With the New Year coming soon, there are many different resolutions to set. This time motivates everyone to step into the best version of themselves. Whether you aim to learn a new language or finally read that book that has been collecting dust, all these amazing goals require balance. The health triangle provides that stability and helps you live a happier life.
What is the Health Triangle?
The health triangle is a comprehensive approach to understanding and maintaining your overall well-being. The three components include physical health, mental health, and social health. Each side of the triangle plays an important role in achieving a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Physical Health
The first component of the health triangle is your physical health. This portion focuses on the body’s condition and its ability to perform daily activities. This includes consistent exercise like running, jogging, swimming, or even dancing.
Doing regular physical activities strengthens the body and improves mental health. It releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Another important part of physical health is a balanced diet full of nutrients. Getting enough sleep and having regular medical check-ups are also important.
Mental Health
The second component of the health triangle is mental health. This holds your emotional, psychological, and social well-being which all affect how we think, feel, and act. Maintaining this part of the triangle involves managing stress, practicing mindfulness, and seeking help when needed.
Mental health technicians are helpful when addressing mental health challenges. They provide therapy and help connect individuals to resources.
Social Health
The third and final component of the triangle refers to social health. This comprises of the ability to form and maintain meaningful relationships as well as adapt to different social situations. Fostering strong social connections can improve your emotional bandwidth and provide you support during difficult times. Engaging in community service and volunteer opportunities can improve social health by creating new connections.
Why is the Health Triangle Important?
The Health Triangle is one of the best ways to gauge the balance of your overall health. The goal is to have an equal triangle on all sides. Try avoiding the lopsided one you drew in 7th-grade Geometry class.
At times, many people tell us that one part of our health holds priority over all others. However, they all go hand-in-hand in some manner. The Health Triangle reminds us that all parts or “sides” hold equal importance and deserve equal treatment. Assessing the shape of your triangle can help you address areas of neglect and administer proper health care.
What Affects the Balance?
Determinants of health are factors that help us understand our overall health and well-being. Sometimes, these determinants are things that we cannot control. For example, we simply enter our culture, origin, or genetics at birth.
Certain behaviors, however, are within out control like what we do about it all. Although recognizing the imbalance in your life may be overwhelming, it’s important to to put it back on track.
According to the World Health Organization, here are some of the Determinants of Health:
- Environment – The social, economic, and physical world around you makes up your environment. Some are easy to adjust, such as finding a supportive community locally or beyond.
- Genetics and Personal Characteristics – These include genetic disorders, gender and sexual identity, race, and the permanent effects of life experiences.
- Behaviors – This health determinant revolves around our self-care, mindset, and lifestyle choices. As much as it includes the “good stuff”, it also includes actions like drug abuse and self-harm.
- Medical Care – Getting regular check-ups and treatment for illnesses keeps both physical and mental health strong. This can be hard for some people because of certain restrictions. However, there are resources and groups like the Glenn Family Foundation that help reduce this disparity.
How Do I Know If I’m Balanced?
Ask yourself some of the questions below to get more insight into what your triangle may look like.
Physical
- How often do you engage in physical activity?
- Do you get enough restful sleep at night?
- How nutritious and healthy is your daily diet?
- Do you regularly see your primary care doctor and other health professionals?
- Do you use tobacco, abuse alcohol, or use other drugs such as THC?
Mental
- Do you feel aware of your current state and your thoughts?
- Do you feel that you understand your emotions?
- Do you feel more positive emotions than negative or the opposite?
- Are you hopeful for your future?
Social
- Do you have close friends that you communicate with regularly?
- Do you share values with your community or culture?
- Do you feel you have healthy boundaries with the people closest to you?
- Are you able to talk through your problems with friends?
After answering these questions, take time to reflect on the answers. Do you feel that some areas are more equal than others? Do you need to take more care of one part over the other to create balance?
Are the areas of your health triangle equal? Why or why not?
Ways to Maintain the Balance
Once you’ve assessed what parts of your life need some adjusting for better balance, you can apply some action! At this point, your New Year’s Resolution list might be full.
You might have loads of goals like “do more volunteer hours,” “fundraise for events”, or “raise awareness of nonprofit organizations.” However, adding and maintaining the balance does not have to be hard! Here are some ways to get your triangle back into shape:
Physical
- Get 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night.
- Eat a nutritious diet, including protein, carbohydrates, and fiber.
- Be consistently active throughout the day.
Mental
- Practice relaxation and meditation.
- Journal often and write about the local community around you from your perspective.
- Reach out to a therapist or mental health professional if you feel yourself experiencing mental illness.
Social
- Take time away from social media and connect with friends and family!
- Visit an event or take a stroll at a local park to take in the scenery with others.
- Volunteer for different causes like a senior center, community garden, animal shelter, or local food bank. (Many places also appreciate unique community service ideas)
- Ask for help and offer it to others. The positive impact of community goes a long way.
Conclusion
The media often promotes many wellness practices. However, sometimes the hardest problems can have the simplest solutions in the shape of a health triangle.
The health triangle serves as a supportive way to measure you’re overall health and wellbeing while maintaining its balance. Community service projects, volunteering at the local soup kitchen, addressing mental health issues, or just taking care of your immune system can go a long way to keeping the balance.
If parts of your triangle need a boost, email us at info@glennfamilyfoundationms.org.