Wellness: Mind, Body, Soul
As faith-based therapists, we focus on the whole person. God created us as complex and wonderful beings. He gave us a physical body, an intellect, emotions, and a soul. He creates us so intricately and beautifully but sometimes these can get messy. When one area is not well, it impacts the others. This is why in therapy, we believe in looking at and taking an approach that considers all of you.
What does this look like? Well, I want you to pause for a moment and take inventory of yourself in the following categories:
Physical: How has your physical health been? Are you sleeping? Do you have energy? How are you feeling throughout the day? How does your diet and exercise routine make you feel? Do you feel overstimulated by your environment?
Intellect/Mind: How have you been using your mind and ability to learn and think? Do you feel stagnant; just going through routines automatically? Are you able to focus, organize, take initiation, and have flexible thinking? What are your thoughts like? Do they tend to be critical, negative, discouraging or positive, encouraging and hopeful?
Emotional/Mind: How aware and in control of your emotions are you? Do you know why you feel certain emotions? Are you able to manage them or care for self when needed? Do you tend to feel overwhelmed by your feelings? Do you repress, ignore, and “stuff” your feelings? Or are you aware of what your emotions are trying to tell you and able to respond in a healthy way that helps you?
Soul: How aware of your spirit are you? Is your faith a positive or negative part of your life? How connected do you feel with God? Do you notice consolation and desolation? Do you look for “God moments” throughout your day? Are you nourishing your soul, and if not, what is the barrier?
There are so many ways that these four categories can start to struggle and impact your life. If you are not sleeping, your intellect functions at a subpar capacity and your emotions may veer more negative. If you are struggling with a physical condition, you may feel angry or reluctant to trust God. Each category does not exist in a bubble. They work together- and also fail together.
We encourage a way of living in which you stay mindful of all of these areas in your life. To be aware of what fills and drains each category and know how to adjust when needed. Why is this important? Because God created us in His image and likeness and wants you to become the best version of yourself. When we are the best versions of ourselves, we can impact the world in the way God created us for. We all have different struggles, or even different areas that are difficult. And often, those struggles are not even our fault. We all have a set of cards dealt to us. We don’t pick those cards but we do get to choose how to play them.
I get it. When life hands you something that is awful, how do you just accept and “play those cards”. This world is broken and is not our final destination. The emotion and soul side of you may need support to be able to accept the thing that has been given to you. It’s normal to fight it and get into despair or just to feel stuck. But don’t let yourself stay there. Reach out for support. We will walk your journey with you and hold the hope when you cannot.
I encourage you to take some time and write down what helps you and what drains you in each of these. Then pick one goal for each one. Even if your feeling pretty good, then make that goal to maintain those things that are healthy and helpful.
And if we can help you with those goals or support you in a challenging time of life, reach out to us at info@selahprofessionalcounselors.com.
-Marija Lamas, LCSW
