have positive health in all four aspects. If you are in good shape, have good friendships, but are depressed, this is still seen as having poor health/well-being. To gain positive health and keep it consistent, it is important we follow the recommendations and advice given to us by counsellors, doctors and those who know best for us. It is hardest to maintain good physical health, as so many factors lead to it being negative.
We must keep a balanced diet, active fitness and regular check-ups with our GPs to make sure we stay in good physical shape. Our physical health can be drastically affected if we are tempted by things such as tobacco and alcohol. Because of this, the majority of the public are slowly damaging their health as both tobacco and alcohol become addictive. Taking these substances cause internal damage which is why although someone may appear to be in very good shape, their internal organs, (liver, lungs etc), may be in very poor condition. Illness and disease also determine whether we are in good or poor physical health, as they have a huge impact on a person’s life.
Most of us benefit from a positive intellectual health as it is the law that we attend school up until the age of sixteen. Although some of us aren’t as intelligent as others, as long as we are all developing new skills and learning new things we are improving our intellectual health. It is well known that we all learn at different rates and so it is important we don’t confuse somebody who isn’t a fast learner as having a negative intellectual health. Illness can alter the way we learn. For example, autism sufferers have low concentration spans and have trouble communicating; this can result in poor intellectual health, even though the person is not in fault.
Our emotional health should always be positive, as having poor emotional health affects our entire holistic health. Depression is one of the main causes of suicide, and can cause us to stop taking care of ourselves and to lose contact with others. When someone is upset, they do not concentrate on tasks set for them and tend to worry about their problems. This can also cause a person to isolate themselves and for them to stop communicating with other people. It is strange how a person’s emotions can affect their entire health, so it is important that we maintain a happy lifestyle and have good friendships so we can be comforted when we are down.
Positive social health can be maintained by having a group of different friends that we can talk to about different things. If we are unable to have friendships, we may become lonely which can also lead to depression. Having a close bond with family members, and having people we can talk to about things that may be bothering us is very important. It is also important that we continue socialising even when we have friends already so that we can meet new people and form other friendships.
Having leisure time where we can socialise is a necessity. We should all be able to go out and enjoy ourselves, as this can alter our ego in a good way. Holistic health supports reaching a higher level of wellness as well as preventing illness. Many people enjoy the well-being that results from their positive lifestyle changes and are motivated to continue this process throughout their lives.