The Four Pillars of Health

Physical and mental health are connected. If we treat our bodies poorly it is likely that our mental health will suffer as well. Likewise if your mental health is poor you also are likely struggling to care for yourself physically. When meeting with clients for the first time assessing healthy behaviors is a priority. The four behaviors I focus on I refer to as the four pillars of health. These behaviors are the right amount of sleep, healthy diet, being physically active, and doing things we enjoy with people we enjoy. If any of the pillars are out of alignment it is likely that our mental health will be negatively impacted. Let us examine each of these pillars with greater detail.

Sleep

Getting restful restorative sleep is vitally important to our overall health and wellbeing. The absolute minimum sleep that an adult should be averaging per night is seven hours. Many adults get less sleep than that. Teenagers often need closer to a minimum of eight or nine hours per night. Though recommending getting more sleep seems like minimal recommendation it is surprising how many people are chronically sleep deprived. 

There are several small adjustments that people can make to help improve their sleep that are referred to as sleep hygiene behaviors. Such behaviors include getting up around the same time each day, sleeping in a quiet and dark space, only using the bed for sleep and sex, not eating right before bed, and not consuming caffeine for at least eight hours before bed. The last might be a surprising recommendation, the half life of caffeine is six hours so if someone is having sleeping problems it would be advisable for them to avoid caffeine for closer to ten hours before they wish to be asleep.

There are disorders that can be disruptive of sleep. Some are more psychological in nature while others are medically based. If you are having difficulty with sleep it can be important to understand if the nature of your problem is more behavioral (psychological) or medical in nature. Medical sleep problems would include sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and so on. Behavioral sleep problems can include insomnia, or sleep problems that are secondary to another condition such as anxiety or depression. Therapy can help with many of these problems even if they are not behavioral in nature as often the treatment involves behavioral changes. 

Diet

I am not a dietitian and thus cannot make recommendations for a specific style of diet. Eating a healthy diet does not mean following one specific diet that is better than all others. In general terms eating healthy consists of eating fruits and vegetables, limiting processed foods and limiting sugar intake. For some this might be eating a vegetarian diet, for others a mediterranean diet, while for others using Adkins or weight watchers. None of the above are any better than the others, the best diet is one that a person can stick to and follow. 

A few tricks and techniques that can assist with diet include, don’t buy food that you know is not healthy/good for you. It is amazing how often we can know that having a food item such as chips in the house will increase the likelihood that we will eat more of them then we mean to. Our past behaviors are the best indicators of future behavior. If you know that you are a person who has a very difficult time with having certain food items in the home, do not buy those items. 

Eat mindfully. Often when we eat we are not attending to the food that we are eating. We are watching a show or reading something on our phones while eating then are surprised when our food is gone. When you are eating pay attention to your food. Actually experience the taste, the texture, the smells etc. Eat slowly and enjoy the food that you are eating. We know from research that we tend to eat slower when we have taken time to prepare a meal. Make food that you enjoy eating, then take the time and attention to enjoy that food. Eating is a pleasure and it can do much to lift our spirits if we pay attention to eating. 

Give yourself permission to eat food. If you are wanting to cut certain foods out of your life try instead to limit or adjust them rather than giving them up all together. When we make a rule for ourselves that we are not allowed to have food X, suddenly all we want to eat is food X. If though we allow ourselves to have food X but with some stipulations, such as needing to make it ourselves, or substituting ingredients it can become much easier to adhere to our diet. For example if one wants to decrease eating pizza, perhaps rather than saying that they will have no pizza, it is they can have pizza that is home made and has healthy ingredients as toppings. 

Physical Activity

Physical health is an important aspect of one’s overall health and wellbeing. For many thinking of physical activity invokes images of being at a gym or engaging in fitness classes. Going to the gym is not the only method of being healthy and active, you can do so by taking daily walks, playing games such as Switch Sports, or Just Dance. Getting your heart rate up for about fifteen minuets twice a day is a great place to start. 

Also recall that physical activity does not have to feel punching. In fact it is more effective if it can feel rewarding and enjoyable. Playing a pick up game of basket ball, going for a bike ride with a friend, taking an exercise class, all of these things can be fun and enjoyable while also being physically engaging. 

Social Hobbies 

Doing things that matter with the people we care about can do wonders for our mental health. Simply being with people you love and care about can be helpful, but if we are doing a shared activity that can really help us feel more connected, wanted, and accepted. Doing things can be as simple as playing a board game, or walking around window shopping. Or we can make the events as complex as going on a multi day hike, or weekend trip. If you are feeling down trying to find an activity to do with your friends where each person’s participation enhances the experience. This might be an escape room or even doing a potluck dinner. No matter the activity, as long as it is something you typically enjoy, being around those you care about will help you feel just a little better.

Bringing Them Together

If your energy tanks are low try combining several of the pillars at once. This way you are hitting several areas of self-care with one activity. This could be something such as going on a hike and picnic trip with your friends. This way you are being active, social, and feeding your body. Or perhaps your friends come over for a dinner party followed by a game night. Again we are hitting social and food. 

If you are someone who tends to ignore your own pillars of health try to create ways to ensure that you are attending to the four pillars in your day to day life. Schedule regular social events with friends. Build being physically active into your daily routine. Set reminders to help ensure that you are going to bed on time. Buy healthy snacks and food and try to avoid the foods you know don’t help you feel good. Also, keep a list of activities that you can do to attend to the four pillars of health as when you are feeling bad it can be more difficult to make plans. 

Know When to Get Help

If you are attending to your four pillars and still do not feel well it might be time to reach out and see someone for therapy. Tips about knowing when to get help can be found in my previous blog post here. Remember like anything maintenance is better than fixing a problem. Keep up with your self-care and seek assistance when needed.